PLANT LISTS / RECOMMENDATIONS

Wildlife Friendly Plants

A good variety of plants is vital for attracting and supporting wildlife in any outdoor space. The plants here are all great choices for wildlife and provide food, shelter and in some cases both!

Remember that many plants that are normally labelled “weeds” are valuable to wildlife and can be good choices for many species. If you have grass in your garden, remember to provide a variety of lengths. Longer areas can create brilliant habitat for all sorts of wildlife from frogs to butterflies while shorter areas can be helpful for bees of all shapes and sizes!

Finally, to make your garden a true haven for wildlife, avoid using any chemicals or pesticides as these can be fatal to almost all wildlife.

These plants are great ways of attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies to your garden as well as providing shelter and food for all sorts of other species. This list is by no means all of the best choices but should help give you some ideas for your own garden!

Common knapweed- flowers June-September and attracts a range of butterflies including common blue, marbled white and meadow brown.
Viper’s bugloss- great for attracting Early Bumblebees.
Bird’s foot trefoil- host plant for common blue caterpillars.
Sunflowers- a well-known garden favourite. Large flowers provide nectar for bees and butterflies and the seeds are a great source of food for garden birds.
Catmint- One of the Garden bumblebee’s favourites.
Wild Marjoram- the same species as oregano and can be used in as a herb for cooking. Provides nectar for bees and butterflies.
Honeysuckle- another favourite food for the Garden Bumblebee.
Snowdrops- Normally flower around January to February and may occasionally be visited by early emerging bees.
Lesser celandine- Flowers between January and May and is a good source of early nectar for pollinators.
Primroses- Flowers December through to May and is a favourite food plant for brimstone and small tortoiseshell butterflies.
Bugle- a fantastic choice for all sorts of insects including white tailed bumblebees, green-veined white butterflies and common carder bees.
Forget-me-not- flowers earlier in the year and is rich in pollen.
Thistles- Favourite food plant for painted lady caterpillars.
Ice plant- Good for providing a source of nectar late in the season.

Verbena- One of the best plants for attracting butterflies. Also great for bees and has seeds for birds too.

Tips for smaller spaces

The suggestions here are ideal for smaller areas and can help make the most of the available space. Whether a smaller garden or a balcony with window boxes, there’s always room for wildlife.

Climbing plants like ivy and clematis help make the most of spaces by using walls to create shelter for a range of wildlife. The flowers are also a great source of food for pollinators. There is even a species of bee called the Ivy bee which mainly feeds on the nectar of ivy when it flowers in autumn.
Bird feeders are also a great way of using space. There is a huge number of varieties available and a range of hanging methods which means there is a bird feeder for all spaces! Make sure to clean them out now and then to prevent the build up of bacteria which can be harmful to birds.
Herbs are great for attracting pollinators and many can also be used in the kitchen too. Lavender, sage, rosemary and thyme are all good options and can be used in cooking too! Herbs tend to be rich in nectar which makes them great for pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Bug hotels can be hung from walls, fences and hedges and take up a very small space. They are a great way of providing an important habitat for a whole range of insects. There are a huge range of bug hotels available to buy or you can make your own! A simple wooden frame filled with hollow wooden canes of different diameters can be a cheaper way of making a great bug hotel!
Provide some water. Water is one of the best ways to support wildlife and it doesn’t need to take up a big area. A mini-wildlife pond is a great way of adding water to smaller spaces. An old washing up-bowl can be an easy solution to adding a source of water. Alternatively, a small dish of water can provide drinking water for everything from birds and hedgehogs through to bees and other insects.
Grass can be vital habitat! Several species of bee nest in amongst the grass with several more species preferring bare soil. If you have a lawn try and avoid cutting it too short. Leaving some areas to grow long can also help add some variety to the habitat available. leaves rather than narrow ones. The catkins that grow in early spring are one of the best ways of providing the earliest source of nectar for early emerging bees. The leaves are also eaten by a range of moth caterpillars.

Pond plants

A pond is a fantastic way to attract and support a huge range of species and no good wildlife pond is complete without a variety of plants! Here are some suggestions for in and around your pond. Remember that a good wildlife pond also has good surrounding habitat so the previous suggestions can be used with the pond plants here to help create area of shelter around a pond.

Marginals- ideal for slightly damp or boggy areas at the edge of the pond. Some of these plants have flowers which attract pollinators like bees and butterflies while others grow tall which helps provide areas of shelter for amphibians like frogs and newts to reach the water in safety.

Marsh Marigold
Lady’s Smock
Purple Loosestrife
Water forget-me-not
Meadowsweet

Emergent- plants for the shallow water at the edge of the pond. These plants often grow tall and help create perches for dragonflies and damselflies to rest on.

Branched Bur-reed
Water Crowfoot
Flowering Rush
Water Plantain
Greater Pond-sedge

Floating- submerged plants with floating leaves. Great for creating perches for insects to rest and drink from.

Bladderwort
Frogbit
Broad-leaved Pondweed
Curled Pondweed
Amphibious Bistort

Oxygenators- fully submerged plants that help oxygenate the pond. Oxygenators can sometimes be picky with water conditions. The examples here are identified as some of the more hardy species by the Freshwater Habitats Trust.

Spiked Water-milfoil, Water Starwort, Horned Pondweed, Fennel Pondweed, Rigid Hornwort, Water Crowfoot