What is a Bug Hotel?

Bug hotels (also known as insect hotels and insect houses) are small garden structures designed to attract and shelter garden insects. While you can buy pre-made bug hotels, many gardeners build their own using commonly-found garden bric-a-brac.

What Kind of Visitors Will a Bug Hotel Attract?

The creepy-crawlies your bug hotel attracts will depend very much on your local environment. These structures typically draw in common garden visitors such as ladybirds, spiders, beetles, butterflies, lacewings and much more. However, you may occasionally find the odd toad, frog or even a hedgehog! It is possible to design your hotel in such a way as to entice specific insects, to find out more about this read the infographic below.

Why Build a Bug Hotel?

For the Kids

Insect houses are a great opportunity to educate children about the natural world. Not only does this activity help kids understand more about their local flora and fauna, but it also helps children develop a lifelong sense of stewardship for the planet.

For the Environment

Bug hotels allow you to do your bit for local conservation by providing insects with much-needed shelter and protection during the cold, winter months. It is also a creative way to reuse common garden miscellanea that may otherwise be thrown out.

For Your Garden

Bug hotels add plenty of unique character and charm to any garden and are sure to be a conversation-starter with your human guests! What’s more, they help to attract useful pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies that can help ensure beautiful blooms throughout the spring and summer!

Read the infographic below to find out more about how to make a bug hotel.

The post How to Build A Bug Hotel (Infographic) appeared first on Capitalgardenservices.

Experts estimate that approximately 15 billion trees are cut down each year – that’s equal to 27 football field’s worth of forest every minute. As of 2015, there were roughly 3.04 trillion total trees on our planet. A simple calculation reveals that it would take just over 200 years for all the world’s trees to completely disappear from our planet’s landscape.

Why Are Trees Important?
Trees provide a critical source of sustenance to all kinds of life on earth including humans, animals and other plants. They act as natural air filters so we can breathe, they add nutrients to the soil so we can grow crops and they play a key part in protecting the environment so we can live safely.

Our need for trees will continue to grow as the global population gets bigger and bigger. It’s therefore in the best interest of both us and our planet to curb global deforestation. As the author Munia Khan says, “Trees exhale for us so that we can inhale them to stay alive. Can we ever forget that? Let us love trees with every breath we take until we perish.”

What would Happen if All the Trees Died?
In our latest infographic we imagine what would happen if we woke up one day to find that all the world’s trees had disappeared? We investigate current deforestation levels around the world and we look into the factors that are contributing to the destruction of our forests. The infographic also explores why trees are and examines the impact of their annihilation.

Take a look at the infographic below to learn more about why we depend on trees to survive.

The post What Would Happen If All the Trees Died? (Infographic) appeared first on Capitalgardenservices.

First appearing around 17 million years ago, crows are now one of the most common bird species with thriving populations on every continent except Antarctica. Commonly stereotyped as a bird-brained nuisance, crows in fact help to prevent damage to crops by eating pests with recent studies showing that 60% to 90% of insect pests are eaten by rooks.

Crows are also among the most intelligent animals in the natural kingdom. They have the highest brain-to-body ratio of all bird species and it is thought that their intelligence rivals that of dolphins and apes. Scientific studies have revealed many surprising behaviours among crows. For example, they have the ability to remember faces, they can conspire with one another, they are skilled at problem-solving and they have very powerful memories.

As the below infographic highlights, crows and people share several similar traits and social strategies. The author, John M. Marzluff, put it nicely when he wrote “To a surprising extent, to know the crow is to know ourselves.”

To learn more about the secret life of crows, read the infographic below.

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With the good weather setting in, now is the time to tackle a few odd garden jobs to transform your garden into a colourful summer paradise. Check out our tips and tricks from our expert service providers below to help you grow your best summer garden yet.

Your Summer Checklist

DEADHEADING

Ensure your garden is in continuous bloom for longer by constantly removing dead flowers. Pay special attention to your summer bedding, roses and hanging baskets. For maximum efficiency, feed the plants as you go.

NETTING

Prevent birds from feasting on your fruit by covering fruit trees, gooseberries and currant bushes with nets.

