Oliver Radcliffe
Spring wakes the hedgehog – and the garden
After months of hibernation, Britain’s hedgehogs begin to stir in spring. Depending on the weather, they usually emerge from late March through April, hungry, thirsty and ready to mate. A hedgehog that has slept all winter can have lost a third of its body weight, so the first few weeks are a frantic search for food and water. Your garden can be a lifeline – but only if it offers the right kind of welcome.
The trouble is that spring is also when we tidy up, cut back, mow and reach for the slug pellets. A neat garden can be a dangerous one for a waking hedgehog. The good news is that small, gentle changes can make a real difference, and many of them are perfect jobs to share with children.
Leave a quiet wild corner
The single most valuable thing you can do is to leave one corner of the garden a little wild. Hedgehogs need somewhere dark, dry and undisturbed to rest, nest and hide from predators. A pile of leaves, a stack of logs, a patch of long grass or a compost heap all work well. Don’t be tempted to tidy it away in spring – that’s exactly when hedgehogs are looking for safe daytime nests.
- Leave a pile of leaves and twigs in a quiet corner, ideally against a fence or wall.
- Build a log pile, with gaps of different sizes, to attract beetles and other hedgehog food.
- Let a patch of grass grow long, and resist cutting it until late spring or early summer.
- Site a hedgehog house in a sheltered spot, facing away from prevailing wind and strong sun.
Always check long grass, log piles and compost heaps before strimming, mowing or forking them over. A hedgehog’s instinct is to curl up rather than run, so a quick glance before you start can prevent a terrible accident.
Water, food and the slug pellet problem
Hedgehogs are often thirsty, especially after hibernation. A shallow dish of fresh water is one of the simplest gifts you can give. Use a plant saucer or a low bowl, and add a few pebbles so that small hedgehogs can climb out if they fall in. Refresh it daily, and keep it away from busy paths.
If you want to offer food, choose meaty cat or dog food, crushed cat biscuits, or a purpose-made hedgehog food. Never give bread and milk – hedgehogs cannot digest lactose and it can cause serious diarrhoea. Mealworms are fine as an occasional treat, but not as a main meal. Put food out at dusk, and remove any leftovers in the morning to avoid attracting rats and cats.
Slug pellets are lethal to hedgehogs. Even if a hedgehog doesn’t eat the pellets directly, it may eat a poisoned slug and suffer the same fate. Avoid all pellets, and try wildlife-friendly alternatives instead: handpick slugs at dusk, use nematodes, or encourage frogs, birds and beetles to do the work for you. A garden with a healthy balance of predators will need far less intervention.
Safe passages and family-friendly garden jobs
Hedgehogs need to roam. A single garden is rarely enough, and a hungry hedgehog may travel a mile or more in a night. A simple hedgehog highway – a 13cm square gap in a fence or wall – lets them pass between gardens safely. Talk to your neighbours and see if you can create a linked route along your street.
- Cut a 13cm gap at the base of a fence or wall, or lift a panel slightly.
- Check ponds: add a gently sloping edge, a ramp or a half-submerged stone so hedgehogs can climb out.
- Cover drains and use rigid netting carefully – hedgehogs can become entangled in loose garden netting.
- Check bonfires before lighting, and move them a few feet before you strike a match.
Children love a hedgehog project. Making a highway gap, painting a small sign, or building a log pile can turn a dull afternoon into a proper family activity. It also teaches them that gardens are not just for us – they are part of a wider, wilder world.
Seasonal spring food and days out
While you leave space for wildlife, you can still enjoy the best of the British spring larder. Rhubarb is at its pinkest, purple sprouting broccoli is tender, and wild garlic carpets woodland edges with its unmistakable scent. Later in spring come the first asparagus spears, new potatoes and early salad leaves. A simple lunch of steamed asparagus, butter and new potatoes is a fine reward after a morning in the garden.
For a family day out, head to a local nature reserve, country park or woodland. Spring is peak season for birdsong, blossom and frogspawn, and many places run gentle wildlife events. Take a torch and a flask, keep dogs on leads near nesting areas, and let the children look for signs of hedgehogs – droppings, snuffling sounds, or a tell-tale gap under a hedge. It is a lovely way to connect the garden you are shaping with the wider landscape around you.
If you see a hedgehog in daylight
A hedgehog out in the daytime is usually in trouble. It may be ill, injured, or simply too hungry to wait for night. If you see one, do not assume it is fine. Pick it up gently using gardening gloves, place it in a secure box with a towel and a shallow dish of water, and contact a local wildlife rescue or hedgehog hospital for advice. Do not try to feed it bread and milk, and keep it warm and quiet until help arrives.
With a little patience, a wild corner, a dish of water and a ban on slug pellets, your garden can become a genuine spring haven. The reward is not just a hedgehog snuffling through the flowerbeds at dusk – it is a garden that feels alive, generous and truly British.
