Make your garden more wildlife friendly

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) are encouraging the public to turn their gardens into wildlife havens to help save the country’s pollinating insects.

The first episode of a new TV series entitled ‘Bees, Butterflies and Blooms’ was shown on BBC2 last week and highlighted the worrying decline in the number of pollinators.

Research has shown that more than three quarters of Britain’s butterfly species have declined in the past 20 years and Britain's wildflower meadows and grasslands have also seen a 98 per cent drop. In response to these worrying figures, the HTA are offering gardeners advice on attracting pollinating insects to their gardens as they are crucial to British wildlife and the economy.

Whatever type of garden you have, it is easy to create an environment for insects. Nectar rich flowers such as buddleja, foxgloves, honeysuckle, cornflowers, lavender and sedum provide a food source for pollinating insects, butterflies and bees. They also look great when in full bloom and are easy to find in nurseries and garden centres.

Insects are also attracted to bright and soft colours so having a mixture of these and nectar rich plants will encourage them to keep coming back to your garden year after year. 

Insects such as bees will benefit from some artificial shelter and there is a wide range of bug homes and boxes you can buy for your garden or alternatively make for yourself.

Andrew Maxted, director of marketing and communications at the HTA said: “Insects play an important part in our gardens and a third of all the food we eat is on our table thanks to insects pollinating our crops. Gardeners can help reduce their decline by encouraging wildlife into their gardens by growing a wide range of bee and butterfly friendly plants and become part of the solution.”

For more information and tips on protecting wildlife visit www.plantforlife.info.