Garden Access For Hedgehogs

One of the most important things to consider when trying to make your garden as hedgehog friendly as you can is ‘access’.

Many gardens are surrounded by brick walls or wooden fencing which prevents lots of wildlife, not just hedgehogs, from entering. Creating ‘Habitat corridors‘ (access from garden to garden) for wildlife can make a huge impact on the diversity of creatures you may encounter. Gaps in or under fences don’t have to be large, 5-6″ (125-150mm) is ideal and if you can provide two or three gaps around the garden all the better.

Gaps in or under fences don’t have to be large, 5-6″ (125-150mm) is ideal

If you are planning a new garden then why not consider planting hedges instead of erecting fences? Flowering hedges provide flowers and fruit for wildlife, nesting places for birds and shelter for hedgehogs, voles and shrews. Recommended hedging species include: beech, holly (evergreen winter shelter for roosting birds), buckthorn, dog rose, hazel, goat willow, hawthorn and berberis.

As part of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society’s ‘Hedgehog Awareness Week‘ I thought I would make an effort to check my garden to ensure I have sufficient access for hedgehogs and other wildlife. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of access points as I see hedgehogs in the garden quite regularly but I’ve never specifically looked for those points. Once located, these points could also be ideal for positioning a wildlife cam to monitor any wildlife traffic.

So, with Henry the cardboard template in hand I wandered around the garden


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Access Point 1

Found this point just outside the back door to the house. We’re planning to lay paving in this area so i need to keep in mind that we need to maintain a bit of a gap.

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Access Point 2

This access point is behind our new poly tunnel in one of the far corners of the garden. I’m sure this is where the foxes enter too. I’ve also spotted Muntjac tracks here. Ideal spot for trail cam!

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Access Point 3

This access point is close to our large pond and was intentionally made to allow access to and from the neighbours garden for the ducks that visit. It’s ideal for hedgehogs too though!

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Access Point 4

This access point is at the end of our driveway and will definitely be changed in the coming months. I’ll likely just replace the trellis panel with a new one so there will still be good access.

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Access Point 5

This area is in the front garden. Looks like there is good access in several areas with hedge cover very close by. Ideal!

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Access Point 6

Gates are always good potential access points for hedgehogs and other wildlife. The gaps around and under our front gate are ideal.

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So, for less time than it has taken to write this blog post I managed to wander around the garden and find at least six good access points for wildlife. Hopefully this will inspire you to pop out into your own garden and check for access points too.

If you want to find out more about what you can do to help hedgehogs in your area take a look at the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website.

i saw this on my facebook, looks really neat:

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Having new fencing done and using concrete footings? Please ask your contractor to use these.