Late October is the moment when many gardeners reach for the rake and the leaf blower to make everything neat before winter. But this is also the exact time when hedgehogs are looking for a safe place to sleep. With a few small changes, your garden can be tidy enough for you and cosy enough for them.
Hedgehogs usually start their hibernation in November, once nights stay cold. Before that, they eat as much as they can and search for a dry, sheltered nest. Their favourite building material? Exactly the fallen leaves that many of us bag up and throw away.
Why should you leave some leaves on the ground?
Fallen leaves are not just mess. A layer of leaves under hedges and shrubs protects the soil from frost, keeps moisture in and slowly turns into rich humus. It also shelters beetles, worms and other small creatures, which are the hedgehog’s natural food. A completely bare garden offers neither food nor shelter, so hedgehogs simply move on.
That does not mean your lawn has to disappear under a brown carpet. Rake the leaves off paths and grass, where they can cause slippery spots or yellow patches, and pile them up in a quiet corner, along a fence or under bushes instead.
Build a simple hedgehog hideaway
You can buy wooden hedgehog houses, but a homemade shelter works just as well:
- Choose a calm, dry spot away from paths, ideally under a hedge or behind the shed.
- Make a loose heap of leaves, small twigs and cut stems about knee-high.
- For extra protection, place a few branches or an upside-down wooden crate with a hand-sized entrance over the heap.
- Leave it undisturbed until spring; do not check inside, because waking a hedgehog costs it valuable energy.
Little rules that make a big difference
Skip the leaf blower where you can. Blowers and leaf vacuums can injure small animals and destroy their nests. A rake is quieter, gentler and good exercise.
Check before you burn. If you have a pile of garden waste, always move it carefully before lighting a bonfire. Hedgehogs love to crawl into such heaps.
Leave a gap in the fence. A hole of about 13 by 13 centimetres at ground level lets hedgehogs travel between gardens, which they need to find enough food.
Offer water, not milk. A shallow bowl of fresh water helps during dry spells. Milk causes stomach problems. If you want to feed them, use special hedgehog food or unseasoned cat food.
Watch for late youngsters. Small hedgehogs that still wander around in daylight in November may be too light to survive the winter. In that case, contact a local wildlife rescue centre for advice rather than taking the animal in on your own.
A garden that is a little wilder in autumn is not a lazy garden. It is a living one. Spend this weekend raking paths, cleaning tools and planting the last bulbs, and leave one corner to nature. In spring, you may be rewarded with a small, snuffling visitor on your lawn at dusk.
