Wrap up warm - birds and bugs and all

When you are wrapped up warm in front of a fire this month, complaining about the weather - spare a thought for the wildlife in your garden who are also struggling to keep warm

We all remember the birds - who feast on fat balls and sunflower seedheads before retiring to their bird boxes and nests but don't forget to provide a home for some of the other really useful garden bugs...

Even just leaving the dead seadheads and foliage on the plants in your herbaceous border can make the difference. Alternatively, you can make a small airy pile of logs and garden prunings for them to colonise.

If you don't have the time or the space to create a bespoke home, there are some great habitats around that provide perfect hibernation conditions for butterflies, ladybirds and other beneficial insects.

Check out these cute ladybird towers from Garden Boutique

........or if you have a small urban garden I love these beneficial insect boxes which can be wall mounted