Create a wilder garden this winter
Blog
Wilder Gardens Officer, Ellen Tout, talks about her favourite parts of the winter garden and what you can do to make your space a sanctuary for wildlife.
| Butterfly | Food plant for caterpillar |
|---|---|
| Meadow brown, hedge brown, marbled white, large skipper | Grasses including meadow grass, false brome, cocksfoot, Yorkshire fog |
| Large and small white | Wild/cultivated cabbages |
| Green veined white, orange tip | Lady’s smock, hedge garlic, hedge mustard |
| Brimstone | Alder buckthorn, purging buckthorn |
| Common blue | Bird’s foot trefoil |
| Painted lady | Thistles |
Good plants for attracting butterflies include:
- Verbena bonariensis
- Lavender
- Perennial wallflowers
- Marjoram
- Common fleabane
- Ice plant (sedum)
- Ivy (excellent for late season nectar)
- Primrose
- Aubretia
- Sweet rocket
- Hebe
- Thyme
- Buddleja – but should be deadheaded after flowering to prevent seeding and promote a second round of flowering (can be a problem as an invasive non-native species)
Share your butterflies with us
If your garden is a butterfly paradise, we’d love to hear from you. Share your garden butterfly photos with us on Twitter and Facebook, and let us know your favourite butterfly plants.
Enjoy gardening for wildlife?
Why not consider taking part in our Wild About Gardens Awards 2017? It’s free to enter and anyone who has, or is developing, a wildlife-friendly garden in Kent is welcome to take part, however large or small their plot and whether they are a business, community group, school, college, allotment, private garden or even a collection of adjoining gardens.
For more information, visit our Wild About Gardens Awards page.
Learn more about wildlife gardening
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Blog
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How to create a garden for people and wildlife
Blog
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