Monty Don names ‘lovely’ animals that boost garden’s health and keep ‘pests’ away

Monty Don said it was a "privilege" to be able to watch the natural world from just a few feet away (Image: Colin McPherson/Corbis via Getty Images)

Monty Don has revealed that a type of animal you can spot from the comfort of your own home can boost your garden's health.

In a recent issue of BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, Monty opened up about the joys that can be achieved by observing the natural world from our own doorsteps.

He said lockdown showed us that it could be as "fascinating and rich" as anything that can be found in the mountains or the "distant shores".

However, he focused on one type of animal in particular, highlighting not only their "vital" song but also their ability to keep unwanted garden pests at bay.

Monty wrote: "A good selection of bird life greatly helps the health of your garden too, providing the best way of controlling any excess of pests such as aphids and caterpillars.

Monty highlighted their "vital" song and their ability to keep garden pests at bay (Image: Andrew Howe/E /Getty Images)

"Birdsong is a vital element of any good garden and at Longmeadow, we are blessed with songbirds such as thrushes, blackcaps, and a particularly dense population of blackbirds and robins to serenade us.

"And so my winter gloom is lightened by these lovely birds until next April, when spring is marked by the return of the swallows and house martins, and all is well with the world."

The horticulturalist previously explained that if you want to attract birds to your garden and avoid larger pests, such as rats and squirrels, you should avoid adding a certain food to your bird feed.

He said it's not worth adding grain as it mostly attracts pigeons, sparrows, squirrels and rats, but birds rarely eat it. However, he did share the ingredients to his homemade bird feed.

Monty said a selection of bird life helps the health of your garden (Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

He added: "This is composed of a mix I make up myself with sunflower seeds and hearts, peanut pieces, suet pellets, dried mealworms and nijer seed, and lives in a dustbin outside the back door."

To help people maximise their bird feeders, the Gardeners' World presenter outlined where he puts his own, with the placement also working as a deterrent against sparrow hawks.

Monty revealed that he hangs his peanut feeders and fat and suet balls from the branches of a large tree. Each morning, he adds the mix onto the logs and across a wall "backed by thick brambles".

He said these act as cover for sparrow hawks, which sometimes swoop in to take birds from the garden.