Welcome birds to your garden by growing a variety of plants for food, nesting material and shelter from predators. Birds are attracted to a garden for a number of reasons. They will come for food in the form of nectar, seed and insects, for water, for shelter, and for nesting. Rough barked trees, such as Acacia species, harbour insects and make good nesting trees. Don't be too tidy in a bird garden. Leave some spent flower heads to go to seed. Enjoy watching birds as they perch on grass stems and feast on the seed of non-invasive grasses.

Winter rains go hand-in-hand with erosion. Erosion is the process of weathering that usually occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice; by down-slope creep of soil and other material under the force of gravity; or by living organisms, such as burrowing animals (or dogs running riot in your garden). Erosion is a natural process, but it has been increased dramatically and on a large scale, by human land use, especially industrial agriculture, deforestation and urban sprawl. Improved land use practices, such as terrace-building, no-till and tree planting, can limit erosion.

Fire is a real possibility in this hot, windy weather. According to the latest Tygertalk newspaper (21 Jan. 2011), there were 395 reported fires last week of which 214 were vegetation fires throughout Cape Town! Here are a few suggestions on fire-scaping your garden. Also see http://lifeisagarden.co.za/home/latest-news/firescaping-pilot-project-is-launched.html for more information.

• Assess the vulnerability of your property. Are there forests of invasive alien vegetation on or close to your property? Is your property subject to strong winds?