What are the best plants to have for a wildlife garden?

I'm moving soon from a first floor flat to a two bedroom house and would love to make my garden very animal/bird/insect friendly.

What are the best plants to have for a wildlife garden?
I am doing something similiar. I am gardening not just for the flowers, but also to attract more wildlife. Different things may be required depending on the species you are after, but in general you want to offer a few things.



One is hiding places, so rocks and logs are good things to have, as well as trees, bushes, and weedy borders.



The other is a source of food. Butterflies and birds need a constant source of nectar and berries. So choose a combination of plants that provide those things all year. For example, many birds eat two kinds of berries - berries with high sugar content in the growing season and berries with high fat content in the winter.



The other big wildife attractor is water. Many of the rarest wildlife live in wetlands. So some sort of pool or soggy ground is a plus for many species.



Other things really depend on what you're after. Different size seeds and nest boxes attract different kinds of birds. Different insects want different things. For example I'm interested in attracting native pollinator such as bees and flies. Many of the species that live here in the US are burrowing species that require vegetation free sand to nest in. So I'm going to make a sand feature of some kind. Hope this helps.
Reply:Thank you all so much for the really helpful answers. Report It
Reply:You'll need a pond with bubbling water as the sound atttracts birds. Have some places where birds can hide from predators, have a bird feeder and you might also want bird houses. Do not use pesticides or herbicides as they kill the insects that the birds (and frogs and bats and snakes) eat. Consider using plants that will be used by insects to eat and lay their young on.
Reply:triffids - but be careful - they bite!
Reply:That completely depends. What kind of wildlife do you want, and where do you live? In general, if you want to attract native wildlife, you should plant native species. There is probably a natvie plants nursery around your area somewhere - they can give you more guidance about attracting particular types of wildlife. Good luck!
Reply:check out the rspb org site they have some really good ideas and will even supply a packet of wildflower seeds to plant out to attract wildlife
Reply:Any native plant will work best. Go to the local garden center and ask if they have any native plants, and they will help you.
Reply:Weeds work the best...they grow naturally and require little or no maintenance.





When you welcome birds and butterflies to your yard, you add colors, movements, and sounds that make your garden seem more alive and vibrant. The following tips from the National Audubon Society will help you create a habitat that allows wildlife to flourish.
Reply:What a lovely question! Lucky you, that sounds great.



Well, birds and butterflies like Budlea, easy to grow and pretty in July. Also Hebe - pretty shrubs, lots of varities available.



The English Marigold are lovely - much nicer than French or African. You can buy packets of seed "Calendula" - bright ornage and gorgeous.



Maybe a red rose for its beauty and choose one with a good scent, such as Ena Harkness.



Geraniums - so many lovely wild ones - Johnson's Blue is my favourite perenial.



Honeysuckle is a must for its gloroius scent!!



Valerian which grows wold in the West Country - great for its herbal properties (helps to relax you)



St John's Wort, beautiful yellow flowers



Evening Primroses



Hollyhocks, sweet peas and forget me nots. All will re-seed themselves every year.



It sounds fun, I hope you have fun choosing!
Reply:all the plants that are weeds in big gardens you will need nettles bramble around the edges poppies daisy/clover /buddlea also grass around the back of your garden do not cut grass and goodluck
Reply:It would help to know what zone you live in. In any case, your best bet would be to plant things that are native to your area. On a general note, purple coneflower and any types of sedums attract butterflies. Climbing honeysuckle and daylillies attract hummingbirds. As for other insects and animals, I'm not sure. I'd check with a local garden center. The staff at most of these are quite knowledgeable. Plus you might want to visit a local bookstore or library and get some books on the subject. That's how I got started with my garden and it helped quite a bit.
Reply:For bees, moths and butterflies; Buddleia (butterfly bush); california poppy, poppy, thyme, white (dead) nettle, stinging nettle, everlasting sunflower, clover in the lawn, runner beans up the fence.



For birds; millet, sunflower, poppy (all contain seeds over winter), anything that gets aphids such as roses and nasturtiums for the sparrows and wrens to feed their young, some cabbages for the caterpillars.
Reply:It depends on what you want to attract and in what zone you live. Also, we can't input pictures here and you would want to choose your own style and colors.

