With all this rain, we may not have spent so much time out in our gardens recently but nature is still forging ahead and plants are still flowering!
Photo's from the Flatford Wildlife Garden: Shirley Sampson.
The Bishop of Llandaff dahlia is lighting up the borders at Flatford, not just with its vibrant colour but also with bees still searching for nectar which is in short supply at the moment.
Most solitary bees have an annual life-cycle and don’t survive the winter but some bumblebee colonies continue and queens over-winter in burrows in the ground. You can find out more about bees through the winter from the The Wildlife Trust and Friends of the Earth and there’s some additional information from the Bumblebee Conservation Society on what to do if you find a hibernating Bumblebee.
We also have lots of tall Verbena Bonariensis in flower at the garden… an eye-catching pollinator's favourite plus the pretty blue and very wildlife friendly Borage.
October can still be full of colour by choosing the right later flowering plants, many of which are still available in garden centres. Gardener’s world online also suggest some of their favourite scented plants for October and tonight’s episode (Friday 16th Oct) on BBC two at 9pm looks at some of the best plants for Autumn and features Monty Don preparing his garden pond for winter.
For more planting inspiration and lots of wildlife gardening tips, our Flatford Wildlife Garden is open this weekend and every day from 10.30am- 4pm until November 1st if you’d like to visit for a change of scene from your own garden.
We very much look forward to seeing you.
The Flatford Wildlife Garden is now open daily from 10.30am- 4pm, 1st October until1st November 2020. Entrance to the garden is free, it’s push-chair friendly and dogs on leads are welcome. Parking is £5 in the National Trust Car Park next door.