Does wildlife prefer native plants?
The idea of plants being ‘native’ or ‘indigenous’ to your local area or country is, to a great extent, a fallacy, since most of the world’s plant species have evolved from common ancestors.
As for wildlife preferring these so-called native plants, generally speaking creatures do not care how long your plants have been in the country, as long as there is a wide variety and plenty of them. For plants that will thrive in your area, see what does well in your neighbours’ gardens.
Choosing Plants
When selecting ‘wildlife-friendly’ plants, do not start by loading yourself down with lists of unwieldy botanical names, but do a bit of research into what your preferred wildlife visitors need in the way of shelter, protection and food.
Try to choose a good range of plants so that you have a long flowering season, different shapes and colours of flowers, different bark textures and so on.
• Plant in large drifts so that animals are able to move from one area to another without being exposed to predators.
• Try to keep your area of mown lawn to a minimum.
• Plant lots of different grasses.
• Plant swathes of your favourite plants, irrespective of whether you think of them as wildlife-friendly.
• Choose plants that are long established in your area.
The idea of plants being ‘native’ or ‘indigenous’ to your local area or country is, to a great extent, a fallacy, since most of the world’s plant species have evolved from common ancestors.
As for wildlife preferring these so-called native plants, generally speaking creatures do not care how long your plants have been in the country, as long as there is a wide variety and plenty of them. For plants that will thrive in your area, see what does well in your neighbours’ gardens.
Choosing Plants
When selecting ‘wildlife-friendly’ plants, do not start by loading yourself down with lists of unwieldy botanical names, but do a bit of research into what your preferred wildlife visitors need in the way of shelter, protection and food.
Once you know that this type of bird likes these seeds and those berries, and that snake likes a certain sort of cover, and such a beetle likes one sort of flowerhead rather than another, then you will have a good idea of which trees, grasses, bushes and flowers to choose.
When you have thriving plants that provide year-round shelter and food for your favourite birds, beetles and snakes, then plenty of bird-, beetle- and snake-loving animals will also be sure to follow.
Tips On Planting
• Plant in large drifts so that animals are able to move from one area to another without being exposed to predators.
• Try to keep your area of mown lawn to a minimum.
• Plant lots of different grasses.
• Plant swathes of your favourite plants, irrespective of whether you think of them as wildlife-friendly.
• Choose plants that are long established in your area.
PLANTING SCHEMES
This small front-yard garden has been planted for maximum impact, with plenty of cover and lots of seeds and berries.
Group plant pots and containers so that there are little secret areas between them for insects and small mammals to feed and forage in.
Aim for as many different plants as possible so that the ground is completely covered, providing privacy and shelter for creatures.
This small front-yard garden has been planted for maximum impact, with plenty of cover and lots of seeds and berries.
Group plant pots and containers so that there are little secret areas between them for insects and small mammals to feed and forage in.This border scheme has been cleverly designed so that there are plants at all levels and the ground is entirely covered.
PLANTS FOR PARTICULAR CREATURES
This list will give you some idea of what the wild creatures in the garden will prefer in the way of plants.
• Birds like plants that produce plenty of berries and seeds, such as cotoneaster, hawthorn, blackberry, cherry and sunflower (see page 37).
• Small mammals like berries, seeds, grasses, acorns and nuts, but they also like the birds, eggs, grubs, bugs and insects that are attracted to the berries and seeds (see also page 55).
• Reptiles eat berries and seeds, but for the most part they are after the small mammals and bugs that come in for the berries and seeds. With this in mind, you could plant lots of ground cover to keep both the mammals and reptiles happy (see also page 55).
• Butterflies, moths, bees and other insects are attracted by buddleia, stinging nettles, lilac, lavender, foxgloves and other ‘cottage-garden’ plants, as well as some nightscented plants such as honeysuckle, evening primrose and verbena (see page 69).
CAUTION
Be warned that if you are going to encourage your ‘pretty’ wildlife top-ten favourites – birds, rabbits, mice and so on – then you are, by the very nature of things, also inviting in larger animals that will have their own top-ten tasty list.
Do your best to keep ‘barren’ areas, such as lawns and paths, to a minimum. Replace them as far as possible with dense planting.
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