The garden maintenance jobs hedgehog experts wish you'd stop doing – protect these garden visitors by avoiding these spring tidy-up mistakes

We all love to welcome wildlife into our gardens. But while doing our best to make wildlife feel at home, there are also some surprising things we could be doing in our gardens that might be harming the wildlife we want to help. And more precisely, our native, protected hedgehogs.

Using harmful chemicals like slug pellets and pesticides is an obvious danger that most of us know to avoid, but there are plenty of other, less-obvious things we do that could be putting hedgehogs in harm’s way. From overzealous garden tidying and cleaning to using harmful plastics and netting, many of the simple garden tasks we do without thinking about them can be a danger to hedgehogs and even other creatures.

The good news is that these unintentional bad habits are easily adjusted. Wildlife expert Sean McMenemy, founder of Ark Wildlife shares a few dos and don’ts that are easy to work into a garden routine and will help protect and keep wildlife out of harm’s way.

1. Keeping the garden ‘too’ tidy

‘Tidying up can harm wildlife,’ says Sean. ‘Collecting grass cuttings and disposing of them through council collection schemes may seem sensible, but this starves your soil of vital nutrients, carbon and organic material. For wildlife, it’s better to mow grass and drop cuttings – worms and birds, among many other creatures, will thank you!’

‘Removing leaf litter, over-pruning shrubs and hedges or clearing wood piles also destroys ideal shelter for hedgehogs. Insects and grubs shelter in this debris too, providing food for birds and mammals. And especially, make sure not to disturb quiet corners and the bases of hedges, where conditions are naturally dry and sheltered for wildlife to nest.’

2. Overzealous strimming

While mown lawns with neatly trimmed edges might look appealing, strimmers are a particular danger to hedgehogs.

In summer, hedgehogs tend to nest in long grass, foliage and garden borders during the day. While other creatures will move away if disturbed, hedgehogs roll up into a defensive ball, which makes them prone to injuries from strimmers, such as cuts, lacerations and even limb loss.

Leaving grass longer can provide a welcome safe haven for hedgehogs, but if you do prefer edges looking neater, try not to strim grass quite so frequently if you can. Before you do strim, it’s always a good idea to have a rustle around and make plenty of noise to frighten any creatures away before you start.

Sweep through the grass with a stick or gloved hand to ensure there are no concealed hedgehogs.

3. Boxing-in hedgehogs

‘Our homes may be castles, but they’re also fortresses blocking out (or in) wildlife,’ says Sean. ‘Hedgehogs rely on foraging across several gardens at night, for food, finding mates and safe sleeping quarters – even travelling up to two miles. Fenced and gated properties present a huge barrier to these adorable creatures.’

‘Making a small gap in the base of fences can make a big difference, creating a ‘hedgehog highway’ through garden boundaries and helping the creatures to roam freely.’

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How do you look out for hedgehogs in your garden? We'd love to know what tips and tricks you have for keeping them safe.