Page 56 • The HERALD • 7th March 2024 v THE HERALD - Proud to be part of your communityv All Aspects of Garden Work Undertaken • Driveways • Paving • Artificial Grass • Turfing • Decking • Fencing • Hedge Cutting • Landscaping Hythe Garden Contractors Family company established 1977 For a free quotation please call 023 8084 3556 or 023 8084 0378 Telephone Richard 023 8084 9637 | Grass Cutting | Edges Trimmed | Hedge Trimming | PRESSURE WASHING OF DECKS, PATIOS & DRIVES | FENCE & SHEDS PAINTED QuickSmart Garden Services Professional & Reliable ✿ DOWN THE GARDEN PATH ✿ RPD Landscapes Building & Paving • Patios • Driveways • Fencing • Turfing • Brickwork • All Property Repairs Free Estimates 07707 390791 023 8007 0386 FIVE WAYS TO HELP BIRDS IN EVERY SEASON Information from RHS e UK’s birds are in trouble, and they need our help. By following these easy steps to provide for birds year-round from RSPB expert Adrian omas, you and your garden can make a di erence. e 2023 State of Nature report found that a them brings us joy and boosts our own wellbeing. To give our feathered friends a helping hand, follow these ve simple steps for each season, with top tips from RSPB wildlife gardening expert Adrian omas. “Supplementing food is one way to help, but our gardens can provide more for birds if it’s been designed, planted and maintained to provide a healthy menu and happy home all year round” - Adrian omas, RSPB wildlife gardening expert. How to help birds in spring 1. Resist the urge to tidy! Leave seedheads standing for as long as possible to provide seeds and insects for birds. is will help them get through the hungry gap that coincides with the energy demands of singing, defending territories, building nests and laying eggs. Likewise, try not to be too tidy and leave some nesting material lying around – fallen leaves, twigs and moss are all important construction materials. 2. Plant for birds. Try a bed of annual wild owers – sun owers, quinoa and cereals all provide seed for birds. 3. Make a garden pond with a shallow beach to provide a bathing and drinking spot. 4. Leave some areas of grass long. is bene ts all wildlife, including birds. For example, dandelion seedheads provide food for gold nches. Short grass areas allow blackbirds, thrushes and starlings to search for worms and other invertebrates, so aim for some short grass areas and some long grass areas in your garden. “Variety in lawn length is the spice of life for birds. Starlings are wonderful lawn aerators.” - Adrian omas. 5. If hedges need to be trimmed, do it as early as possible, since birds such as robins, blackbirds and song thrushes start nesting as early as March. e prunings can be neatly stacked between stakes driven into the ground to create a dead hedge, which provides habitat for a variety of wildlife and even nesting sites for wrens. Birds to spot in spring: Song thrush • Chi cha • Collared dove. “The more plants and habitats you include in your outside space, the more you’re playing your part in ensuring our threatened and precious garden birds have a future” - Adrian omas. sobering 43% of all UK bird species are at risk of being lost over the coming decades – the highest gure of any animal group. Gardens can be a valuable refuge for many birds, and in turn, being able to watch Song Thrush Chiffchaff Collared Dove Children’s Potting Shed Club in Beaulieu Patrick’s Patch is a tranquil productive garden in Beaulieu High Street. Owned by Fairweather’s Garden Centre and led by Head Gardener Rachel Foster with her wonderful team of volunteers. Keen to engage children with the importance of gardening in a fun environment ‘ e Potting Shed Club’ provides children aged between 4 and 11 a fun way to learn about nature and wildlife. “I want the children to enjoy being in the garden and to gain satisfaction from making things they can take home and by helping with projects in Patrick’s Patch,” shares Rachel. e Potting Shed Club runs once a month between March and April, from 10am to 11.30am, sessions last around 30 to 40 minutes and may feature group activities or guest speakers. Pre-booking is essential, as each session accommodates a maximum of 20 children, ensuring an intimate and enriching experience. For £5 per session, payable online upon booking, families can embark on a journey of discovery, nurturing a love for gardening and nature in their young ones. Join them at Patrick’s Patch as they cultivate a community of budding gardeners and nature enthusiasts, sowing the seeds for a greener, more vibrant future.
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