You Have All Winter

Plan for insects. This winter, as you dream and plan for next year's garden, think of plants that insects will like. Introduce into your garden as many native plants as you can to ensure that the insects are fed.

Don't want insects in your garden? Think on this: most baby birds depend on insects for their growth. If parent birds can't find enough insects, the babies are weaker and may not survive. And we depend on insects to clean up the rubbish of the world and to pollinate our plants for next year's growth and this year's food.

And, of course, bees (my favourite insects) pollinate plants to make sure fruit and seeds are produced.

Expect insect bites on your plants. When you see bites, you know the system is working. The more bites, the healthier your garden is. Encourage insects to your garden by providing habitat for them. Here's one of my favourite pages for insect habitat: