Garden Office Blog

Winter Wildlife Viewed from a Garden Office

By Francesca McGlone on 24th December, 2010

Although spring and summer are often associated with wildlife and natural bloom, winter can also provide a flurry of natural activity.

The robin, a symbol of Christmas can grace the garden and enhance the work day, with a flash of red plumage against frosty covered branches and fence posts. There is something unique and almost admirable about winter wildlife, as it robustly defies the elements.

Your garden can buzz with natural activity as a result of a few measures that can attract all sorts of wildlife. This means that the winter months spent working in a garden office can be set against the delighting vision of a wild presence.

Attract wildlife to your garden in winter by:

● Putting up a bird box- Providing a safe-house for birds, as well as a winter roost can ensure a captivating site as birds fly back and forth and can be viewed from the comfort and superb vantage point of a garden office. If a bird box is hand made, the size of the holes carved into it will determine the species of bird that visits, so that you can effectively filter the birdlife you view. The location of a bird box should be carefully selected, so that it protected from strong winds, rain and direct sunlight to the birds survival.

● Feeding the Birds - This is essential when attracting a constant influx of birdlife to your garden. A number of bird feeders are available and can also be made easily from natural materials. The shells of coconuts can be filled with fat, seeds and nuts rich in fat and protein and then hung from trees, providing a long lasting source of food that helps lay down vital fat deposits needed for insulation in cold winter months.

● Planting a Winter Hanging Basket - This supplies a needed injection of colour into the garden. Ivy is a great winter plant that can cascade from baskets that could even be hung at the entrance of your garden office, as it takes on the organic beauty of its surroundings.

● Leave a Wild Corner -This could be reserved as a space behind your garden office, where people aren’t likely to go. It provides a perfect resting place for larger animals at night. The dampness that accompanies a wild corner promotes the growth of fungi which recycle nutrients from plant matter. Bluebells are also reliant on a damp environment, which will add an iconic burst of indigo to a winter garden. A garden office with surrounding windows can look on to the wild corner without disturbing the life that thrives there.

Winter need not be written off as a barren season. Its contents may be less obvious but its beauty is not lacking. By making an effort to seek out the charm of winter, a working day in a garden office can be simultaneously enhanced.


Category:  Garden Offices

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