5 top gardening tips to help birds in July and August

When I think of late July and August, I think of long lazy summer days in the heat outside, enjoying what nature has to offer. British weather sometimes has other plans, but there’s still lots we can do to support our wildlife. With the busiest part of breeding season over, I try to appreciate the summer migrants whilst they still flit across our skies. Here are our top tips to encourage our winged visitors into our gardens:

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1. Providing water: A tip that is almost always on this list, because it is so important for supporting our birds. Although it feels as if the skies never stop raining in the UK, access to fresh water for birds is always a struggle. In July and August especially with dry, hot days, birds need our help more than ever. Make sure you put a shallow bowl of water outside to support wildlife that is cleaned regularly or try making a container pond to encourage amphibians to your garden. Check out our container pond guide in our gardens for birds campaign for more information.

2. Sow for the summer: There are many fantastic, beautiful flowers that can be sown in the summer for pops of colours in your garden the following year. To attract bees and other pollinators you can sow delphiniums, foxgloves, cornflowers and forget-me-nots for next year’s spring and summer showcase! Welcoming insects into your garden is not just good for pollination, but great food for the birds too.

3. Deadhead if you want to keep the show going but be picky: Deadheading can be a great way to keep the flowers blooming in your garden longer, but it is a delicate balance to ensure your garden is wildlife friendly. Deadheading can be a great way to tidy up your display and direct more energy into new flowers. This can be positive to wildlife, as it can prolong the length of time there are flowers available, but it can also lose valuable seed for birds if you deadhead the wrong ones. Try limiting deadheading to certain plants like buddleia, which can take over the garden quickly, or repeat performers like dahlia which can grow new buds quickly. Try and leave plants that produce seeds like sunflowers, cornflowers, lavender and teasels for birds to munch on in the autumn. In August slow down on deadheading roses, so they produce hips for the birds.

4. Compost to attract critters: Any time of year is a good time to sort out a compost heap, which can be a valuable habitat from tiny insects to use through to hedgehogs. You can create a boxed compost heap if you have a larger garden or use a compost bin if you prefer. In the compost heap you can dispose of lots of soft pruning, grass cuttings and other garden waste, along with your raw fruit and vegetables or tea bags. Making compost will help you in the future with your soil quality and make for a more beautiful garden. The wildlife trust gives a great example of how to set one up to set yourself (and wildlife) up for success!

5. Wildlife meadow maintenance: If you have been growing your wildlife meadow, you know that to keep it looking good and attracting wildlife, you need to maintain it. Before doing any meadow maintenance, make sure to walk through the meadow to scare away wildlife so that they don’t become injured when mowing.  Cut the meadow in late summer to around 5cm and leave the cuttings in place, this allows time for the seeds to drop. You can then rake this material and add to your compost heap. The best course of action is to cut meadows in sections if they are large enough, so that you have the most diversity. When cutting, leave a month before cutting the neighbouring section and aim to leave a section long, so that wildlife always has a sheltered place to go.

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Contact us to let us know if these tips were useful to you and share your own suggestions for a great wildlife friendly garden with our supporter team.

The SBS Team

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If you are a scientist and would like to shine a light on your recent research covering songbirds here in the UK, then let us know! As a supporter of our charity, if you have ideas for blog posts you would like to see and topics you would like us to cover on #theSBSblog, please contact us at dawn-chorus@songbird-survival.org.uk or our Research and Engagement Manager at charlotte@songbird-survival.org.uk. 

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