with, wasn't going to stop me with making it as attractive to wildlife as possible.
Ok - so I won't get hedgehogs or even frogs which is such a shame because I would
love to have them here, but the amount of insects, birds butterfly and moths I
see here now has made my efforts well worth it.
aphid eating insects and bees.
It is also important to try to cater for all four seasons, not just a mass of colour for summer and some spring bulbs. Winter flowering shrubs,like Viburnum Dawn and Gwenlian and saracococca. Also early nectar giving plants for insects which awaken early from hibernation if we have a mild spell, for me these tend to be bulbs, snowdrops, muscari and winter aconite. I plant over lapping flowering bulbs like crocuses, dwarf tulips and snakes head fritillaries, so I should have colour and flowers from February to May, so it is easily possible to have something in flower all year long.
Luckily the most important plant in the garden was here when we moved to Holland
16 years ago, so it is really established. It is a Pyracantha or Fire Thorn. In
June it is a mass of tiny white flowers and the Holly Blue butterflies, bees and
birds really love it. During September and October it is covered in red berries
which provide food for the birds. It has a lot of thorns which prevents cats from
climbing up. This means that the Pyracantha is a safe place to hang my bird feeders.
Its an evergreen and is an all-round star shrub.
Using lots of pots does have benefits. I love to put them in groups of various size pots and I can move them around as often as I like. It takes a lot of effort to get the natural look! Then after I've got the perfect effect I can move them all around again, when a plant goes over, looking it's best or I've got something new I want to show off. I prefer the old fashioned terracotta pots now, they suit the garden well and age quite quickly, going green and mossy. These are cheaper than the glazed or ornamental pots I used to go for - I'd rather spend the money on plants. When everything is in full bloom and grouped closely together you don't see the pots anyway. The big disadvantage is that they need plenty of watering, especially the smaller ones, I use a bark mulch and this really does seem to keep the moisture in.
I use to be scared of using tall plants, I thought small garden equaled small
plants. Now I know if the information card says it will grow to be 2 or 3m that
will only be if it's planted directly into the garden. If it's in pot, it will
never get to be that tall. Tall plants give so much depth, variety and interest
to a small garden. I Have a buddleia Black Knight which grows to about 11 foot, but
I cut it right back at the end of February to where I can see the new buds. This
soon grows back, keeping a nice shape and giving lots of those all so important
flowers for the insects. By leaving the seed heads on all winter, it provides food
for the birds. The long straight branches I cut off, I strip off all the side branches
and foliage, then I use these as canes for tieing up other plants.
I have two very large pots (approx 50 liters) which give a dynamic look, one with
a viburnum "dawn" the other with a magnolia, both plants about 6 foot tall. The
magnolia (front garden) however never flowered the first year I had it and it
doesn't look like it will flower this year either. For more interest I under plant
these with trailing million bells or trailing verbena for the summer and bulbs for
late winter. Don't be scared of size or colour, ignore "colour schemes" be bold then
plant for wildlife and you end up with a beautiful vivacious garden which will also smell
wonderful especially on lovely warm summer evenings.
It really is important not to be too tidy, especially over the autumn and winter.
By not cutting back shrubs and the seed heads and leaving leaves on the ground you
are giving beneficial insects places to overwinter like hollow stems, seed heads
and leaf litter. This also provides food for birds by way of the seeds or some
of the insects themselves. Paths have to be kept clear of slippery leaves so they
aren't dangerous, but the rest can be left. For the first time in the winter of
2006/7 I left everything and had to fight myself not to tidy up - but I was
so glad I left it all and had the most interesting winter garden to look at
which wasn't boring and bare and I am sure it was appreciated by all that live there
and visit it!
This photo shows one of two 7 spot ladybirds which over wintered in echinacea seed heads.
I have spent the last 4 years working on the back garden which is lovely and sunny
and quite sheltered, so finding wildlife friendly plants isn't a problem restricting -
what I buy because of lack of space is!
Now I have
eventually started to do the same with narrow pathed area at the front. This though
is in shadow all day apart from the summer months, when the sun reaches it about 4pm and
stays a few hours. It is very exposed to constant coastal winds and is on a main
road. I don't think the magnolia likes it here but I have no where to put it in
the back now. I have planted winter flowering, shade loving Saracococco hookeriana
which is very scented. I want to keep the front more tidy (though there are a few
well developed selfseeded plants growing between the pathing stones) and not so crammed with
plants. Finding wildlife
friendly plants for practically full shade which isn't ivy is causing me a bit of a problem!
I want to entice the birds and insects which visit the bushes over the road
to my garden. I have bribed the birds by feeding them in the front which works
well, but the real challenge is to do it all naturally by planting.
