Hello again – Its Teresa and Louise here and we’d like to welcome you to our second blog about the wildlife garden at RSPB Fairburn Ings.

We’ve been quite busy in the wildlife garden since our last blog, as has mother nature, as the spring bulbs we planted in the autumn are now coming up to provide nectar for those early insect visitors.

We’ve also been planting some Pyracantha which is a great shrub for wildlife as well as being an attractive evergreen for any garden with lots of year round interest. Insects like the flowers, blackbirds in particular like the berries and they provide shelter for smaller creatures as the thorns tend to keep predators away.

They also make great hedging plants and because they are prickly can be great for keeping out intruders.  Best of all they are dead easy to grow with minimal skill needed and they are virtually indestructible!  An all round winner with a number of varieties to suit your needs. We've planted "Red Column" which is known for its glossy red berries from late summer into winter.

And finally.....February is a great time to start planning your garden jobs for the spring and summer. Which is exactly what we are doing at the moment but you’ll have to check out our next blog to find out exactly what those plans are....