HOW TO… MAKE A HIBERNACULUM

This delightful word means in Latin “a tent for winter quarters”. In the garden, this means a welcome shelter for frogs, toads and snakes, as well as opportunistic insects like bees and wasps.

Toads, frogs and newts will benefit from more humid lodgings, so for them, choose a spot close to water. 1 Dig a hole about half a metre deep and a minimum of 1.8 square metres. 2 Add a layer of brick rubble at the base and edge with paving slabs to create entrances for amphibians to get inside the mound. 3 Cover with a layer of soil, avoiding blocking any gaps. If you’re hoping to encourage reptiles, ensure one side is south-facing for plenty of sun. 1 Dig a trench about 1m deep and 1.5–3.5m long. 2 Take a length of 10-15cm diameter plastic pipe, drill lots of drainage holes in it and place it in the trench. 3 Fill with rubble and place some old logs at right angles across it. 4 Provide extra entrances by…

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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2016 - Issue 52

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