With the much-needed lift of spring and summer to come, it’s a good time to consider bare patches in the garden and what could fill them with new colour and life.
Wildlife friendly flowers will do both and benefit our vital pollinators such as bees, butterflies, beetles, various flies and some birds and bats.
So many of these native species are in decline due to a combination of factors such as climate change, the use of pesticides and loss of flower rich natural habitats, but we can collectively make a huge difference by choosing more wildlife friendly flowers for our own gardens.
But why are they important?
Our pollinators are not only surviving on nectar and pollen and collecting it to feed their young, but they pollinate and fertilize our edible crops. Some plants are wind pollenated, such as wheat oats and rice, but most of our fruit, vegetables and nuts require pollination from our native animal species. They are also pollinating the flowers in our public parks and gardens… not spaces we are allowed to frequent at present, but once we’re able to enjoy these outdoor spaces again, we’ll be expecting them to be full of a multitude of flower shapes, sizes and colour… and that will be down to our pollinators carrying on with what’s instinctive to them.
There is lots of information on reputable websites about wildlife friendly flowers and planting schemes but some favourites for pollinators, many of which we have growing at Flatford include:
Alliums
Aster
Buddleia
Campanula
Cat mint
Corn flowers
Echinops
Eryngium
Foxgloves
Hardy Geranium
Heather
Hollyhock
Honeysuckle
Lavender
Oregano
Primrose
Pulmonaria
Scabious
Sedum
Thyme
Verbena bonariensis
Wallflowers
Avoid using pesticides as these kill many beneficial butterflies, moths and insects. With a little time, garden pests could decline anyway as ladybirds, beetles and birds begin to eat them.
Once you have a garden full of buzzing insects, this could then attract more wildlife such as birds, frogs and toads, small mammals and bats, keen to dine on the feast as part of the natural cycle of garden life. Better get the binoculars at the ready!
There is more information about flowers for wildlife on the RSPB web site here:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/plants-for-wildlife/flowering-plants/
Nancy Brown