News - Page 53

Many of us met our first badger in a bed-time story, whether it was the kindly and wise Mr Badger from The Wind and the Willows, Fantastic Mr Fox’s legal-minded Clive Badger Esq. or The Chronicles of Narnia’s loyal Trufflehunter. But anyone who’s woken to find their bins knocked over and holes dug in their lawn by badgers in search of supper may have a less rosy view. Badgers and their dwellings (setts) are protected by law, but there are some steps you can take to protect your garden.

So you’ve received some beautiful flowers for Valentine’s Day from your loved one, or maybe a secret admirer and you want to keep them looking at their very best for as long as possible. With these tips, you can make sure your Valentine’s bouquet lasts as long as possible.

For gardeners, it doesn’t get much better than eating food you’ve grown yourself – fresh tomatoes still warm from the summer sun, or peas straight from the pod onto your plate. And no matter how small your garden is, it’s still possible to have the fun of growing your own food. Here are our top tips on how to make your own vegetable garden.

Seeing a real-life wild deer in your garden is thrilling – until you spot the trail of destruction following in Bambi’s wake. To a deer, a garden is just a delicious buffet of tasty treats laid on for its benefit. Deer eat foliage, flowers, and sometimes even tree bark during winter when other food is scarce. Male deer also damage tree branches and stems when they rub their antlers against them. Protecting your plants against deer isn’t always easy, but there are steps you can take to limit the damage.

It’s Squirrel Appreciation Day so we have put together some facts and tips all about squirrels to help you appreciate them in your garden and local parks. This time of year can be tough for squirrels, just like other garden wildlife as food can be very scarce and the frozen ground means they may not be able to reach their previously buried food. Have a read of these facts and tips to help your local squirrels and enjoy going outside to feed them.

Anne Wareham isn’t a ‘conventional’ gardener. In fact, she writes and reports anything other than what you would expect to hear from someone with a beautiful garden in the Welsh borders. Anne can be quick to provoke discussion and challenges thoughts and ideas about gardens and gardening. Self-named as the ‘Bad Tempered Gardener’, here are some points we can learn from Anne, who looks beyond the norm.