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Perthshire Scotland - Plants with Purpose
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Wildlife Garden - or just Plain Wild?

Many of our customers choose their plants with the aim of attracting, feeding or keeping wildlife safe in the garden.

But there are many aspects to nurturing wildlife apart from choosing the right plants. Most birds, beasts and bugs would actually prefer it if we didn't garden at all, but allowed nature to fill our plots with a riot of weeds and wilderness. If you've got the space, you can do no better than allow part of it to go to the dogs (or rather, the hedgehogs, blackbirds, lizards and bumblebees). In your wild garden, you will encourage clumps of stinging nettles as a priority - the larval food source of many butterflies and moths, including the small tortoiseshell, red admiral and peacock. You will leave untidy piles of twigs and logs and branches for the wrens to nest in and toads to lurk under. You won't rake up the leaf mould, which the beetles and centipedes will crawl though. If possible, there will be wet areas and boggy areas for dragonflies, damselflies and amphibians. Most of all, you won't worry or stress yourself out if (when) it all looks a mess. Even the slugs and snails will be a boon for attracting song thrushes.

If you don't have a lot of space, though, you may have to compromise and have wild elements and wildlife plants in an otherwise fairly conventional garden. Again, don't worry if plants come up in the wrong place, or run to seed. If your neighbours comment that you're a bit behind with your autumn tidying, remind them how many birds will enjoy those apparently dead seed-heads in winter.

There are many of us who have developed a battery of sound ecological excuses for not being tidy gardeners!

So,

  • seeding plants must be included if you want goldfinches and similar birds.
  • Shrubs with berries for blackbirds and many other species.
  • Large-leaved plants for amphibians.
  • Plants with long flower tubes and high nectar levels for butterflies.
  • Evening flowering plants for moths.
  • Plants with flat flowers for hoverflies, drone flies and other interesting insects.

Here are a few of our best wildlife plants - see the A-Z page for full details.

SEEDS FOR SEED-EATING BIRDS

Atriplex patula - Red Orache

Chenopodium bonus-henricus - Good King Henry

Dipsacus fullonum and D. sativus - Teasel and Fullers Teasel

Echinops ritro - Blue Globe Thistle

Echinops sphaerocephalum - White Globe Thistle

Foeniculum vulgare - Fennel

Isatis tinctoria - Woad

Levisticum officinale - Lovage

Ligusticum scoticum - Scots Lovage

Myrrhus odoratus - Sweet Cicely

Oenothera glaziomana - Evening Primrose

Origanum vulgare - marjoram

Rumex scutatus - French Sorrel

Sanguisorba minor - Salad Burnet

Silybum marianum - Milk Thistle

Verbascum thapsus - Great Mullein

BERRIED SHRUBS FOR BIRDS AND MAMMALS

We don't actually do any at present. But would recommend:

Berberis vulgaris - Barberry

Mahonia aquifolium - Oregon Grape

Sambucus nigra - Elderberrry

Ilex aquifolium - Holly

Viburnum opulus - Guelder Rose, Crampbark

..among many others...

LARGE-LEAVED PLANTS AND SHELTERING GROUNDCOVER FOR WOODS AND WET PLACES

Alchemilla xanthoclora - Ladies Mantle

Ajuga reptans - Purple Bugle

Borago pygmaea - Creeping Borage

Caltha palustris - Marsh Marigold

Chrysosplenium oppositifolium - Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage

Digitalis ferruginea - Rusty Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea - Foxglove

Filipendula ulmaria - Meadowsweet

Mentha pulegium - Pennyroyal

Plantago major Atropurpurea - Purple Plantain

Podophyllum hexandrum - American Mandrake

Stachys officinalis - Betony

Stachys germanica - Downy Woundwort

Symphytum officinale - Comfrey

Verbascum nigrum - Dark Mullein

Vinca major - Periwinkle

BUTTERFLY FAVOURITES

Agastache anisata (rugosa) - Korean Mint

Ajuga reptans - Bugle

Centranthus ruber - Red Valerian

Echinacea purpurea - Purple Cone Flower

Eupatoriums - all family members: Jo-Pye, Hemp Agrimony etc

Hyssopus officinalis - Hyssop

Lavandula - all varieties Lavender

Lythrum salicaria - Purple Loosestrife

Oreganum vulgare - All marjorams and oreganos

Rosmarinus - all varieties Rosemary

Salvia officinalis - All sages

Sedum roseum - Rose-root

Sedum telephium - Orpine

Thymus - especially T. serpyllum - Thyme

Valeriana officinalis - Valerian

Verbena officinalis - Vervain

Verbena bonariensis - Buenos Aires Verbena

OTHER INSECT FAVOURITES

Achillea millefolium - Yarrow (Lacewings, hoverflies)

Angelica archangelica - Angelica (Hoverflies)

Oenothera glaziomana - Evening Primrose (Moths, hoverflies)

Foeniculum vulgare - Fennel (Hoverflies)

Centranthus ruber - Red Valerian (Moths)

Saponaria officinalis - Soapwort (Moths)

Coriandrum sativum - Coriander (Hoverflies, drone-flies)

Eryngium planum / giganteum / alpinum - Sea Holly (Many)

Filipendula ulmaria - Meadowsweet (Many)

Tanacetum vulgare - Tansy (beneficial insects)

BEST PLANTS FOR BEES

FOR PLANTS FOR BEES FOLLOW THIS LINK:

plants for beekeepers

These lists are not exhaustive! Birds, insects and mammals have varying preferences in different gardens - and don't forget that attracting insects attracts more birds, tolerating a few pests brings in the predators!

We only stock one anti-wildlife plant - Euphorbia lathyrus , the Mole Plant, which is said to deter moles! We think if this works it is at least a humane alternative to persecution, and many gardeners do get frustrated by the innocent efforts of moles to lift potatoes, aerate the lawn, or rotovate the vegetable garden!

 

 

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