From an ecological perspective gardening is as much about making habitats as it is about horticulture. In this shady corner for example the fallen leaves, "untidy" undergrowth, a pile of branches and a couple of broken pots create both shelter and sustenance.

 Micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria are hard at work composting the organic matter which makes a rich mix for invertebrates- slugs, snails, woodlice etc. In turn they are food for larger foragers like birds, frogs and hedgehogs.

 NB the branches are some of the recent pruning from the Fig trees. Most of the rest I shredded to mulch the path. A layer of mulch is in itself a habitat.