Handy tips to provide a healthy habitat to help pollinators to thrive!
Create habitats for wildlife to stay during colder months
Creating hotels is a great way to bring wildlife to your garden and a fun little DIY project you can do with the whole family.
Animals and creatures which may go into hibernation over winter will appreciate a warm, dry and safe space to sleep away from the cold.
If you are not handy with DIY skills there are a wide range of habitats available in shops and online that will suit any garden aesthetic!
Plant flowers, shrubs and trees to attract beneficial wildlife
Asters
Asters are an important late food source for bees, they can help queen bees to build up energy reserves before going dormant in winter.
Often known as autumn daisies, asters come in a wide variety of colours and are found in just about every garden in the UK.
They’re late flowering in September makes them an ideal autumnal colour bringer. They also cope with both light shade and direct sunlight.
Buddleja
The Buddleja – also known as the butterfly bush produces beautifully fragrant flowers which are a favourite amongst butterflies for their nectar.
Buddleja’s are easy going and need minimal care aside from pruning and deadheading. They prefer a sunny location with a moist but well-draining soil.
You are spoilt for choice when it comes to this plant with a range of colours and flower shapes available, why not buy them all?
Foxgloves
Foxgloves can be found in most woodland areas and suit any cottage garden, however beware as this plant is highly toxic so not recommended if you have small children, dogs or cats.
Foxgloves grow in almost any soil type but avoid very wet or very dry conditions.
This plant will seed itself so will need deadheading after flowering to avoid overpopulation.
Lavender
What’s not to love about Lavender? it’s an easy to grow shrub that flowers from late Spring through Summer, it smells wonderful and attractive to many different beneficial pollinators.
Newly planted lavenders need to be watered regularly during their first year, after this they are drought tolerant