So what’s a hibernaculum? A hiber-what-do-you-call-em I hear you say. A hibernaculum is basically a safe place for hibernating creatures to see out the winter months. Ideally it’ll protect them from the worst of the weather and predators. We built the big one for Sutton and East Surrey Water, and the smaller one for Toyota’s wildlife friendly gardens. You can scale it up or down according to space you have. Anything you do will be beneficial to amphibians as well as other wildlife. First things first It’s sensible to mark out your area so you’ve a rough idea how the scale... read more
If you go down to the woods today….. First find your gnarly old tree stump, the more character it has the better. Windblown trees are ideal as there is likely to be some nice rooty buttresses that look great. Try and find a tree that’s been dead for a while and lost its sapwood, (the bark and the soft stuff beneath it) so it looks hard, gnarled and bony without too much rot. Oak is great for this, and it’s durable so it’ll last. When you cut your stump from the rest of the tree, keep as much buttress as... read more
We’re not talking about swashbuckling, pirating, duelling, sword fighting kind of fencing, but more; smallholding, gardening, farming style. Your choices for fencing include; iron railings, concrete and some plastic fencing materials, but most fences are built using wood to hold them up. I’m going to be talking about fencing stakes, which are un-milled, (not sawn square), roughly six foot with a pointed end that is driven into the ground. The most commonly available choices for fencing stakes are sweet chestnut or something called “pressure treated softwood”. I’ll lay my cards on the table and admit I prefer the natural sweet... read more
