When I began gardening, back in 2007, I can honestly say I didn’t really know what I was doing and some might say I still don’t! But, supporting wildlife was really not on my radar screen back then. I just set out to create a space that I and my partner, not to mention our dog Albert, could enjoy. I clearly knew it was nice to see butterflies and bees in the garden but I didn’t really comprehend that there were certain things you could do to encourage them to visit your plot.
I suspect that most would be gardeners don’t intentionally plan any specific wildlife friendly interventions, but probably find that it just happens. Well, this was certainly the case as far as Driftwood was concerned! I’m guessing that this will resonate with a lot of people reading this, as it can sometimes seem like a daunting task to create a ‘wilder’ garden.
Garden Biodiversity
That all said, I think the most popular elements of summer wildlife currently seen in my garden are butterflies, bees and frogs and toads.! There are dragonflies at times too and I have to mention the number of birds in the garden year-round, many nesting in the hedgerows and ivy on either side of the plot. I have to say that being able to look out over my back garden from my office in the roof, it is wonderful to see all the birds that gather there during the summer months and then return for the food we put out in the winter months.
As for the birds, there seems to be an endless number of robins in particular, along with wrens and sparrows, not to mention a pair of lovebird pigeons who regularly sit on the fence together overlooking the garden. In the winter months I put food out for the birds and we have many different pieces of garden sculpture that can double up as water baths for the birds too.
Bed and breakfast
So, without actually realising it, establishing good, tall hedging on all sides of the garden created a number of “bird hotels” loved by wrens, robins and sparrows in the main with a few blue tits. One of the most eye-catching shrubs, located behind the corten steel wall and pond is a stunning buddleja, called ‘Buzz Magenta’, and these beautiful flowers are also real magnets for butterflies. I’ve now got four different buddleja shrubs planted alongside too, which look magnificent with red admirals and cabbage white butterflies adorning the dazzling flowers. Then there are other plants in the garden that attract butterflies, catmint & lavender, lobelia, aubretia, geranium cranesbill and the erysimum wallflower.
There have been a lot of bees around the garden in recent years, thanks in the main to the plants that have been planted in order to attract them. You will find, verbena, scabiosa, rudbeckia, geum, rosemary, geraniums, centaurea, greater knapweed, nepeta catmint, penstemon and lavender, to name but a few, that these visitors can land upon and feed from in the garden. You probably have many pollinator plants in your own garden that have become magnets for bees too.
There have been some beautiful beetles this summer too, loving the flowers of the cosmos cupcake growing in containers and many of these are pollinators too.
Water matters
Over the years, we have seen quite a lot of wildlife around the pond. In the main there have been toads and dragonflies as well as many spiders spinning their webs around the plants and metal work. In the summer, the pond planting protects the frog spawn, provides cover for beetles and amphibians and iris that dragonflies use to pupate on.
So, you’ve probably been doing a lot more for wildlife in your garden than you might realise, perhaps just be more aware of what’s going on and enjoy what you see.
My top 3 planting tips at Driftwood for wildlife are:-
- Grow butterfly friendly plants like buddleja and lilac
- Plant holly and ivy to encourage nesting birds
- Plant Angelica and catmint to support bees
You can read more of Geoff’s garden, Driftwood, full details at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk
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