Discover how to encourage more pollinators to your garden via thoughtfully stocked larder of pollen and nectar-rich plants
We have more than 1,500 different pollinating insects in the UK and we need to do our bit to supplement nature by improving our gardens, so they are more supportive to these valuable creatures.
Our gardens are corridors between natural habitats. Around one third of our food and the reproduction of most of our flowering plants is the result of pollination, and for that to occur we need pollinators. It’s beneficial to create a diverse, abundant and balanced environment that can support all kinds of wildlife. Single-species food crops and monoculture threaten the survival of pollinators. Says the RHS 'the best strategy for gardeners wanting to support pollinating insects in gardens is to plant a mix of flowering plants from different parts of the world.As part of this mix, aim to have more plants that are native to Britain and the northern hemisphere than the southern hemisphere.
Exotic plants can be used to extend the season (especially late summer flowering) and provide nectar and pollen for some specific pollinators. Many gardeners in the UK already adopt this approach, since native and northern hemisphere plants are usually very reliable in a British climate and a smattering of more exotic plants helps provide flowers up to the first frosts and often introduces unusual flowers colours and shapes.'
If you have lots of flowers throughout the seasons you are probably already catering for many pollinators, but you can improve the situation further by planning to have something in flower every month of the year. What sort of pollinators will you attract? Bees probably come to mind first - we have several hundred different types of social and solitary species here in the UK - but there are also butterflies, moths, wasps, hoverflies, beetles and many others.
Butterflies are considered a key indicator of a healthy environment and with three-quarters in decline and four species extinct, it’s clear there’s much to be done. Naturalist Chris Packham recommends cultivating a butterfly-friendly garden with nectar-rich colourful flowers, adding a patch of nettles and leaving some rough grass patches, with butterfly-friendly planted pots another option. We can help counter the loss of habitat, over-use of fertilisers, pesticides, and intense hybridising, by being mindful of what we use and plant in our gardens.
Get the look
• A pollinator carries pollen from one plant to another, fertilising the plant so it can reproduce
• For pollinators, pollen is a source of minerals, fats, vitamins and protein, and sugar-rich nectar supplies carbohydrates
• There are 59 species of resident butterflies in the UK, compared to 2,500 moths
• Some butterflies aren’t seen in our gardens because they require specialised habitats -chalk downland, for instance, or woodland
• Butterflies found in our gardens include Red Admiral, Peacock, Painted Lady, Brimstone, Comma, Gatekeeper and Small Tortoiseshell
• Although a few species of butterflies have caterpillars that feed on our garden plants, such as Cabbage Whites, which eat brassicas, most do not cause any damage
• Planting in drifts makes the colour and scent easier for pollinators to detect
• Pollinators don’t like double, multi-petalled and highly hybridised flowers, as these may lack pollen and nectar and be difficult to access
• Observe which plants your local insects flock to and grow more of them
• It’s not only brightly coloured annuals or wildflowers that are good for pollinators - flowering shrubs and trees are also incredible pollen- and nectar-providers
• Ivy, too, if given the chance to mature and flower, is a tremendous late source of nectar and pollen, supporting a huge range of flies, bees, wasps and other insects
Local expert
Award-winning plantswoman and specialist in pollinator-friendly plants Donna Truwhyte has recently moved her established garden and nursery Enchanted Gardens from Seasalter to a plot she's developing on pastureland at Yorkletts, near Whitstable. 'I am absolutely passionate about pollinating insects - and passionately concerned about the loss of bees worldwide. This concern drives my growing specifically for their benefit. I grow 90 per cent of the plants from seed and cuttings, concentrating on perennials, including as many native and wild species as I can. Visitors will see lots of flowers laid out but not in a 'shop' way, with large numbers of insects and other wildlife. Expect a lot of quirkiness!' she enthuses.
Donna wants all gardeners to take action to help our pollinators. We have an opportunity to build a 'menu' for them within our gardens. 'Pollinators don’t know they are pollinators,' Donna points out, 'they are pollinating by accident while simply looking for food from plant to plant'.
Rather than promoting the idea of an unkempt, wild garden Donna also talks about the importance of planning and maintaining outdoor spaces. “You create an atmosphere if a garden is nurtured with care and feeling, of a beautiful place to be. I like to help people understand how to look after the plants they buy, so that, they too, can work with Mother Nature, encouraging a tremendous number of beneficial insects into our gardens.
The smorgasbord you’ll find on offer at the Enchanted Gardens includes a plethora of trees and shrubs, such as forsythia, arbutus, amelanchier, buddleia, ceanothus, philadelphus and Sambucus nigra, along with great choices of perennials, including kniphofias, cardoons, centaurea, salvias, hardy geraniums, acanthus, agastache and Verbena bonariensis. Donna also stocks an array of herbs, annuals, bulbs and climbers, as well as seasonal plant packs. “Get to know your garden and area and what grows well locally,' she says. 'We as ‘small-niche-growers’ - along with all other gardeners in the country - can help by growing local, native species that are pesticide and insecticide free,'
To know
Enchanted Gardens, Yorkletts, Whitstable, CT5 3AB
Nursery specialsing in pollinator-friendly plants, consultancy garden sessions and lectures
Open Apr – Oct, Tues-Sat (10-4), Sun (11-4)
Online sales too
enchantedgardens.co.uk
For more information on pollinators: rhs.org.uk
