Brassicas
Varieties like broccoli and kale will flower after harvesting, providing food for early spring mining bees. Many varieties can be sown or planted out in summer – plant in rich soil and firm well.
What to plant for both you and wildlife to enjoy
Courgettes
Buy ready-grown plants and plant into rich soil in early summer, and keep well watered. 22-spot ladybirds are very polite, leaving the fruit for you and eating only the leaf mildew.
Oregano & marjoram
Plant from spring to autumn in pots or the ground. Leave some unharvested so it flowers for butterflies and bees.
Raspberries
Buy canes in spring or autumn and plant in rich, moist soil. The blackbirds will leave you some, I promise!
Broad beans
Avoid removing aphids and you’ll provide food not just for them but for the ladybirds, lacewings and hoverfly larva that eat them. Sow direct in autumn or spring. Stake taller varieties.
Rosemary
Flowering in spring, rosemary provides nectar and pollen for queen bumblebees. Plant at any time of year in moist but well-drained soil.
Carrots
Sow direct in pots or the ground from spring to late summer. Leave some to flower for pollinators.
Nasturtiums
Sow from spring to summer for a crop of fiery leaves and sweet flowers. Leave a crop for ‘cabbage white’ butterflies to feast on – you can move caterpillars from brassicas onto nasturtium leaves to protect them.
Read more about wildlife gardening
Create a wilder garden this winter
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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.
Why are hedgerows important?
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Hedges - they sit at boundaries, at the edges of gardens, fields, and roads. But too often, they’re relegated to the edges of our minds...
How to create a garden for people and wildlife
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Volunteer Wild About Gardens Advisor Penny Brook takes us on a journey through her garden to share how they create a flower-filled haven for both people to relax and wildlife to flourish.