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Town and City Gardens arrow Wildlife Gardening
Plants for Wildlife
Picture

Type

Suitable for

birdsfoot trefoil

Bird’s foot trefoil
Lotus corniculatus

A very useful plant in the wildlife garden, larval food plant of the common blue butterfly and attracting the adults to its nectar. Suitable for meadows, in short grass or wildflower rockery. Perennial.

cowslip

Cowslip Primula veris

Familiar and much loved scented wildflower, suitable to naturalise in grass for a spring meadow effect. Seed needs period of cold before it will germinate. Perennial.

cornflower

Cornflower Centaurea cyanus

Annual wildflower that will seed into bare ground from year to year. Loved by bees and common blue butterflies. Goldfinches will visit the seedheads in the autumn. Not suitable for a meadow.

cornmarigold

Corn marigold; Chrysanthemum segetum

Another annual with bright yellow flowers. Visited by bees and hoverflies for its pollen. Not suitable for a meadow.

dropwort

Dropwort Filipendula vulgaris

A lovely wildflower that prefers a well drained dry soil. Very similar to its relative meadowsweet, but without the scent. Suitable for a meadow in dry soil. Perennial.

poppy

Field poppy Papaver rhoeas

Bright red annual poppy which will seed around the garden from year to year. Loved by bees and hoverflies. Not suitable for a meadow.

scabious

Field scabious Knautia arvensis

A tough, pale mauve perennial wildflower, flowering well into the autumn months. Suitable for a meadow area or in the flower border. Good for butterflies.

foxglove

Foxglove Digitalis purpurea

Foxgloves prefer light shade, but will grow in sunnier places. Excellent in the flower border under a tree. Bumblebees love them. Biennial.

knapweed

Greater knapweed Centaurea scabiosa

A good meadow flower, long lasting and a good insect attractant. Many butterfly species will visit it for nectar. Perennial

bedstraw

Lady’s bedstrawGalium verum

A lovely spreading wildflower that is good for moths. Suitable for a meadow in fine grass, and prefers a well drained soil. Perennial.

meadowsweet

Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria

Meadowsweet prefers a damp or heavy clay soil that does not dry out too much in the summer. Good in damp soil beside a pond, or in a wet meadow. Beautiful scent. Perennial.

Image

Moon daisy Leucanthemum vulgare

The moon daisy, or ox eye daisy, flowers in early summer, and attracts some of the early summer butterflies to its nectar. May seed very freely in some soils especially where there is bare soil. Perennial.

musk mallow

Musk Mallow Malva moschata

The musk mallow is a perfect wildflower to add to a herbaceous border. Pink flowers over a long period in summer, attracting bees and bumblebees. Perennial.

purple

Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria

Purple loosestrife prefers a damp soil and will seed itself around the edge of a wildlife pond. The spikes of purple flowers appear in mid summer and attract bees. Perennial.

rattle robin

Ragged robin Lychnis flos-cuculi

Another plant for damp or heavy soils, the ragged robin is delicate and attractive. Happy on the pond edge or in a bog garden as long as the soil does not get too dry. Flowering in early summer. Perennial.

red campion

Red campion Silene dioica

A plant for light shade, under a hedge or beneath trees such as silver birch. A good plant to attract moths. Easy to grow and will self seed well. Perennial.

St Johns Wort

St John’s wort Hypericum perforatum

Masses of bright yellow flowers in mid summer, St john's wort is a good bee plant. Will grow in most soils in sun, or a little shade. Perennial.

teasel

Teasel Dipsacus fullonum

Teasels need some space, as they can reach five or six feet. Lovely for the back of a border, or in a wilder place in the garden. Excellent for attracting bees, butterflies, hoverflies and goldfinches. Biennial.

toadflax

Toadflax Linaria vulgaris

Toadflax is a sweet little wildflower, but can spread quickly in bare soil. Best grown in short grass. Perennial.

bulg

Vipers buglossEchium vulgare

A lovely biennial wildflower for bees and smaller butterflies such as skippers. Will self seed once it is established in a free draining soil.

white campion

White campionSilene latifolia

White campion will grow in light shade or full sun, in grass or an the border. Attracts moths and will seed itself in the right conditions. Perennial.

marjoram

Wild marjoram Origanum vulgare

Wild marjoram is a plant that no wildlife gardener should be without. It attracts the smaller butterflies in great numbers, especially gatekeepers and common blues and masses of bees. Can be used in cooking (origano). Perennial.

heartsease

Wild pansy Viola tricolour

The sweet little wild pansy can behave as an annual, biennial or short lived perennial. It will self seed in the border, or in a rockery or scree garden. Bees will visit the flowers, which may appear in many months of the year.

rattle
Yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor

 

This fantastic annual can be included in a meadow mix, or sown onto the grass after cutting, to reduce its vigour and help establishment of the wildflowers. Best sown in autumn or winter. Yellow flowers.
mixed cornflower

Cornfield mix for 5 square metres -cornflower, poppy, corn marigold, corncockle, corn chamomile

This bright mixture of annual wildflowers will attract a wide range of insects. It will self seed from year to year where the soil is disturbed in the autumn. Sowing instructions included.