PLANT CARE WILDLI FE GARDENING
Timber
bee and
bug house,
£14.99
A log pile for wildlife
Hungry
Hedgehog
Blend,
£3.99
A busy bee hotel
I
n recent years, our
gardens have become
an increasingly
important source of food,
water and shelter for
insects, birds, hedgehogs,
frogs and toads. And the
trend for wildlife gardening
is having a positive effect:
more sparrows, coal tits
and goldfinches were
spotted in the 2019 RSPB
Big Garden Birdwatch,
and last summer proved to
be a record year for Painted
Lady butterflies.
ECO-GARDENING IDEAS
What we plant, and how
we garden, can have a big
impact on the safety and
survival of Britain’s birds
and wildlife. Simple ways
of eco-friendly gardening
include using peat-free
compost, nature-friendly
slug pellets and organic
plant feeds, letting your
lawn grow a little longer
between cuts, and leaving
some flower seed-heads
18/ B E AU T I F U L G A R D E N S
Use fallen logs and tree
branches to create a log
pile for insects to shelter in
•
Install a bug box on a shed
wall or a tree – choose a
warm, dry place where the
rain can’t get in
•
Encourage hedgehogs by
leaving a small gap under
your fence for access, and
by providing shelter and
a shallow bowl of special
hedgehog pellets
•
Hang nesting boxes where
cats and foxes can’t reach
them, to attract small birds,
like tits and robins
•
Prune shrubs with hips and
berries in early spring so
that birds can enjoy the
fruit over winter
TOP TIP
Grow a pollen-rich
meadow from seed
with Thompson
& Morgan’s Wild
Flowers scatter
garden, £7.99
Combining different
flower shapes and varied
flowering times produces
a good supply of pollen
and nectar for insects in
spring and summer.
1 Lavender ‘Vera’
Highly fragrant flowers.
June–Aug
Five easy tips
FOR
WILDLIFE
GARDENING
YO U R
I N S E C T
F R I E N D LY
PLANT
GUIDE
2 Hebe ‘Celine’ Evergreen
shrub. April–June
Timber and slate
hedgehog house, £29.99
intact over winter for birds
to feed on. Installing bee
hotels for solitary bees,
hedgehog shelters, and a
small log pile will help, and
a source of water will be
appreciated – from a bird
bath to a small pond.
PLANTING TIPS
You can also help to
feed bees, hoverflies and
butterflies by planting
insect-friendly plants that
flower from early spring to
autumn. Insects especially
love flowers with pollen
and nectar that is easy
to reach: these include
daisy-shaped flowers,
(like cosmos and single
dahlias), umbellifers (such
as verbena and achillea)
and tubular or bell-shaped
flowers (including salvia
and foxglove). Choosing
plants that flower at
different times of the year,
with a variety of flower
shapes, will keep the insects
returning to your garden.
3 Polemonium
‘Bressingham Purple’
Dark-leaved perennial.
May–July
4 Erysimum
Sunset varieties
Perennial wallflower.
April–Sept
5 Digitalis purpurea
‘Dalmation Purple’
and 6 ‘Dalmation White’
Compact foxgloves.
June-July
7 Scabiosa ‘Pink Mist’
Long-flowering perennial.
July–Sept
8 Daphne odora
‘Rebecca’ Scented
evergreen shrub.
Jan–March
9 Verbena bonariensis
Tall, airy perennial.
June–Sept
10 Cirsium rivulare
‘Atropurpureum’
Prickle-free thistle.
June–Sept
11 Salvia nemorosa
‘Caradonna’ Dark-
stemmed perennial.
June–Oct
12 Lavender ‘Essence
Purple’ A hardy English
lavender. June–Aug