It is not difficult to encourage biodiversity within your garden and you don’t have to compromise the way your garden looks to do it. Gardeners are at the forefront to preserve the nature around them. Here are a few helpful hints and small changes you could make to your garden that could bring major benefits for the wildlife around your home.

1. Plant lots of colourful, scented flowers. When you include lots of these in your flowerbeds, you might just see butterflies and hummingbirds coming to take advantage of the nectar. Include lilac, marigold, ornamental thistles, sunflower, sweet pea, verbena and zinnia.
2. Create an area of planting that flower at the same time. Think of planting alongside some rocks or stone walls where a butterfly can settle. Hummingbirds love tubular flowers, it takes a lot of energy to move as fast as they do and they appreciate the rich nectar of such plants as Weigela, Coral Bells and Pentunias just to name a few.
3. The single easiest way to add wildlife value to your garden is to include water, whether it’s a pond or shallow birdbath.
4. Grow a mix of trees and shrubs. By adding deciduous bushes, dense evergreen trees, clematis and honeysuckle you offer shelter for nesting birds.

   

5. Every garden needs pollinators and bees are among the best. Without them there would be limited flowers and even fewer fruits and vegetables. Bees love plants with striking colours and fragrances, elaborately shaped petals and ample nectar. Look to plant lavender and buddleia, together with campanula, foxglove, thyme, mint, wild pansy, marjoram, sweet pea, sage, rosemary and chrysanthemums. Bees also like different flowers close together, so that they do not have to fly very far, therefore try planting large flowerbeds or borders. Bees will also be attracted to onions and chive plants, together with native fruit trees like apples and pears.
6. Creating a compost area makes for creating healthy soil, which is good for everything living in it and growing on it. Best of all it’s free and easy to produce.
7. Don’t use pesticides. You are killing off the beneficial bugs along with the pests. If you must use a pesticide, start with the least toxic one and follow the label instructions to the letter.
8. Use local native plants. Research suggests native plants are four times more attractive to native bees than hybridized flowers, so mix them amongst your annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs. Native plants are well adapted to your growing conditions and can thrive with minimum attention.

For more information contact your local garden centre and remember you don’t need a special garden to attract beautiful creatures to your garden. If you implement the tips above that appeal to them they will come.

Happy Gardening!

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