A Guide to growing a Bee, Bird & Butterfly Garden

It’s easy to make your garden more wildlife-friendly.

Encouraging pollinating insects like bees and butterflies will increase your crops of fruit, and of vegetables like runner beans.

Birds will eat your insect pests, and enable you to reduce the amount of pesticide you have to use in the garden. And you’ll be doing your bit for conservation!

Bees prefer simple, single flowers providing pollen & nectar throughout the year. Daisy-like flowers, or two-lipped ones (like catmint) are best.

Butterflies need similar flowers to bees, rich in nectar, in a sheltered, sunny area where they won’t be buffeted by wind. Long, tubular flowers like honeysuckle are popular.

Birds need plants which attract insects on which they can feed, or which bear fruit. They also appreciate dense cover (like ivy) for shelter and nesting.