As summer draws to a close and the intermittent heatwaves begin to wind down, the green-thumbed among us are no doubt looking forward to what the cooler temperatures mean for their plants. With shorter days and increased rainfall, our gardens often require a little less TLC than when they’re being scorched in thirty degree sunlight.
If you’re looking to make the most of this seasonal shift, it’s also the perfect time to lend a hand to some of our most beloved garden visitors – hedgehogs. As they prepare for hibernation, a simple hack can help ensure they stay safe, well-fed, and ready for the colder months ahead.
“Hedgehogs are one of Britain’s most loved garden visitors, yet their numbers are falling fast,” says Mike Carthew, founder of Garden Footprint, who help people create productive and low maintenance gardens which are still nature friendly.
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“The single most important thing you can do is cut a 13-centimetre square gap in your fence,” Mike explains. “Hedgehogs can travel over a mile a night, but in many gardens they’re trapped by solid boundaries.
“That small gap creates a ‘hedgehog highway’ linking your patch to a wider network. To gardeners, they’re valuable visitors as they eat slugs!”
If you’re not sure if your garden has hedgehogs, Mike suggests looking out for cigarette-sized droppings left on your lawn or patio. You should also check before mowing, strimming, or lighting bonfires, as hedgehogs are notorious for sheltering in long grass or piles of debris.
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Ali Lijee, founder of TreeMend, connects gardeners with arborists and tree surgeons – she emphasises how important timing is for hedgehog safety.
“Doing tree and hedge maintenance work outside of prime breeding or hibernating times can prevent animals being unintentionally injured,” Ali says. “Hedges, shrubs and even compost piles can provide food, nesting or safe passage for all the small animals in your garden.”
Ali advises gardeners to do major pruning and hedge cutting work outside of the time hedgehogs breed, raise young hoglets and actively forage, which is normally March to October. Heavy maintenance work can be done in late autumn (November) after hoglets have grown up, but before they enter hibernation.
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By implementing a few thoughtful changes to your garden design this autumn, you can make a big difference for the hedgehog friends visiting, and support a more balanced, biodiverse garden ecosystem for the seasons to come – and enjoy a beautiful, pest-free garden.
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