One of the things I always like to claim about gardening for wildlife is that it doesn't have to be messy.
Standing next to part of my garden this week, I wondered where I was going wrong. What a dog's dinner!
Old stems of Teasels, Meadowsweet and Hemp Agrimony that I have left standing in case they contain any seeds, insects or insect eggs are all battered by the wind and rain. It looks like I just don't care!
I was heartened to remember a photo I took at a nationally renowned garden in late February last year, which I feel looks not too dissimilar:
And this scene of chaos is repeated across some of the best gardens in the country.
Phew! It seems that even professional gardeners can tolerate mess in winter.
So if you've got an area where you've purposely left seedheads and stems, but it's not looking too great, don't worry, and don't succumb to the temptation to tidy. You can leave it for the wildlife for the next few weeks, knowing that none of us expects perfection at this time of year!
If you want to drop by my RSPB wildlife gardening blog, it is updated every Friday, and I'd love to see you there - www.rspb.org.uk/community/blogs/hfw
Plenty of dry weather across the country on Saturday, the forecasters say - I reckon that's your chance, richardpeej! Just don't feel that you have to tidy all of last year's spent vegetation just yet :-)