what are the best plants to have for a wildlife garden?

Question

I'm moving soon from a first floor flat to a two bedroom house and would love to make my garden very animal/bird/insect friendly.

Answer 1

I am doing something similiar. I am gardening not just for the flowers, but also to attract more wildlife. Different things may be required depending on the species you are after, but in general you want to offer a few things.

One is hiding places, so rocks and logs are good things to have, as well as trees, bushes, and weedy borders.

The other is a source of food. Butterflies and birds need a constant source of nectar and berries. So choose a combination of plants that provide those things all year. For example, many birds eat two kinds of berries - berries with high sugar content in the growing season and berries with high fat content in the winter.

The other big wildife attractor is water. Many of the rarest wildlife live in wetlands. So some sort of pool or soggy ground is a plus for many species.

Other things really depend on what you're after. Different size seeds and nest boxes attract different kinds of birds. Different insects want different things. For example I'm interested in attracting native pollinator such as bees and flies. Many of the species that live here in the US are burrowing species that require vegetation free sand to nest in. So I'm going to make a sand feature of some kind. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

It would help to know what zone you live in. In any case, your best bet would be to plant things that are native to your area. On a general note, purple coneflower and any types of sedums attract butterflies. Climbing honeysuckle and daylillies attract hummingbirds. As for other insects and animals, I'm not sure. I'd check with a local garden center. The staff at most of these are quite knowledgeable. Plus you might want to visit a local bookstore or library and get some books on the subject. That's how I got started with my garden and it helped quite a bit.

Answer 3

I bought a box of 'wild meadow' seeds couple of years ago, and I have all the bees and butterflies from miles around visiting!!! the good thing too is that some of the seeds were bi-anual (which I just discovered), so the flowers that popped up this year are diferent to last year so a nice surprise. My daughter kinda 'scattered' the seeds, so they landed thick, and I dont know if the weeds are just blending in well, but I've not had to pull a single one this year.

We have a very old apple tree too, and put a nest box in the fist year we came here and have had visitors to it every spring. You are going to love having a garden!

Answer 4

It depends on what you want to attract and in what zone you live. Also, we can't input pictures here and you would want to choose your own style and colors.
You can get the answers you need by emailing [e-mail]
They are located in Burlington Vermont and will be able to tell you what you can grow depending on your location and which species will attract the birds and other wildlife you want.

I love that place!
6 acres of beautiful wild flowers - both annual and perannual.
I bought three bags of seed - one for butterfiles, another for birds and yet another a mix of both and hummingbird flowers.
Every year they come up and many are different. I never know which color will come up next!

I used a partly shaded area at the end of my property - spanning and acre long and five feet deep. Put in cut logs (used them like benches) and other items every 20 feet or so.
No weeding, no watering after the first season.
Virtually mainenance free and beautiful every day!

Have fun!

Answer 5

You'll need a pond with bubbling water as the sound atttracts birds. Have some places where birds can hide from predators, have a bird feeder and you might also want bird houses. Do not use pesticides or herbicides as they kill the insects that the birds (and frogs and bats and snakes) eat. Consider using plants that will be used by insects to eat and lay their young on.

Answer 6

What a lovely question! Lucky you, that sounds great.

Well, birds and butterflies like Budlea, easy to grow and pretty in July. Also Hebe - pretty shrubs, lots of varities available.

The English Marigold are lovely - much nicer than French or African. You can buy packets of seed "Calendula" - bright ornage and gorgeous.

Maybe a red rose for its beauty and choose one with a good scent, such as Ena Harkness.

Geraniums - so many lovely wild ones - Johnson's Blue is my favourite perenial.

Honeysuckle is a must for its gloroius scent!!

Valerian which grows wold in the West Country - great for its herbal properties (helps to relax you)

St John's Wort, beautiful yellow flowers

Evening Primroses

Hollyhocks, sweet peas and forget me nots. All will re-seed themselves every year.

It sounds fun, I hope you have fun choosing!

Answer 7

go away patches of backyard section to over-boost, perchance fencing it off so as now to not disturb some thing else of your backyard and plant a variety of of untamed flowers. I actually have at present gained a poultry-container variety of structure which will deliver in the bees which once you're in contact in the ambience and flora and fauna, you'll now they are depleting straight away which in turn will bring about absolute chaos in a large element the position it is composed of crop growing to be and fisheries. If i ought to tell anybody to get one and inspire bees then i'd. maximum persons imagine that they are going to sting you yet they don't, it really is on condition that they are threatened or damage in a roundabout way. also turn off your cellular as a lot as available as those are prevalent to impression insects highly bees wherein the Queen Bee will go away a hive for no glaring reason and not in any respect go back. reliable success and properly executed, nature is a few thing to be precious x

Answer 8

That completely depends. What kind of wildlife do you want, and where do you live? In general, if you want to attract native wildlife, you should plant native species. There is probably a natvie plants nursery around your area somewhere - they can give you more guidance about attracting particular types of wildlife. Good luck!

Answer 9

Weeds work the best...they grow naturally and require little or no maintenance.


When you welcome birds and butterflies to your yard, you add colors, movements, and sounds that make your garden seem more alive and vibrant. The following tips from the National Audubon Society will help you create a habitat that allows wildlife to flourish.

Answer 10

For bees, moths and butterflies; Buddleia (butterfly bush); california poppy, poppy, thyme, white (dead) nettle, stinging nettle, everlasting sunflower, clover in the lawn, runner beans up the fence.

For birds; millet, sunflower, poppy (all contain seeds over winter), anything that gets aphids such as roses and nasturtiums for the sparrows and wrens to feed their young, some cabbages for the caterpillars.