How to care for birds in your garden.

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At this time of year food is very important for wild birds as natural supplies are low. There are many ways that you can feed birds and attract them into your garden at this time of year.

Finches, Sparrows, Buntings, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Robins and Chaffinches are predominantly seed eaters, you can encourage these species into your garden by providing hanging seed feeders or bird tables with plenty of seed resting on. Some also prefer to have seed scattered on the ground for easy access.
There are many blends of seed that are available including sunflower seed, millet, hemp and flaked maize. Some mixtures may contain dried mealworms or fruits for extra nutrition.

Yellowhammers, Reed buntings, Blue tits and Siskins are frequently found eating peanuts. You can hang peanut feeders in trees, poles and from a bird table to provide nutritious food. Peanuts are packed with energy and are rich in oils and proteins, this makes them an ideal food for wild
birds during the winter. Make sure you check your peanuts and
feeders regularly and discard any mould which may appear. Peanuts that have been roasted or salted should not be given to birds.

Plants to attract birds into your garden - Aucuba, Barberry, Budlei- Butterfly bush, Japonica, Clerodendrum, Cotoneaster, Daphne, Euonymus europaeus, Hebe Veronica, Hippophae- Buchthorn, Hypericum-St johns wort, Holly, Mahonia, Prickly heath, Pyracantha- Firehorn, Rhus- Sumach, Snowberry, Lilac and Viburnum.

Pest control: How to keep Cats/Moles out of your garden!

Most gardeners experience a visit from a Cat or a Mole at some point. There are many products available to rid your garden of these menaces! Click here

For Cats there are 4 main products avaliable. These are "Growing success cat repellent" which consists of small pellets, " Get off Crystals", this product is a gel which you scatter on your garden and "Silent roar" which is also sold in a pellet form. All of these products have odours which cats do not like; this therefore deters them from entering your garden. The final and usually the most succesful cat repellent avaliable is a "Sonic Cat repeller". This uses a battery for energy or an adaptor from an electricity supply connected to your house. The product sends sonic signals to the area which the cats need to be repelled from.

For Moles you can use a Claw trap or alternatively a product called "Growing success repellent". These are crystals which are dissolved in water then sprayed onto the area. You can also obtain a sonic Mole repellor which works in the same way as the Cat repeller however you can also have a solar powered Mole repeller.

Planting Tips for January

Here are some general gardening tips for the month of January...

*Check the supports of your trees and shrubs
*This is the time to be planting deciduous hedging
*Prune your trees and shrubs to help them maintain shape
*Also It is the time to Prune Wisteria and other climbers
*Brush any snow off of trees and shrubs to keep them strong and make sure branches do not break off.
*Aerate your lawn to improve the drainage
*Plant Sweet Peas under shelter
*Get ready to plant seeds and summer flowering bulbs.

Welcome to Whitehall's Blog

Welcome to Whitehall Garden Centre 2009 Blog