Encourage Visitors to Your Garden

Is your garden your oasis? If so then how can you encourage others to join you? Frogs, birds and insects all need a home and with minimal effort you can invite them into your garden and watch them help you maintain it.

Birds, frogs and insects are all vital for a balanced ecosystem in your garden. They can help keep pests at bay and your flowers and plants to flourish. All that these creatures need, like the rest of us, are food and shelter.

Birds respond well to feeding throughout the year but particularly in the winter, when natural foods are scarce. Foods with a high fat content, as well as the usual bird seeds are welcome in the colder months. You can buy special bird feeding fat blocks, or just melt lard into a mould. Nuts have a high fat content too and the more varied your offerings, the more diverse the birdlife you are likely to attract.

The only difficulty with offering food to birds is that squirrels may come along too. They are greedy and incredibly adept at leaping off trees and fences onto bird tables so hang your bird feeder from a special pole. And if the squirrels master that, you may have to regularly cover the pole with oil or WD40 to make it too slippery for them to climb.

Birds will also enjoy foods that occur naturally in your garden. Worms are of course a favourite, but also berries and fruits go down well. If you are growing fruits for your own enjoyment, these may need to be protected from both birds and insects with netting or shiny hanging objects.

Amphibians that are native to the UK include frogs, toads and newts. These can be very useful in cutting down on pests and their lifecycle from spawn to tadpoles to adult is fascinating to witness. If you want to attract them then you'll need to provide a source of still water for breeding - a small pond is ideal. It's a good idea to have a gentle slope rising out of the water so that young frogs can set foot on dry land easily. Birds love to eat these young creatures so some shelter in nearby shrubbery will help keep the numbers up.

Amphibians hibernate during the winter so again they will need shelter to do this safely. A compost heap, pile of logs or stones are popular. Other good hibernation spots include spaces under shrubs and hedges. It's best to avoid cleaning out your pond if you can, as sometimes amphibians like to hibernate at the bottom!

A pond will not only attract amphibians, but some interesting insects too. Water skaters, snails, dragonflies and water beetles are all common pond inhabitants and will help to create some healthy biodiversity in your garden.

A whole range of insects live in our gardens at any one time but probably the most popular are butterflies. Butterflies like to get nectar from clumps of flowers grown in sunny, sheltered places. Some butterflies such as small tortoiseshells, peacocks and cabbage whites are relatively easy to attract. Others are migratory and tend to come from early Spring to late Summer to breed, but then leave the UK for the winter. These include painted lady and red admiral.

Even with the right planting it's very difficult to get butterflies to lay eggs and breed in gardens. Suitable conditions for larva to feed are notoriously difficult to recreate so it's best to concentrate on attracting visiting butterflies rather than trying to establish a breeding ground.

There are a very large number of flowers that butterflies like. Some of the most common include buttercups, clovers, dandelions, thistles, marigolds, wallflowers and sweet williams. Herbaceous plants that they favour include dahlias, elephant's ears and globe thistles. And if you want to plants shrubs then choose blackberry, lavender, thyme and heather.

With a combination of a pond and some well thought out planting, together with a birdfeeder and plenty of shelter your garden can become a haven for wildlife.

About the Author

Expert gardener India Cooper reveals that frogs, birds and insects are the secret weapon for every budding gardener. To find out more please visit http://www.ratedpeople.com/find/gardener

Birdscapes 2-in-1 Triple Tube Feeder and Squirrel Repellent Kit $69.99 This economical feeder and squirrel repellent spray will help allow birds to eat from the nine perch/feeding stations without being hampered by pesky squirrels. The nine perch/feeding station set-up makes this feeder one of the most economical and convenient of the tube bird feeders on the market!

Perky Pet Antique Hummingbird Feeder Set With Free Nectar $16.58 Hummingbirds and hummingbird enthusiasts will be attracted to this classic antique glass bottle design with brushed silver accents. Comes with all you need to feed the birds and keep your feeder clean! The Perky Pet Antique Bottle Hummingbird Feeder holds 10 ounces of nectar and features a sea-green glass bottle with brushed silver accents. In addition, the feeder features four decorative flower feeding ports surrounding its base.

