Its a misconception that wildlife gardens have to be unattractive. Long grass, messy corners, unpruned hedges and shrubs can all convey an air of unloved, but untidy or unstylish isnt a prerequisite for wildlife. Indeed, you can help bees and other pollinators (including some species of moth, wasp and beetle) simply by planting the right flowers , between March and November. As long as you avoid double-flowered plants and traditional bedding varieties containing little pollen and nectar, you can use all sorts of plants in any kind of design.
The key to providing plants for pollinators is to offer as much nectar and pollen as you can, over the longest period possible. Aim for a mix of umbellifers, bowl-shaped flowers such as poppies and rock roses, and tube-shaped flowers such as salvias, and youll cater for a wide variety of pollinators. But, if youre struggling for inspiration, why not copy someone elses ideas?
The herb garden at Sissinghurst, Copyright: MARIANNE MAJERUS
On a grand scale
If you have a country garden where you can cater for pollinators on a large scale, the Somerset garden designed by internationally acclaimed Piet Oudolf is well worth a visit. Set in the grounds of an 18th-century farm, Oudolf Field is a perennial garden enclosed by hedges. It was designed to echo traditional flower borders, but the informal planting gives it a modern twist. The field is criss-crossed by meandering paths, encouraging visitors to walk among the flowers.
Oudolf Field makes a great late-summer garden. At this time, many gardens are looking tired, but here rudbeckia , agastache, liatris and veronicastrum form bold clumps against a backdrop of hills and fields. The last of the seasons pollinators, including small tortoiseshell, red admiral and peacock butterflies , feast on the nectar and pollen before hibernating or flying south for winter.
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For a more traditional design, look no further than Vita Sackville-West s Sissinghurst . The herb garden is a magnet for pollinators, where you can see the benefits of letting mint, chives, oregano and sage flower. Look between the gaps in the paving and youll see thyme, transplanted from the newly designed thyme lawns, which are also worth a look (and also adored by pollinators). Meadows are being created all around the estate.
Its a really exciting time to visit Sissinghurst, says Josh, one of the gardeners in charge of the meadow creation. Already rare orchids are cropping up in areas that were previously mowed, and this year were sowing seed of local, native wildflowers from a nearby nature reserve. Its going to look fantastic.
Large scale drifts of perennials give a naturalistic effect at Oudolf Field, Copyright, ALAMY
For small front gardens
At this years Hampton Court Flower Show , Nigel Dunnett, garden designer and Professor of Planting Design and Vegetation Technology at Sheffield University, said: I think about colour first, and work my way around that. His Community Street garden was designed in collaboration with the RHS and Gardeners Question Time as part of the Greening Grey Britain campaign , to highlight the number of front gardens lost under paving, and the benefits of planting up urban spaces. If you missed it at Hampton Court you can find it on Kensington Road in Bristol, where Dunnett and his team transformed a bare site into a lush, planted oasis.
The whole garden is planted for pollinators, he says. Theres a central meadow planted with bee-friendly perennials, a drought-tolerant border that provides food for pollinators without the need for watering, a pocket-sized vegetable garden and green roofs over bin and bike stores.
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The green roofs are the messiest part, although, being above eye level, they dont make a huge impact on the design. But the border planting is gorgeous, particularly the drought-tolerant area. Here, Dunnett blends blue echinops with yellow verbascums, dark purple salvias, penstemons, lambs ears (Stachys byzantina) and oregano. In another border hes added giant alliums and lime-green euphorbias, while elsewhere is a mini pictorial meadow of fairy toadflax (Linaria maroccana), planted where you might otherwise have a bare lawn.
Vegetable gardens
Not everyone has a walled garden like the Prince of Wales, but his veg plot at Highgrove is a fantastic example of a kitchen garden that works with wildlife. Most edible crops need pollinating, after all, so by combining fruit and veg with pollinator favourites the Prince (or at least his garden team) has created a winning formula that anyone can apply on a smaller scale.
The square garden is divided into four portions, with a large fountain at the centre. Covered in moss, the fountain makes the ideal landing pad for honeybees, which need water to drink, as well as cool their hives. They can land safely, drink and fly off again, unlike at many ponds which can be a death trap for insects. If you dont have space for a large fountain you can apply the same principles to a pond or even a bird bath: grow water lilies, as landing pads, or add a few stones so bees have a dry surface to rest on while drinking. Elsewhere in the veg garden, there is a long arch of apple trees , underplanted with hellebores to attract queen bumblebees to pollinate the apple blossom in spring. Among the vegetables, oregano and catmint are aplenty, and dwarf germander hedges, Teucrium x lucidrys, attract a variety of bees and other insects.
Formal hedges that flower attract pollinators at Highgrove, Copyright: GAP PHOTOS
Visit www.highgrovegardens.com
City edibles
Greenwich Gateway Peninsula For an alternative take on edible gardening in the city, pop down to the new gardens at the Greenwich Gateway Peninsula. A collaboration by Tom Hoblyn, Alys Fowler and interior designer Tom Dixon, this three-acre plot boasts a mixture of edible and ornamental displays. While not aimed at pollinators, all facets of the planting are pollinator-friendly, says Alys. Every plant has a dual purpose. Its either wildlife-friendly or its nitrogen-fixing [good for the soil].
Alys planted up a series of boxes that supply local restaurants with fresh herbs and salad. Theres also a small orchard planted with apples, which visitors are free to pick. Visitors can forage too.
There are lots of rosehips and crab apples, says Alys. Have a look, see what you like about it and what you can recreate at home.
Very cool article RIO.
I was worried this year since we had few butterflies, bees, or hummingbirds...Thankfully they are starting to show up, later but better than not at all.
They seem to really love day lilies, Indian blankets and some of the wild flower that I have growing.
Kavika
Thanks for the feedback
That is a little weird, but probably not really in that we have had more bees than normal around here and the butterflies seem to be everywhere this year. We had a very wet period in late spring/early summer and now are in a little drier and warmer phase of summer.
Not sure if that is a factor, but the bees are everywhere and the butterflies are beautiful.