One of the staple ways of giving nature a home in small gardens is to grow climbers. Given the lack of space, it is a brilliant way of using vertical bare surfaces and filling them with foliage and flowers, with all the benefits that that brings.
But one question I'm often asked is what alternatives are there to Ivy - it might be a brilliant plant for wildlife but those aerial roots can be a right menace to your brickwork and mortar.
One plant family that is well worth considering is Clematis, but while so many of them may have saucer-sized flowers, they never seem to attract a single pollinator.
Here, then, are two that you might like to consider that are proven attractors of wildlife.
The first is the 'orange-peel' clematis, Clematis tangutica, from eastern Asia, that has these really attractive waxy flowers, which are followed by gloriously tufty seed heads. This one I photographed in late September still pulling in the Honeybees.
The other is Clematis rehderiana, again from China. This one is in my garden, and in early autumn it is harder to find a plant with more pull for bumblebees and Honeybees. The flowers may bee subtle in tone and form but, en masse, I think this is a real winner.
Do you have any climbers which you recommend for wildlife?
There are many native plants that can be used alternative to Ivy with drought tolerant and do not even require irrigation once established. Some of them are Pacific blackberry, sword fern, California honeysuckle, beach strawberry and can be many more. These plants can be the elements of a diverse ground cover planting that can be an ivy substitute.
I have 2 cotoneasters growing against fences. Honey bees love the flowers and the berries are a good source of food for the birds in winter
Great to have all your suggestions,thanks. I have various missions in wildlife gardening and one of them is definitely to encourage more people to grow plants up the sides of buildings. It is so simple, and such a brilliant use of space.
I have a Clematis montana var. rubens 'Pink Perfection', this is a very vigorous clematis, it gives lovely small pink flowers, which insects find attractive. I have to constantly cut it back and trim it, as it grows very fast.
I have introduced a honey suckle clipping and it is now growing along side the clematis, it too is loved by insects, but isn't quite so fast growing as the clematis.
I Have a climbing hydrangea facing SW and it is a great spreader, flowers profusely, very attractive to bees. I'm hoping something might nest in it one day, but it is maybe not quite dense enough for that.