WATERING

As the heat sets in don’t forget to regularly water your beds, containers and hanging baskets. Water your compost heap too to prevent ants and other unwanted creepy crawlies from moving in.

GARDEN FENG SHUI

Protect potted plants that prefer cool weather by moving them into more shaded spots.

TRIMMING

Hedges grow quickly at this time of year, so be sure to trim them regularly.

WEEDING

During summer weeds release seeds, keep the weed invasion at bay by regularly hoeing them out and pulling them up before they get to this stage.

The July Harvest

The month of July sees the start of peak produce season. Enjoy the Summer bounty and harvest the following:

French beans, runner beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, courgette and aubergine, marrows, beetroot, new potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, carrots, turnips, shallots, garlic, radish, spring onions, salad crops, strawberries, raspberries, tayberries, currents, gooseberries, peas and broad beans.

Now is also the perfect time to start sowing fruit and vegetables for winter and autumn use, including: lettuce, rocket, salad onions, radish, turnips, peas, carrots, spring cabbage and coriander.

The August Harvest

The ultimate payback month, August is when you start to see the rewards of all your hard work throughout the year. During this month keep an eye on the following and harvest as they become ready to eat:

Tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, broad beans, French and runner beans, salad leaves, radish, turnip, potato, onions, peppers and chilli-peppers, aubergine, globe artichoke, courgettes, cucumber, gooseberries, raspberries and currants.

As you start to clear space in the garden, begin to sow new crops for the upcoming season. Now is the time to sow spring cabbage, red cabbage, winter spinach, autumn salad mix, parsley and onion seed.

Attracting Wildlife to your Garden in Summer

Make your summer garden a haven for animal visitors with these top tips!

LOOK AFTER WILD BIRD VISITORS

Even though the harsh winter months have ended, you shouldn’t assume that wild birds don’t need your help. If the weather is hot and dry, build a bird bath to keep your feathered friends nice and hydrated. Remember as well to keep your bird feeder topped up as many birds will also be supporting young chicks at this time of year. If you are interested in learning more about how to attract birds to your garden, why not check out our infographic on birdhouses!

BUILD A WILDLIFE POND

In addition to adding elegance and charm, ponds are a wonderful way of attracting wildlife to your garden. For example, amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts may use the pond to breed. They also attract a diverse range of insects including dragonflies, mayflies and pond skaters. To prevent attracting mosquitoes, cover the pond surface with plants such as irises and lilies.

ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES AND BEES

Entice these beautiful creatures to your garden by planting a good mixture of colourful flowering plants in a warm and sheltered spot. Fragrance also plays an important role in attracting butterflies and bees to your garden. Plant scented flowers such as roses or lavender to not only provide lovely aromas for you to enjoy but also attract these charming pollinating insects.

We hope you enjoy your garden this Summer and if you ever need some advice or a helping hand you can get in touch with us for a chat about all things gardening!

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There is nothing like waking up to the utterly charming sound of birdsong in the morning. Birds are a wonderful addition to any garden and the easiest way to attract them is by building a birdhouse.

Building a birdhouse is a fun DIY project the whole family can get involved in. Our latest infographic takes you through the steps of constructing your own birdhouse. It lays out how to ensure your birdhouse is well-constructed, sufficiently cosy and safe from predators. It also lists the materials you will need to create a top-quality birdhouse that will stand the test of time.

If you don’t want to build an entire birdhouse but are looking for ways to just attract birds to your garden, our infographic also offers some helpful tips. Our infographic shows you the proper equipment and planting you will need to make your garden a bird-friendly haven.

In addition to their sheer loveliness, birds will benefit your garden in a whole host of ways. As landscape gardeners, we appreciate their help in controlling pests and weeds as well as their ability to pollinate flowers. What’s more, birds can help to boost property value as a house with well-maintained greenery that attracts birds has great curb appeal.

Read our infographic below to learn how to build a birdhouse and give a bird home today!

The post Features of a Good Birdhouse – Give a Bird a Home! appeared first on Capitalgardenservices.

Indoor air pollution can be a silent killer so it’s important to take the steps necessary to reduce the risk. If the idea of caring for plants on a daily basis isn’t appealing, there are plenty plants you can buy that require very little maintenance. Find out more now.

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