The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 13 Winter 2015 Low res | Page 25

The nature garden
A chain is only as strong as its
weakest link. This old adage
can be applied to your garden
when planning to make it a
haven for birds, butterflies,
bees and other wildlife.
If you’d like to establish a garden with
thriving populations of birds and
butterflies, you’ll need to establish food
sources and breeding habitats for them,
as well as, all the other members of the
food chain. Birds and butterflies are part
of a complex, inter-dependent web that
includes plants, insects, worms, bacteria,
fungi, reptiles, mammals and more. The
weakening or destruction of one link will
have a ripple effect across the system.

No more toxic chemicals

Most importantly, avoid using toxic
chemicals in your garden as they will be
incorporated into the food chain, doing
untold damage down the line.

The winter garden pantry

One of the most important ways of
ensuring you are creating a garden that
birds and other species will become
resident and breed in (as opposed to
visiting occasionally); is to include a
wide variety of plants that will provide
nectar, seeds, fruit and breeding habitat
in the winter and early spring months.
Many of the plants commonly known as
bird or butterfly attracters are summer/
autumn flowering and it can take a
bit of planning to ensure you have
some winter flowering plants that feed
wildlife as well as looking pretty.

Winter staples

Butterflies, bees and sunbirds
Aloes and succulents are at their best in
winter with vibrant flowers that contain
rich nectar supplies. Heliotrope flowers
throughout winter, providing your
butterflies with nectar and you with a
sweet, heady smell.

Carpenter b