Elements
of a
Pollinator-friendly
plants.
Give bees, butterflies etc. nectar-rich
flowers all year round, from aconites and snowdrops in Spring to
asters, cone flowers, sedum & ivy in Autumn. (Look for plants
with a single, open flower head.)
Best summer plants
for bees include
cornflower, single dahlias, eryngium, heather, nasturtiums and
penstemon. For full lists, see gardenersworld.com
Best summer plants
for butterflies
include buddleia, verbena bonariensis,
lavender and perennial wallflower. Full lists at
butterfly-conservation.org
Have a wild
patch, where native flowers (aka
‘weeds’) can grow. See ‘How to grow a wild patch’ at wildlife
trusts.org
Have long-grass areas in
lawns,
and allow some flowering plants (e.g. crocuses and violets) to grow.
See ‘Lawns for wildlife’ at rspb.org.uk
Have a mixture
of trees, shrubs, perennial plants and annuals.
Grow fruit
trees & shrubs. (Leave ‘fallers’ for wildlife.)
Encourage hedges
and climbers, for nests and shelter.
Avoid cutting between March and August.
Have deep flower borders,
giving drought resilience and wildlife shelter.
Grow native wildflower
meadow -
annual (normal fertility soil) or perennial (low fertility).
Avoid
herbicides and pesticides.
Avoid slug pellets (Try
e.g. crushed egg shell around bedding plants)
Feeding and living
areas.
Bird
feeders & tables, positioned as
safely as possible from predators, especially cats. See ‘How to
feed birds in your garden’ at mwt.im/actions
Butterfly feeder (try
mashed banana, for instance).
Bird
and bats boxes, sited on north or east
walls.
Hedgehog
house and
gaps in fence for their ‘highway’.
Pond.
Frogs, newts and other life within it
plus drinking / washing facility for other creatures. Ensure there is
a shallow area so that e.g. hedgehogs don’t drown if they fall in.
If pond is not possible, provide bird-bath. Further information from
‘Wildlife ponds’ at rhs.org.uk
‘Insect
hotel’ (N
or E-facing) and part-uncut hedge for over-wintering insects. See
‘wildlife friendly garden’ at nationaltrust.org.uk
Wood
pile and
twiggy debris for insects, (and the birds that eat them!)
Stone
& masonry pile for frogs.
Other.
Produce your own garden
mulch by keeping a compost bin.
Buy peat-free
compost. For
why, see plantlife.org.uk
Use organic
fertilisers.
Avoid neonicotinoids in
garden-centre plants by growing from seed.
Allow seed heads to form,
and be generally less ‘tidy’.
Follow creatures’ secret
lives by installing cameras.
Manx
Wildlife Trust website: www.mwt.im
To visit a wildlife
garden, or for further info, contact iancostain@manx.net