Perky Pet Squirrel-Be-Gone II Home Style Wild Bird Feeder $34.82 This innovative squirrel proof feeder keeps squirrels from raiding the birdseed. The home style appearance of this delightful feeder will attract birds - and birdwatchers, too!! The Perky Pet Squirrel-Be-Gone II wild bird feeder features a weight activated perch bar that closes to prevent squirrels from accessing the seed supply. Adjustable springs can be calibrated to accommodate different birds sizes and keep away nuisance birds as well as squirrels.

Perky Pet Copper Sip And Seed Wild Bird Feeder with Seed Scoop $31.87 This classy bird feeder with its beautiful seed and water containers allows you to offer both food and water to wild birds in your yard. The Perky Pet Copper Sip and Seed bird feeder is made of glass and antiqued copper finish. The unique double silo design is sure to compliment any backyard décor. It is exclusive to Perky Pet; none of our competitors have anything like this product! The silos of the Copper Sip and Seed Bird Feeder feature a patent-pending collar that twists to feature a seed opening or a water opening. This innovation allows the consumer to serve seed and water, or when winter approaches and water will freeze, to fill both silos with seed. The feeder hangs from a decorative copper-finish scroll hanger. It holds 1.15 lb of seed and 22 oz of water. Comes with a FREE seed scoop.

Birdscapes Squirrel-Be-Gone I Squirrel Proof Wild Bird Feeder, 350 $33.99 The anti-squirrel technology of this squirrel proof birdfeeder makes this one of the best on the market. Birds eat from 8 ports. Includes FREE 23? metal hook. The Birdscapes Squirrel-Be-Gone I wild bird feeder features 8 U-shaped perches, 8 feeding ports and a 6 lb. seed capacity. The interior seed tower is surrounded by metalwork. The clear, shatter-proof plastic reservoir makes it easy to monitor seed levels.

Perky Pet Break Away Bird Feeder and Squirrel Repellent $31.99 This squirrel proof birdfeeder plus squirrel repellent spray kit makes this combination one of the best ways to keep the squirrels from raiding the feeder while allowing the birds to eat to their hearts' and stomachs' content! he Perky Pet Fortress Breakaway Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder features 4 feeding ports, a 3.5 lb. seed capacity and an easy-fill wide mouth top. The perches ?break away? under the weight of a squirrel and the seed ports shut simultaneously, as a result. This model is for hang mounting and features a quick release metal top. The clear plastic reservoir makes it easy to monitor seed levels. These innovations makes this squirrel proof birdfeeder one of the most economical and convenient on the market!

Perky Pet Squirrel-Be-Gone Wild Bird Feeder with Free Metal Hook $28.99 A classic among squirrel proof feeders, this one has ports that close under a squirrel?s weight, preventing the squirrel from raiding the seed supply. Includes FREE 23? metal hook. The Perky Pet Squirrel-Be-Gone Wild Bird Feeder features six feeding ports, U-shaped perches and a 2 lb. seed capacity. The feeding ports have sturdy metal perches that allow birds to feed comfortably but, when the squirrels perch on them, their weight causes the entire metal casing to slip down, completely blocking the feeding ports and their access to the seed. The interior seed tower is surrounded by rustic metalwork.

Birdscapes 2-in-1 Triple Tube Wild Bird Feeder, 329 $53.07 The Birdscapes 2-in-1 Triple Tube Feeder features an exclusive design allowing for easy switching from a mixed/sunflower setting to a thistle/finch mix position?the variety in food choice allows for variety in wild birds stopping by to feed. The feeder has an 11 lb. of seed capacity and 9 feeding stations. A triple tube system allows for three different types of seed to be dispensed and a tray catches seeds and shells. The clear, shatter-proof plastic reservoir makes it easy to monitor seed levels.

Birds at Bird Feeder $19.99 Birds at Bird Feeder - Premium Poster