Search - Articles

, by July and August there are millions more hungry mouths to feed. For tits, finches and sparrows, garden feeding stations provide a real lifeline. And even for birds like robins, wrens, thrushes and blackbirds, availability of insects, fruits and berries

to visit gardens in autumn and winter, as they rely on bird feeders when their natural sources of insects and grubs dry up. They need calorie-rich suet, sunflower hearts and peanuts to maintain fat reserves on frosty nights. In colder weather, look out

creatures are likely to use your pond:Frogs need ponds to breed and tadpoles will feed on the algae in the water. Create an area of plants where frogs can shelter, to provide valuable shade and cover from predators.FrogsBirds will visit ponds to drink

two years for your ball shape to fully develop.Find out how to create more topiary shapes, in Alan Titchmarsh's feature in the November 2011 issue of Gardeners' World Magazine, on sale now. Alan explains how to make a range of shapes, including cones

is to blame, with wild areas of farmland sacrificed for bigger yields. Bumblebees now have fewer nesting opportunities and flowers to feed from.Grow a range of flowering plants all year - especially from March to November when bees are most active - to provide

feedAlthough aphids suck plants sap, stunting growth, they are also a vital source of food for many beneficial insects and birds. Aphids love nettles, which you can grow as 'sacrificial' plants, saving valuable ornamentals. (The aphids might stunt