Hedgehogs have officially been classified as vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The hedgehog is now on the Red List of British Mammals, making them a priority for preservation. The small and spiky hedgehog is a well-known resident within our British gardens. However, we have lost over half of the hedgehogs in rural habitats since the millennium alone, and a third from towns and cities. With the right approach and dedication to your garden, these little creatures will be able to thrive once more.

With gardens being a hog’s favourite habitat, it is important that we make them as welcoming as possible. By providing a home for a hedgehog in your garden, you are creating a safe space for hedgehogs to live and survive. Here at Poplar Nurseries, we sell lovely hedgehog houses ideal for every garden, such as this Slate Roof Hedgehog House. Make sure to put your hedgehog home in a shady place in your garden, in an area that won’t be disturbed by excessive noise. Encourage hedgehogs to stick around by leaving out food, as well as plenty of water, for them to enjoy. Click here to view the range of hedgehog food sold here at Poplar Nurseries. 

There are many things you can do to make your garden as welcoming as possible for hedgehogs. Great features to introduce are log piles and compost heaps, as these encourage a whole host of wildlife, which will not only create a food source for the hedgehogs, but also a safe place for them to nest.

Ultimately, your garden will become part of a much larger system of homes for hedgehogs. These creatures walk up to a mile every single night, in search of food or a mate; garden fences and walls have a big impact on the decline of the species, as they limit the potential space for nesting and breeding. One option would be to provide them with small holes or gaps in a fence, as little as 13cm by 13cm, allowing them to pass freely from garden to garden.

With a safe space for housing in your garden, and a means of them being able to move around from place to place with ease, we can only hope that the hedgehog population will begin to grow and flourish once more.

Hedgehog Awareness Week is organised by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and takes place every year.  It aims to highlight the problems hedgehogs face and how you can help them. 

Click here to visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society website