conifers and wildlife

[daveonyx]

Hello to everyone, i'm new to this forum and also to attracting wildlife to my garden, which is why i'm asking for your help and advice.
I've just recently bought a house with a 70ft garden, theres very few bushes n flower except some small amounts of heather and lavender and 10ft high conifers down either side, probably 4ft wide.
i'd imagine now is the wrong time of year to be planting shrubs etc to attract wildlife. so i thought seeds, feeders, and nest boxes is possibly the way to go at this time of year.
What type of birds would be typically at home in or around conifers, and how would be the best way to attract them? what type of seeds/foods/nestboxes?
At present, theres very few if any birds in the garden.
Also, is there any other wildlife which would love to come and live in/under my conifers? the rent is free and there will also free food and water to all tenants.
Any help would be appreciated,
Dave

[stripee]

although conifers like leylandii are probably not that useful for wildlife I have found tawny owls like going in them, and the little birds use them for shelter from the rain and the sparrowhawks. I sometimes use them too for putting bird hangers in away from the view of the hawks and buzzards.

[seamusagleann]

depending on the type of conifers ,spruce tend to attract all kinds of tits , as they are host to green spruce aphids . pine can help seed eaters such as finches . sorry i couldn't be more helpful

[Tursiops2]

Hi daveonyx, welcome to WAB

You need to know what species of conifer you have. If some idiot has planted 70ft of leylandii hedge down each side of your new garden, then you would be well advised to get them taken out ASAP, while they're still at a manageable height. Otherwise, your garden will gradually turn into a sunless chasm over the next 20 years. They get very tall.

Can you take photos of these trees and post them on WAB for ID? What part of the country are you in?

If its not leylandii, then conifers in general, while not totally worthless to wildlife, have much less value than deciduous trees. Consider replacing your conifer hedges with mixed native deciduous hedges, and create a traditional hedgerow, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the countryside. Winter is the best time to plant trees and hedges.

HTH
T2

[goosey]

Last year, two seperate neighbouring gardens felled established conifers and it had a really bad knock on effect to the birds that visit our garden, chaffinch numbers were down by half and no greenfinches at all . So hopefully planting conifers will have the reverse effect for you!

[andyw]

i`m no expert but i would suggest that whilst conifers probably dont provide much (any?) food value for wildlife they do provide a lot of shelter for birds (nests and roosting)and possibly mice etc
why not take a measured approach and remove them from one side of the garden and plant a mixed wildlife friendly hedge, or why not leave just a handfull of them to grow as tall as they want, give a bit of height to the local environment replacing the rest with a mixed hedge.

anyway, whatever you decide even a conifer hedge is more interesting than a panel fence.
by the way, now is an ideal time to do these kinds of works since it isnt the nesting season and bare rooted deciduous hedging shrubs can be bought very cheaply . its the right time of year to plant them. buy whips or field grown transplants. hawthorne for example will be 8ft tall in 3 or 4 years

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by andyw

.
by the way, now is an ideal time to do these kinds of works since it isnt the nesting season and bare rooted deciduous hedging shrubs can be bought very cheaply . its the right time of year to plant them. buy whips or field grown transplants. hawthorne for example will be 8ft tall in 3 or 4 years

Dave,
I certainly commend Andyw's advice. Now (November to February) is an excellent time to begin making changes to your garden.

With such a large area you may well want to stage the remodelling over several years, so if the task of replacing the entire run of hedging seems too daunting, select one part of the fence line for change this winter that you think may be manageble and treat it is as an experiment.

Wildlife and ornamental gardening are not wholly incompatible and with a large garden you will be able to incorporate planting that is visually pleasing as well as of wildlife value. The key thing is to get a good mix of different plant types.

For more detailed advice from these forums, as Tursiops has already suggested - some photographs would definitely help.

CM

[aeshna5]

One or 2 conifers can be useful in a garden- providing warmth + shelter for a whole region of animals from invertebrates to birds. A native deciduous tree doesn't provide much shelter from icy winds or frost.

Also quite a few invertebrates that feed on some of these exotic conifers have become more widespread such as moths like Blair's Shoulder Knot, Cypress Pug + Carpet as well as Juniper Shieldbug, etc.

Important thing is balance in a garden- a good variety of plants, native + exotic, with shelter + food provided. Now is certainly a good time to get planting.

[naturelover]

hi welcome to the forum,i know for a fact most birds go in conifers,for shelter from bigger birds or rain,they also love the new shoots in spring and the blue tits love the seeds that they provide,so why not hang feeders and bird houses in your trees i think that would work just fine,as for under the trees what about hedgehog boxes,they would be sheltered from the worst of the weather then.

[Crowman]

Goldcrests and Collared Doves(yes I know they aren't native) love to nest and spend time in conifers.