First of all, what do we mean by wildlife friendly plants and planting schemes for wildlife? What characteristics do these plants share? How do they look, what are their growth habits?
By “Wildlife Friendly planting” we really mean;
Food and cover producing plants.Through using these plants we can increase biodiversity and build stability of ecosystems. So, plants for birds and wildlife, with shelter providing plants for birds and wildlife...Plus plants for food for bees and invertebrates plus food for butterflies and invertebrates all help to attract wildlife.
Fab Food! - but what does that mean for a bird?
Berries and fruit, very attractive to birds and a favourite food.
Native species shrub and tree are of course suited to local soil conditions; this means that they will grow fruit best, so do choose native plants when possible.
Topical tip!...Have a look at landvision's previous Landvision blog on planting for butterflies and moths..:)
So, what are (some of) the best berry-bearing trees?
Shrubs that offer food include;
Pyracantha in variety- this has masses of white flowers in May- June then, masses of lovely bright orange, red or yellow berries in the winter.
Ribes odoratum- Buffalo currant- forms thickets of upright stems which birds love for cover, masses of bright yellow spicily fragrant flowers and black currants for birds. Fab autumn colour!
Sambucus nigra – Elderberry- has flowers, fruit and provide cover for birds, dense branches.
Viburnum lantana – Wayfaring tree- flowers, berries and cover for wildlife.
Viburnum opulus- Guelder rose- flowers, berries and cover for birds.
So, all these plants share a common feature; densely branched growth, with ample opportunity for birds to take shelter/ perch as well as to feed. Their berries are borne in masses, often highly coloured; thus being also attractive in planting schemes and by attracting wildlife they are arguably bringing another much more important dimension into your garden and properties. One of tranquility? Bird song is a way of introducing peace and character into space; it can even, in Spring, drown out some of the sounds of traffic in highly populated and densely developed areas!
Another great species?
Crataegus species- Hawthorn. These flower and bear berries after 5 years. If allowed to set berries they will attract a wide variety of birds and wildlife including song birds such as Thrushes.
Hedges which contain hawthorn, if left to flower and bear berries every 2- 3 years will help the hedges to increase in wildlife value and attract more and more wildlife! So, don't be too tidy and don't cut back hedges until late January every year; if you can just leave them a little longer they should bear berries for birds and much more valuable habitat for wildlife as a result.
What about food for bees?
Flowers which attract bees are borne on;
Field Maple (Acer campestre)
Birch (Betula in variety)
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
Crab Apple and wild apple (Malus in variety)
Pear (Pyrus communis in variety)
White beam (Sorbus aria and forms)
Mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia and forms)
Many of these trees bear fruit as well as distinctive flowers which are attractive to bees as well as being visually pleasing to us humans.
So why are these plants so attractive to bees?
Flowers of birch give pollen only, and this is very important to bees as it occurs early in the year. Other species are visited by bees for both pollen and nectar. Bees work single rather than double flowers, so bear this in mind.
If in doubt, visit our website and log in to send us an email question.
charmaine@landvision.co.uk
The main thing to remember is that, although surplus honey will not be produced unless a large area is planted with nectar bearing plants, even a few plants will help to attract bees. These bees will pollinate and thus help to increase yields of fruit and vegetables in gardens. So these plants are vital to food producers and us consumers as well as to other wildlife.
What about adding some plants for butterflies as well as for bees?
Some favourite plants of butterflies which bees also love include;
Butterfly bush (Buddleia in variety)
Lavender (Lavandula in variety)
Cotoneaster species, provide flowers (and later on the birds like their beautiful red berries)
Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)- great for flowers and for berries and cover for nesting birds.
Perennial plants for butterflies;
Michaelmas daisy (Aster in variety)
Ice plant (Sedum specatbile)
Golden rod (Solidago in variety)
Yarrow (Achillea in variety)
What characteristics do these plants share? Just why are they so attractive to bees and butterflies?
Many are brightly coloured, for instance the golden/orange Yarrow (Achillea varieties) and those of the tall,orange flowered Golden rod. They have umbellifer heads of flowers clustered and attractive to insects. Solidago species are particularly good for attracting insects into your garden as bees and insects are attracted to yellow flowers. Many of these plants which are attractive to butterflies are other bright colours like red or muted shades like mauve, but as some are late flowering perennial plants; Sedum spectabile and Michaelmas daisy (Aster species) they appear at a time when other food sources are not so readily available for wildlife. They are also invaluable to the Wildlife gardener as a late source of visual interest in the autumn border, bringing much needed colour from August to October.
If you have an ecology question or query on wildlife plants
contact us for friendly and expert advice;
email; charmaine @landvision.co.uk
Tel; 01892 782200
Or, visit our website for testimonials and to see just a few habitats which we have created; www.landvision.co.uk
