Giving hedgehogs a happy home

FIRST of all, a disclaimer. At the end of last week the news was awash (literally) with stories about Storm Ali wreaking havoc in Scotland and Northern Ireland and I would just like to make it clear that I was nowhere near the epicentre of destruction at the time; in fact I was at home, eating porridge and arranging plans for the day’s work in the garden! I admit to wishing for a bit more rain but that’s all!

Still it does mean that we go into October with weather that we can make sense of and soil that has hopefully, by now, recovered from the extended dry periods that have characterised much of this year.

There are plenty of leaves down as well, from the wind, which is a bonus for Torre Abbey Gardens as four rescue hedgehogs have arrived in the last few days and been released into what will hopefully be their new ‘des res.’ Our ‘hoglets’ (see I am now an expert!) came all the way from the RSPCA rescue centre in Taunton. One had been rescued after getting tangled up in a fence, another was simply horribly underweight. Sad stories but hopefully with a happy ending. It does mean, though, that you may spot odd piles of leaves and logs at the back of borders or in out of the way corners, so they have plenty of spaces to take a nap or hibernate in colder periods. I have already made their first Mexican inspired hideaway in the corner of the children’s area with old sweetcorn stalks as I want them to feel that they are on a permanent holiday!

We are really pleased to play our part in helping hedgehogs, as they are struggling, like so much of the world’s wildlife. Most people are aware of the decline in numbers but perhaps not that hedgehogs are, in fact, disappearing from our landscape as fast as tigers are disappearing elsewhere in more exotic climes. In the past 10 years there has been a 30% drop in the population and now there are less than one million.

Unlike tigers, which presumably no one would be willing to invite into their back yard, gardeners can help hedgehogs and easily take just a few steps to encourage and support these nocturnal roaming visitors. Small changes may make a big difference if as many gardeners as possible get involved. Although each garden may be too small in itself to change the situation, linked up they form a huge expanse of land, far bigger than all the Sites of Special Scientific Interest and wildlife refuges put together.

Hedgehogs like to roam, seeking out food, partners and nesting sites around an area of between one and two miles. So talk to your neighbours and try and create a highway for hedgehogs to pass through. They only need a small hole in a fence – about five inches high and wide or a tunnel underneath. In my case there is a hole in the fence between my neighbour’s garden and mine and holes in the fence between my garden and Torre Abbey Gardens, with gaps under gates so they can also enjoy wandering around the golf course, the main park and the Riviera Centre if they so wish. Having seen and heard existing hedgehogs passing through I know, for sure, that they

Cute hoglets need a garden suited to their needs make the most of this highway, making their rounds nightly (one even walked over my foot a couple of weeks ago as I was clearly in the way!) Fortunately hedgehogs are not territorial so the same route can be used by more than one hedgehog. With a bit of luck a male and female might even meet on their journey and fall in love.

Of course, one of the reasons that we should be encouraging hedgehogs, apart from their utter cuteness, is their propensity to munch on slugs, snails and other assorted invertebrates. Like most organic gardeners I am all for something else doing the hard work (worms do my composting and soil improvement already) so having a natural pest controller around is a god- send. However standard slug pellets can poison hedgehogs so please, please don’t use them, or pesticides in general if at all possible. Ask yourself if you really think that saving your delphinium is worth killing a hedgehog for. There are organic slug pellets available which do not harm wildlife or pets or children, for that matter, so switch to these. The change will make a huge difference to all the furry, spiky and feathered visitors that bring our gardens to life.

A little less tidiness can also make a big difference; leaf piles left out (you can always make a leaf mould pile and use it in a few years to improve your soil) longer grass for hedgehogs to hide in and hunt the insects that will live there, logs and hidey-holes tucked away in sheltered spots will all make your garden an attractive place to live in or visit.

You can now buy purpose-built hog houses and by all means invest in one of these if you want. They tend to be relatively expensive, especially the more attractive ones, and there is no guarantee that a hedgehog will feel the same way about it as you do. They may be perfectly content settling in for a nap under an old rotted log. We did have a hedgehog house in Torre Abbey gardens but not once did I find the slightest sign of it being used. We have found our hedgehogs in log piles, underneath the lavender hedge and in the boiler room, however! No accounting for tastes! It does mean, though, that we have to check thoroughly before mowing, strimming and tidying up. We also make sure that there is nothing at ground level that hedgehogs can get tangled up in, especially after one incident where a hedgehog got tangled in fraying weed control fabric!

For the moment we are putting out some food for our new hoglets, as well as water bowls but once they know their way around we will probably just leave them to it. We want them to eat slugs and forage for their supper but you can set up a feeding station if you want. There’s lots of information available online. Me, I plan to let them get on with it and use the time to plant garlic. October has arrived!

Happy gardening.