Why a wild corner is worth the scruffiness

Hedgehogs are in trouble across the UK, and the reasons are mostly about space. Fields have been tidied, hedgerows removed, gardens paved and fenced, and a hedgehog needs to roam a surprising distance each night to find enough beetles, caterpillars, slugs and worms. One garden can't fix that on its own, but a chain of gardens joined by small gaps can — and a single scruffy corner is often the difference between a hedgehog passing through and a hedgehog staying to nest.

The good news is that most of the work is about doing less. A patch you stop mowing, a dish of water, and a bit of care before you reach for the strimmer will do more than any amount of planting.

Let one corner go a bit wild

Pick a patch about a metre square, ideally at the back of a border, behind a shed or along a fence line. Part shade is fine — hedgehogs want somewhere cool and undisturbed. Then stop cutting it.

• Leave the grass long through spring and summer. Rough grass, nettles or cow parsley make ideal cover.
• Add a log or brash pile. Lay dry logs on bare soil, not paving, and tuck dry leaves, twigs and a few stones between them. Leave gaps of 10-15cm so a hedgehog can squeeze inside. Don't tidy it, turn it, or burn it.
• Let leaf litter build up under hedges and shrubs. A good layer of dry leaves makes a perfect nest site and a safe place to hibernate.
• Keep the strimmer off that patch between March and October. If it gets too tall, cut it once in late October or early November, take the clippings away, and leave the litter underneath alone.

A compost heap does the same job. If you have one, expect it to be used as a nest, so always fork it over gently by hand before you dig in.

A shallow dish of water saves lives

This is the easiest thing you can do, and it matters most in hot, dry spells when natural water is scarce.

• Use a shallow dish — no more than 2-3cm deep — with gently sloping sides. A plant saucer or pet bowl is ideal.
• Stand it on the ground near cover, so a hedgehog can reach it without crossing open lawn.
• Refresh it daily, and scrub it out with hot water if it starts going green.

Never put out milk. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and milk gives them diarrhoea, which can kill a dehydrated animal quickly. The old "bread and milk" advice is one of the worst things you can do. Water only, every time.

If you have a pond, give it an escape route. A piece of rough timber angled from the water to the bank, a few stacked stones, or a shallow beach at one end will let a hedgehog climb out. They can swim, but they tire, and a steep-sided pond is a trap.

Always check long grass before you strim

A hedgehog disturbed during the day doesn't run. It curls up and stays put, which is exactly the wrong response when a blade is coming. This is why strimming and mowing cause so many injuries.

• Walk the long grass first and prod it gently with a stick or the toe of your boot.
• Rake it by hand before you cut. Tedious, but it's the step that saves lives.
• Set the blade high for the first pass, around 10cm, then lower it for a second cut. Work from the outside in so anything hiding has a chance to move.
• Check compost heaps before turning them, lift tarps and sheets before moving them, and never light a bonfire that's been sitting in one spot. Build it the day you burn it, or move it first.

If you find an injured hedgehog, put it in a ventilated box with a towel and a hot water bottle wrapped in cloth, and ring a local wildlife rescue for advice.

Food, gaps in fences and everyday hazards

You don't need to feed hedgehogs, but if you do, keep it sensible. Meat-based cat or dog food in jelly, or crushed cat biscuits, are fine. Bread, milk, fish flavours and a bowlful of mealworms are not. Clear the dish each morning so you're not attracting rats.

Then think about how a hedgehog gets in. Cut a 13cm square gap in the bottom of a fence panel, or shave a corner off one, and do the same on the other side if you can. A gap that size is too small for most pets but plenty for a hedgehog. Link up with a neighbour or two and you've made a proper highway.

A few other things worth knowing:

• Avoid slug pellets. Even the ferric phosphate kind can harm hedgehogs and the creatures that eat the slugs.
• Keep fruit netting pegged at least 30cm above the ground so hedgehogs can't tangle in it.
• Check drains, steep-sided ponds and open water butts.

Do those few things and the wild corner starts working for itself. You'll notice the evidence first — droppings, snuffling at dusk, a flattened patch in the long grass. Then one evening you'll catch a glimpse of something spiny heading purposefully across the lawn, and that scruffy bit of garden will suddenly look like the best thing you ever left alone.