You can get the answers you need by emailing VERMONTWILDFLOWERFARM@YAHOO.COM

They are located in Burlington Vermont and will be able to tell you what you can grow depending on your location and which species will attract the birds and other wildlife you want.



I love that place!

6 acres of beautiful wild flowers - both annual and perannual.

I bought three bags of seed - one for butterfiles, another for birds and yet another a mix of both and hummingbird flowers.

Every year they come up and many are different. I never know which color will come up next!



I used a partly shaded area at the end of my property - spanning and acre long and five feet deep. Put in cut logs (used them like benches) and other items every 20 feet or so.

No weeding, no watering after the first season.

Virtually mainenance free and beautiful every day!



Have fun!
Reply:I bought a box of 'wild meadow' seeds couple of years ago, and I have all the bees and butterflies from miles around visiting!!! the good thing too is that some of the seeds were bi-anual (which I just discovered), so the flowers that popped up this year are diferent to last year so a nice surprise. My daughter kinda 'scattered' the seeds, so they landed thick, and I dont know if the weeds are just blending in well, but I've not had to pull a single one this year.



We have a very old apple tree too, and put a nest box in the fist year we came here and have had visitors to it every spring. You are going to love having a garden!
Reply:Try plants that a native to your area first.They will be the best for attracting the best kinds of garden attention.
Reply:I'm creating one for my daughter's school and planting a buddlea, ox eye daisy, lavender, verbena, honeysuckle, perrenial foxglove and thyme.
Reply:Trees:

Craetagus spp.: Hawthorn

Juniperus virginiana: Eastern Red Cedar

Juniperus scopulorum: Rocky Mtn. Juniper

Malus sp.: Crabapples

Picea pungens: Colorado Blue Spruce

Pinus ponderosa: Ponderosa Pine

Pseudotsuga menziesii: Douglas Fir

Quercus spp.: Oak Perennials:

Aster novae-angliae: New England Aster

Campanula spp.: Campanula

Centaurea Montana: Perennial Bachelor Buttons

Chrysanthemum spp.: Chrysanthemum

Coreopsis spp.: Coreopsis

Echinacea purpurea: Purple Coneflower

Echinops ritro: Globe Thistle

Gaillardia grandiflora: Blanket Flower

Helenium autumnale: Sneezeweed

Helianthus spp.: Sunflowers

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi: Kinnikinnick

Kniphofia uvaria: Red Hot Poker

Monardo fistulosa: Horsemint

Papaver spp.: Poppies

Rudbeckia spp.: Black-eyed Susans

Sedum spectabile: Showy Sedum

Solidago spp.: Goldenrod



Shrubs:

Acer ginnala: Amur Maple

Amelanchier Canadensis: Juneberry

Cornus sericea: Redtwig Dogwood

Cotoneaster spp.: Cotoneaster

Juniperus chinensis: Juniper

Ligustrum spp.: Privet

Lonicera spp.: Honeysuckle

Prunus spp.: Prunus

Pyracantha coccinea: Scarlet Firethorn

Rhus spp.: Sumac

Ribes spp.: Currents and Gooseberrie

Rosa spp.: Wild Roses

Sambucus canadensis: American Elder

Shepherdia argentea: Silver Buffaloberry

Symphoricarpos spp.: Coralberry, Snowberry

Syringa spp.: Lilac

Viburnum spp.: Viburnum

Vines:

Parthenocissus quinquefolia: Virginia Creeper



Perennials:

Aster novae-angliae: New England Aster

Campanula spp.: Campanula

Centaurea Montana: Perennial Bachelor Buttons

Chrysanthemum spp.: Chrysanthemum

Coreopsis spp.: Coreopsis

Echinacea purpurea: Purple Coneflower

Echinops ritro: Globe Thistle

Gaillardia grandiflora: Blanket Flower

Helenium autumnale: Sneezeweed

Helianthus spp.: Sunflowers

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi: Kinnikinnick

Kniphofia uvaria: Red Hot Poker

Monardo fistulosa: Horsemint

Papaver spp.: Poppies

Rudbeckia spp.: Black-eyed Susans

Sedum spectabile: Showy Sedum

Solidago spp.: Goldenrod