Learn about the birds and the bees at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Gardens are a vital refuge and food source for wildlife and this year the RHS
Chelsea Flower Show is a hive of activity with plants and habitats for birds, bugs,
bees and butterflies. With the plight of the humble bee and decline of certain butterfly
species, the world’s premier gardening event will provide valuable ideas to help
support wildlife in the garden.
“Gardens are an important eco system.” explains Guy Barter, Head of the RHS advisory
service. “Studies have shown that even in gardens not specifically managed for wildlife
about 2,000 insect species may visit, or be resident, over a number of years.
“The value for native wildlife of the total gardened area within the UK is literally
incalculable.”
Within Chelsea’s Great Pavilion at Jekka's Herb Farm visitors can purchase butterfly
and bee herbs that are not only beautiful, but may also be medicinal, good to eat
or great for flower arrangements. Herbs include; butterfly’s favourite Rosmarinus
officinalis ‘Boule’, which is culinary and medicinal; Nepeta racemosa ‘Walkers Low’,
which will not only be enjoyed by bees, but cats also adore the scent and Mentha
longifolia Buddleia Mint Group, which attracts butterflies and hoverflies and is
good for flower arrangements too.
Herb guru Jekka also promises to bring lady birds currently residing on her plants
to the show and is challenging visitors to ‘spot the lady bird’.
In the Bees need Gardeners continuous learning exhibit, the British Bee Keepers
Association will highlight trees that provide nectar and pollen throughout the bees’
active months, from Acacia dealbata in January to Tetradium daniellii, which flowers
in September. Two hives will illustrate how little space they need.
Urban gardens are especially important for wildlife and a beehive features in The
Marshalls Living Street Garden, where the overall theme of the garden is to green
up cities, which helps attract creatures into the area.
In Future Nature, Ark Design Management Ltd’s show garden there are ‘butterfly mounds’
and ‘creature towers’, which are a hybrid of art and ecology. Mini beasts are mighty
in the biodiversity world; if your garden is full of creatures you’ll attract the
birds, hedgehogs and others that feast on them.
Amongst small gardens encouraging us to welcome wildlife into our outside spaces
are The Giles Landscapes ‘Fenland Alchemist’ Garden, which uses native species to
promote the survival of wildlife and the plight of the bumble bee and 1984, which
is a cost effective garden where a keen theme is attracting wildlife and greening
up cities.
Guy’s top tips for attracting wildlife into your garden are:
- Compost garden wastes; composting is a source of food and shelter for many creatures
- Delay cutting down the stems of herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses until
spring to provide shelter for insects over winter
- Choose flowering and fruiting shrubs such as Buddleja, Pyracantha and Mahonia for
the benefit of insects and birds.
- Traditional annual bedding plants such as Nemesia, cherry pie plant (Heliotropium),
and nasturtium are rich in nectar and pollen, attracting hoverflies and butterflies,
as well as being colourful and especially appreciated by children
- Try to leave zones of undisturbed leaf litter and stacks of dead, twigs, sticks
and logs to provide food and shelter to wildlife
- Creatures that might seem insignificant are important: ants are eaten by woodpeckers;
caterpillars and spiders feed blue tits and robins, and over 50% of a hedgehog’s
diet is made up of beetles, beetle larvae, caterpillars, earwigs and earthworms.
- A pond with shallow edges can attract damselflies, dragonflies, amphibians and mayflies
- Consider hedges instead of fences; these provide shelter and nesting sites for birds
and corridors for wildlife to move about
- Encourage bumble bees by leaving undisturbed areas of soil and grass as many bees
will make their home in the ground. A shady bank is also perfect for bumblebees,
which are gentle creature that are seldom a nuisance.
- Try to find room or at least one tree or large shrub as these are especially valuable
for the survival of garden wildlife