If you
were to ask many people what their ideal garden would be, the
majority would probably show a preference for a warm
south-facing plot, awash with sunlight and with a stunning
view thrown in. This has certainly always been my ideal and I
now have just that fantasy garden. But despite the joys of
warmth, light and space, I am beginning to appreciate the
shady places in my new garden rather more than I ever did in
my previous plot, which was based around an orchard with a
great deal of light shade. In my new garden a clump of
overgrown saplings, the remains of what was an abandoned tree
nursery, draws me like a magnet on a hot day and I have
started to appreciate that sun has its problems as well as its
advantages. Where there is sun in a garden we need shade for
balance and of course it is not just the gardener that
benefits from this contrast.
Encouraging wildlife in any quantity, even to a tiny patio, is
all about having a range of conditions in which wildlife can
thrive and of course, just like us, those visiting creatures
will have their preferences. A bright light garden is
wonderful for a huge range of wildlife – in particular
butterflies, bees, hoverflies and many other invertebrates - but
don’t forget the creatures that prefer the dark or dappled
shade of trees or the gloom behind a north facing wall. Take
advantage of sunlight and hot spots to encourage the wildlife
that loves heat, but it is worthwhile being aware that you can
also have too much of a good thing. If you have a bright
south-facing garden you may want to consider shading some of
your hot spots, especially if they dry out and hard, sun baked
soil is the result.
But
first let us make the most of warm sunlit spots where
butterflies should be our priority. The vast majority of our
native garden butterflies enjoy the heat of the sun. The main
exception is the speckled wood which, as its name suggests,
prefers dappled light. Butterflies are cold bloodied
creatures and can often be seen early in the day basking on
sunlit walls or gravel paths, warming their bodies to enable
them to fly. Sunny patios are excellent for this activity, so
if you prefer your sitting out area to be shady, make sure you
have a large pale stone or paving slab, or an area of gravel
in full sun somewhere in the garden to enable garden butterflies to warm up – it will
be used frequently. Pale rendered house walls in full sun are
also good for this activity.
Plants
that encourage butterflies and other insects can be used to
good effect in hot spots, especially areas that occur next to
house walls where reflected heat increases the temperature
still further. Fortunately many of the plants that
butterflies prefer positively thrive in these conditions.
Numerous Mediterranean gems beloved of insects like these hot
dry corners and Buddleias too give of their best in full sun.
This valuable shrub is able to resist even the most severe
drought conditions that occur at the base of a wall, enabling
it to colonise waste ground, railway embankments and even
imbues it with the ability to cling to life half way up old
brickwork if it can get a toe hold! Concentrating nectar
plants in full sun will always bring worthwhile results and a
purpose designed nectar border is the ideal solution in this
situation. Alternatively add lavender, thyme or buddleia to
an existing planted area at the base of a wall to make maximum
use of its bee and butterfly attracting potential. A south
facing wall base can also be the ideal place for a herb
garden, or you could combine the herbs and nectar for an area
that is doubly useful – nectar and pollen for insects and
fresh herbs for the kitchen. Along with the tried and tested
rosemary, thyme and marjoram which are all excellent insect
providers, you could try hyssop which is a good bee
attractant, lovage with celery scented leaves and umbels of
yellow flowers that hoverflies love, plus annual dill and
coriander, again great for hoverflies. For extra colour
amongst your herbs add cottage garden plants and wildflowers
that can stand the heat. Scabious of all types and Verbena,
especially the insect magnet Verbena bonariensis, will bring
in the larger butterfly species and bird’s foot trefoil will
cater for the tiny blues and small copper.
Hot
dry conditions lend themselves well to wildflowers of the
seashore and roadside. Indeed our motorway verges have become
havens for many wildflowers that are declining in their
natural habitats and I have seen some cliff top species in
this location – the added salt in the winter making them feel
quite at home. But salt is not essential for some of these
plants and thrift, sea campion, wild thyme, sea pea and the
afore mentioned bird’s foot trefoil make a lovely combination
with stones or gravel in a warm dry spot to produce a scree
garden. These seaside plants all cope well with the lack of
moisture and direct sunlight, are easy to look after and
attract insects too.
If you
are lucky enough to have reptiles in your garden, these will
appreciate south facing habitats. Slow worms and grass snakes
may well shelter and lay their eggs in cool and shady garden
compost heaps, but they do appreciate a bask in the sun, and
may be seen warming themselves on hot dry soil or large pale
stones that heat up quickly in the day’s sun. Like
butterflies they need that heat to get them going, being
sluggish when their bodies are cold. If you plan to create a
warm border, stones and gravel amongst the plants will be
welcomed by slow worms in particular, both for sheltering
beneath and basking upon.
Lastly
hot, baked, sun drenched areas are perfect for cornfield
annuals. These gorgeous flowers, favourites of mine, will not
only survive in these conditions, but will positively
flourish, soaking up the sun and flowering for the longest
time. Cornflower, corn marigold, poppy and corn camomile will
provide a splash of colour throughout the summer while feeding
your local insects with their copious nectar and pollen.
Goldfinches love the seeds of cornflowers too, so these multi
purpose plants really are worth trying. They can be sown at
the end of the summer as well as in the spring, so make a note
in your diary to sow mixed seeds in September or October into
weed free soil. Your garden will be all the more beautiful
for them.
Cornfield annuals can also be grown in a large container. If
you have a sunny patio with pots, or even a space outside your
back door that catches the full force of the summer sun, there
are plenty of wildlife friendly plants that can cope with the
heat and light, although traditional container plants such as
bright red geraniums or pelargoniums have little to offer our native
wildlife. However culinary herbs work well in pots and
lavender too, particularly the compact varieties such as
Munstead, are the perfect solution to south facing patios.
Plant creeping thyme between the paving slabs or remove one
here and there and plant into the space created. Thyme is the
perfect plant for this with its many varieties, some with
lemon or orange scented foliage or variegated leaves, and will
attract butterflies and bees in profusion. Site carefully
though as you will want to avoid walking on the plants,
especially when there are bees about!
If you
have reached the conclusion that your sunny garden really is
just too much, then it will be necessary to create some shade.
Wildlife will benefit from this approach in many ways. Plants
shrubs of course but hot south facing walls can be shaded with
climbers that prefer the sun, and a cooler, damper environment
will be created beneath the stems and leaves. The glorious
wisteria is the first climber that comes to mind. Its tangle
of stems and leaves (if they are not pruned too precisely)
provide nesting places for birds especially blackbirds and
thrushes and possibly even a spotted flycatcher if you are
lucky. The flowers are not the best insect attractants but the
plant itself is indispensable. Some species of clematis are
happy in full sun as long as their roots are shaded, including
the lovely yellow flowered C. orientalis which again provides
nest sites plus seeds for birds in the autumn. Passionflower
will encourage birds with its orange globular fruits as will a
fig tree, although you would probably wish to deter your local
wildlife from this one as birds love the ripe fruits! There are many other sun-loving
climbers or shrubs that enjoy a sunny position against a wall
including solanum, hibiscus, and many of the climbing roses.
Sun in
the garden is undoubtedly an asset and can be put to excellent
use by the wildlife gardener, but an area that is too hot can
easily be adapted for a range of wildlife with careful planting. An
informed choice of plants will make sure that the warmest
areas in your garden are just about the best spots to sit and
enjoy your wildlife visitors. |
