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Now that the flowers in my garden are starting to fade I'm starting to think ahead to next year and starting to write a "shopping list" of what I'm going to plant up. I've been in this house for just over a year so I've not done a great deal yet but I'm really looking forward to making a concerted effort to do everything I can to attract wildlife (especially birds, bees and butterflies!). I’ve been a keen gardener for many years and always produce a mass of bedding plants from seed. However, I’m looking to plant up some herbaceous borders with mainly perennials and shrubs that are fab wildlife magnets!
My garden is about 100ft long by 50ft wide so a reasonable size but not really big enough for new large trees. I’ve got two Cherry Plum trees and three apple trees so I don’t really have too much room for anything else big! The only other things I have at the moment is a buddleia and some lavender (not a bad start I suppose?!).
To help me make my shopping list what I thought would be fun to do is to ask you lovely people what your ultimate wildlife plant that you have in your garden is, or maybe even tell me your top ten?!
Would appreciate any advice too!
Many thanks!
Andy B
Shane, the plant you had growing against a wall sounds very much like Pyracantha. The small very bright red berries are especially loved by Blackbirds.
Beagle,
You have had lots of super suggestions.
The one plant that keeps the bees and insects humming all summer is nepeta ( catmint). You can cut it down after the first bloom and get a second flowering in late summer. I have had hummingbird hawkmoths on nepeta in warm summers even up here in Scotland. It is a perennial and is very easy to propagate from cuttings taken in spring. Makes a lovely border hedge.
Claire
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom" - Wlliam Blake