v THE NEXT HERALD IS OUT ON 5TH DECEMBER v Page 68 • The HERALD • 14th November 2024 Fred Hurst 023 8084 2191 or 07761 467217 • Grass Cutting • Garden Clearance • Hedge Cutting • Fallen Trees Cleared • Mini Digger Hire with Operator • Property Clearance • Small Demolition • Tractor Flail Cutting FULLY INSURED v FREE QUOTATIONS ✿ DOWN THE GARDEN PATH ✿ SPADEWORK Family Landscaping & Fencing Team ] Decking & Natural Sandstone Paving ] Patios ] Driveways ] Block Paving ] Turfing ] All Types of Domestic & Commercial Fencing ] Security Fencing Supplied & Fitted Tel: (023) 8089 4909 Mobile: 07703 566814 u Free Estimates u Fully Insured • HEDGE CUTTING • FENCING • PATIOS • TURFING • GARDEN CLEARANCES & MORE For a FREE quotation please call 023 8122 4550 or 07548 355262 AUTUMN LEAF GARDEN WORKS • Patios • Decking • Turfing/Astro • Fencing/Gates • Outbuildings • All aspects of Gardening • Pergolas and all timber frame work • Sheds • Beach Huts 07593 423276 • www.heronslandscaping.co.uk cameron@heronslandscaping.co.uk Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly Information supplied by the RSPB It’s an age-old tradition – using fresh holly branches to adorn your table and give your home a festive look – but conservationists are warning that using too much could leave wildlife out in the cold this winter. Holly is a valuable source of food and shelter for a number of birds, mammals and insects. rushes, robins, dunnocks, nches and goldcrests use it for nesting as the prickly leaves provide excellent protection; blackbirds, fieldfares, redwings, mistle and song thrushes, among others, eat the berries; and hedgehogs, toads and slow worms hibernate in the deep leaf litter that builds up beneath the plant. e bush is slow growing, so while pruning in winter is good because it can create denser growth, it is important that holly is not overtrimmed. e plant only owers and produces on two-year old wood, so pruning too hard can stop it owering next spring. Richard James, from the RSPB’s wildlife enquiries team, said: “You can’t beat a bit of holly around the house to make you feel all Christmassy, but as well as it being a pretty plant, holly also plays a very important part in the lives of wildlife at this time of year. “Taking the odd branch here and there will do no harm at all, but don’t take too much. Removing all the berries or cutting the bush back too much will mean birds and other animals that rely on the plant for food and shelter will be left without. And it could also damage the plant in the long-term too, meaning you won’t have any holly to jolly up your home next year.” Festive facts about holly: • Holly berries are unusual in that they stay fresh, even through very cold weather - they don’t shrivel and dry up or go o , which makes them brilliant for birds right through the winter. • ere are over 400 hundred species of holly with either prickly, spiny, or smooth edged leaves. Most are evergreen, but some are deciduous. • Only female trees produce berries, but a male plant needs to be close by for this to happen. • 36 species of insect have been recorded feeding on holly (two are exclusive). • Under good conditions, holly trees can live to be 300 years old, and still produce holly. • English custom decrees that honey bees be wished a Merry Christmas by attaching a sprig of holly to each hive. • In April, the Holly blue butter y can be seen itting around holly bushes on which it lays its eggs; in autumn these young lay next year’s generation on Ivy! • e needle-like points on holly leaves are thought to represent the crown of thorns Jesus wore when he was cruci ed. e red berried symbolise the blood he shed. To benefit wildlife, conservationists recommend waiting until February to prune bushes and trees so that cover, insects and berries are left in place for as long as possible. Holly berries (Image: Lucy Hodson, rspb-images.com) Holly (Image: Andy Hay, rspb-images.com)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNzI=