Blue Rock Station,
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-740-674-4300 (phone)
+1-740-674-6303 (fax)
Or contact us by e-mail
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-
Or contact us by e-
We support...
Copyright 2003-2007 Blue Rock Station, All Rights Reserved
Please add me to your mailing list...
Ten Simple Steps to a Greener Garden
Okay, I hear you saying that your garden is about the only “green” thing in your life. Never mind, you can always do a bit better.
1. Build a compost heap
Compost garden waste and vegetable scraps from the kitchen in a home- made box or a shop-bought compost container. This can be done as simply as just making a heap in a shady corner of the garden but it will take longer for the waste to break down. You must make sure plenty of air is able to circulate around the heap, and you may need to protect it against heavy rain with a tarpaulin or a sheet of polythene if the heap is out in the open
Compost garden waste and vegetable scraps from the kitchen in a home-
2. Make your garden a peat-free zone
Sadly, the last remnants of the world’s peat bogs are being stripped of their plants, drained, rotovated, vacuumed up and packed into plastic bags. Gardeners buy 60% of all peat sold each year. To save peatland wildlife you can: make your own compost, buy peat-free composts, ask for plants grown without peat, shop in garden centers refusing to stock peat from Sits of Special Scientific Interest, and use alternatives to sphagnum moss in hanging baskets.
Sadly, the last remnants of the world’s peat bogs are being stripped of their plants, drained, rotovated, vacuumed up and packed into plastic bags. Gardeners buy 60% of all peat sold each year. To save peatland wildlife you can: make your own compost, buy peat-
3. Use water wisely
The public demand for water rises every year. Gardeners can make a real difference by using water wisely. Place a water barrel beneath a down pipe to collect water from guttering around your house or outbuildings. Use a watering can rather than a hose. Never use a lawn sprinkler – your grass shouldn’t need it. Mulch plants with peat-free compost to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. Newly planted trees can be more efficiently watered if a short length of plastic drainpipe is sunk vertically into the ground alongside them. Don't pour away wash water - water the plants with it.
The public demand for water rises every year. Gardeners can make a real difference by using water wisely. Place a water barrel beneath a down pipe to collect water from guttering around your house or outbuildings. Use a watering can rather than a hose. Never use a lawn sprinkler – your grass shouldn’t need it. Mulch plants with peat-
4. Make use of nature's pest squad
It is not necessary to use pesticides that damage the environment. Natural pest controllers include amphibians, birds, bats and small mammals, which all eat insect pests. Don't use slug bait, as it is particularly harmful to small mammals and birds. Set a slug trap by sinking a bowl of beer into the ground. Epsom salts sprinkled around garden pinks will prevent rabbits eating them. Circles of sharp sand placed around hostas and lupins ward off slugs. Marigolds in the vegetable patch attract predatory wasps and hoverflies which will attack caterpillars, aphid and other pest larvae. Diluted household detergent is effective against greenfly and blackfly and does not affect butterflies and caterpillars.
It is not necessary to use pesticides that damage the environment. Natural pest controllers include amphibians, birds, bats and small mammals, which all eat insect pests. Don't use slug bait, as it is particularly harmful to small mammals and birds. Set a slug trap by sinking a bowl of beer into the ground. Epsom salts sprinkled around garden pinks will prevent rabbits eating them. Circles of sharp sand placed around hostas and lupins ward off slugs. Marigolds in the vegetable patch attract predatory wasps and hoverflies which will attack caterpillars, aphid and other pest larvae. Diluted household detergent is effective against greenfly and blackfly and does not affect butterflies and caterpillars.
5. Attract butterflies with nettles
The easiest type of butterflies to attract are the nettle feeders. Grow nettles in a sunny sheltered position. Plant them in an old tub buried in the ground to stop them from spreading and becoming a nuisance. Small tortoiseshells prefer young nettle growth, so cut down part of your nettles in late June or early July (removing any caterpillars first) to allow the next generation of butterflies to benefit from the re-growth. If you have more species you could plant a butterfly garden in a sheltered sunny spot.
The easiest type of butterflies to attract are the nettle feeders. Grow nettles in a sunny sheltered position. Plant them in an old tub buried in the ground to stop them from spreading and becoming a nuisance. Small tortoiseshells prefer young nettle growth, so cut down part of your nettles in late June or early July (removing any caterpillars first) to allow the next generation of butterflies to benefit from the re-
6. Create a mini-pond
If you don't have room for a pond, you can still enjoy watching little tadpoles and little fishes in the spring. Why not fill an old sink or half a wooden barrel (first well soaked to make the timbers swell and become watertight) with the water and grow some small water plants in it? Add 4-5 inches of soil or sand and gravel to the base. If you fill it with tap water, leave it for about 24 hours before planting to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Make sure you put some stones in one corner right up to the edge so animals can climb in and out easily.
If you don't have room for a pond, you can still enjoy watching little tadpoles and little fishes in the spring. Why not fill an old sink or half a wooden barrel (first well soaked to make the timbers swell and become watertight) with the water and grow some small water plants in it? Add 4-
7. Feed the birds
Feed the birds with a variety of hard and soft food - corn or cereals will be good for house sparrows, but suet will attract birds that eat insects. Put out tempting treats such as peanuts (unsalted) for coal tits, sunflower seeds for greenfinches and cheese for robins. Don't give dry bread or whole peanuts to birds that are feeding young. Birds also need clean water all year round to drink and wash in. Remember to clean you birdbath occasionally. Nobody, not even little birdies, likes a dirty bathtub.
Feed the birds with a variety of hard and soft food -
8. Don't be too tidy!
Don't be too tidy in the garden. Leave areas of long grass and piles of leaves for amphibians, insects, spiders and small mammals to shelter in. A pile of logs in a shady corner will help beetle larvae, solitary bees and even shelter toads. Lay down sheets of corrugated roofing to provide places for reptiles and amphibians to live. Look again at the plants that you normally pull up as weeds. Many of them are beautiful wildflowers and very important food plants for butterflies and other insects.
Don't be too tidy in the garden. Leave areas of long grass and piles of leaves for amphibians, insects, spiders and small mammals to shelter in. A pile of logs in a shady corner will help beetle larvae, solitary bees and even shelter toads. Lay down sheets of corrugated roofing to provide places for reptiles and amphibians to live. Look again at the plants that you normally pull up as weeds. Many of them are beautiful wildflowers and very important food plants for butterflies and other insects.
9. Plant climbers
Grow climbing plants on a fence or wall to provide a home for snails, moths, beetles and other wall-dwelling creatures. Ivy is great for wildlife all the year round. Birds will nest in it, butterflies will hibernate amongst its leaves and insects will feed on the flowers. You can also grow honeysuckle, clematis, climbing roses and sweet peas.
Grow climbing plants on a fence or wall to provide a home for snails, moths, beetles and other wall-
10. Provide homes for wildlife
Encourage more birds to live in your garden by putting up nest boxes on walls, fences and trees. You can buy a nest box from your local garden center or pet shop - or better still, have a go at making one yourself. Make sure you site your nest box in a sheltered position, facing north-east to south-east, to avoid prevailing west winds and the heat of the midday sun, and at least 2 feet off the ground. It should be away from overhanging branches to stop cats getting to the nest. Clean out the box after the birds have finished with it for the year to prevent a build-up of parasites.
Encourage more birds to live in your garden by putting up nest boxes on walls, fences and trees. You can buy a nest box from your local garden center or pet shop -
- Ideas in this brochure “recycled” from Suffolk (UK) Wildlife Trust