RSPB Gardening for Wildlife: New edition by Thomas Adrian

Author:Thomas, Adrian
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: amazon

When planting, take care to ensure the tree is vertical, and lay a stake across the hole to check it will be at the same level in the ground as it was at the nursery.

3. Planting your tree

Dig a big hole! It should be two to three times wider than the container or rootball. Lower in the tree, ensuring that it sits at the same level as it did in the container. If planting a bare-rooted tree, form a mound in the base of the hole and spread the roots over the top. You can mix in some well-rotted compost with the removed soil, but it isn’t essential. Fill the hole back in, treading in firmly. Then water well.

Most young trees need staking – a wooden stake hammered in at an angle of 45° is ideal. Anchor the tree to the stake with a soft cord such as rubber tubing, tied in a figure of eight. You might also want to use a tree guard if you are visited by rabbits or deer.

4. Caring for your woodland

The first year is crucial In particular, young trees need lots of water. Even then, a few young trees may not ‘take’.

Mulch Cover the ground around the tree with 5cm depth of well-rotted compost, keeping it clear of the young trunk. It will keep moisture in and weeds out.

Pruning Most young trees won’t need much. You may at some point, however, want to ‘lift’ the canopy, removing lower branches to let more light onto the woodland floor. Eventually large trees may need dangerous or inconvenient branches removing or their height reducing. When this happens, call in a tree surgeon.

Enjoy the gradual change The trick is to relish each step as your woodland grows rather than hanging on for your final vision to be achieved.

Creating woodland’s layers

To create all those different microhabitats that make up a natural woodland, we need to do more than just plant what will become the big trees – we need to create all the layers, so that there is all the variety, microclimates, food and homes for wildlife.

The Shrub Layer As long as the canopy isn’t too dense, you can plant an understorey of smaller trees and bushes. In a native woodland, these are often dominated by Hazel, Holly, hawthorns, Field Maple and Elder, but there can be smaller shrubs too such as Spurge Laurel, Mezereum and Butcher’s Broom. In your garden you have the chance to be even more adventurous, using non-native shrubs that are also well able to survive in the dappled shade between larger trees, such as Oregon-grapes, Flowering Currant and viburnums.

The Field Layer Beneath the shrubs, a bed of flowering bulbs and herbaceous plants grabs the limelight before the trees break into leaf in spring. Most herbaceous border plants sold in garden centres tend to be sun-worshippers, but if you look hard, you will find plenty of exciting wildlife-friendly plants that will tolerate or even delight in a shady position.

TOP 20 WILDLIFE PLANTS FOR THE WOODLAND

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