Wildlife garden plants

Plants suited to a wildlife garden planting scheme.

A wildlife border works on every level of the garden at once: nectar and pollen for insects, seed and berries for birds, cover for shelter, and undisturbed corners for hibernation. The aim is abundance and continuity rather than tidiness, so plant a long succession of single, open flowers, include berrying shrubs, and resist the autumn urge to cut everything down, as seed heads and hollow stems feed and house wildlife through winter. A patch left a little wild does more good than a manicured one. Layer the planting from groundcover up to small trees to create habitat at different heights. These plants are chosen to provide food and shelter across the year for the widest range of garden creatures.

Border Builder is a garden border planner for iPhone and iPad. Pick from the 749 plants below and it works them into a full plan: how many of each, where they go, and how the bed reads through the seasons.

749 plants for this

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