planting with wildlife in mind

Hello gardeners;
I'm just an old man who would like to convert a small patch of garden that is currently covered with paving slabs into something inviting for the pollinators and birds. Whilst at the same time deterring cats. If that is even possible

I am no gardener by any stretch of the imagination.

So, some low growing, easy to maintain, thorny hedging around the perimeter. Have already set some holly trees along one side.
I'm thinking thistles for the finches. Dandelions for the bees.
I like lavender but what I've seen of that, many seem to be a bit leggy and dry with not a lot of colour.
Perhaps you could recommend a particular variety.
A small bush or two with berries for the birds.
A small patch planted with wild-flower seeds.

It's quite a list, I know.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Not even sure that I've posted this in the correct forum.

Thank you for reading it.

 

Welcome. Your list seems fine to me. If you buy lavender wash all the soil from the root ball when removed from the pot and spread the roots and place in a bucket of water overnight before planting.

 

The best bit of my garden for wildlife is the bit I ignore. It’s full of what other people call weeds. Just now, the bees and hoverflies are going mad for wild poppies (the Flanders field type), yellow Verbascum and nipplewort. The elder bushes (self sown) are standing room only for blackfly and the ants and ladybirds and hoverfly larvae are all over them. Thyme plants are flowering just now and you can at least use those in the cooking pot.

Welcome to the forum, by the way.

 

Try an English lavender like Hidcote or Munstead, they can cope better with our wet winters. A popular shrub with berries for birds is Cotoneaster, and bees like the flowers. Verbena bonariensis will attract bees and butterflies. Welcome .

 

Hi @steven eales

Is your garden very sunny? Or does it have areas of shade as well?

For partially shaded areas, bees seem to love the flower spikes of my heucheras.

Regarding thorny shrubs in a sunny or partially shaded area, I love pyracanthas. They are evergreen and birds like to hide there, they produce lots of little blooms in spring, which is obviously good for bees, and then they turn into berries. I have two, one which produces orange berries and one with golden ones. Both very pretty.

 

First off,
I thank you for the welcome and your replies.

Plant Minded,
I looked for Lavender online, Hidcote and Munstead do look to be the best.
Thinking about getting some planter-tubs and putting one in each corner of the plot which, by the way, is of an oblong shape roughly 2mtrs by 7mts. Running from east to west.
The sun comes up in the east and so until around lunchtime , the garden gets the sun full on.
No shade until around three in the afternoon.
It's the front garden that I'm talking about, and whereas the perceived wisdom would be to put the smallest flowers at the front , street-side, gradually rising to their tallest at the house ,I am, actually, thinking about planting low at the eastern end the garden with the plants slowly rising to the other end.

Costask.
I have three firethorns growing out the back, they're in a shaded area and so, although growing slowly, would, I'm told much prefer sunlight. Living and learning eh?

I have considered, AM considering gorse.
Will gorse tolerate being cut to a height of around two feet ?

It would seem that the ideal time for planting or sowing seeds is spring and autumn so I shall just concentrate on thinking about the layout for now.

If I can raise a decent thistle-patch I could plant a couple of tall tubs , in amongst them , with small plants so that they are not hidden from the sun.

Also, I would love to have some sweet-peas.

My priority right now is a cat unfriendly perimeter.
Apologies cat-lovers. I've seen too many fledgling birds killed by darling tiddles when they need all the help that they can get.

 

Hi @steven eales . Have you got a photo of the general area you want to alter/amend? That helps with ideas. Also, your general location/climate, and soil type. These are all factors because some plants simply won't thrive or even survive depending on the area you're in and the conditions you have.
What really matters for a wildlife area is having a succession of planting, because that cretaes the best environment for all sorts of wildlife. Start with early bulbs - snowdrops, crosus early daffs etc, and work from there with shrubs or small trees that have berries later on. They have flowers earlier, so your pyracanthas are ideal for that.
I'd certainly have something like cotoneaster, but there are lots of them, and some types can become huge, so that's why the size of the area is important. Hebes are good too. A few evergreens is a good idea, and then perennials/annuals etc to fill in.
It would seem the area's generally south-ish facing, so that helps, but what else is surrounding it - if anything? If you have deciduous shrubs/trees/hedging nearby, that affects the amount of light. Seed sowing - and it's success also depends on your location and climate.
You can certainly keep gorse cut back, but it isn't a particularly 'wildlife useful' shrub IMO.

I'm afraid that no matter what you do - cats will get in, or lurk, as soon as you attract birds. It's the bane of my life here. The only way to keep them out is a fence, with something along the top that turns when they walk on it -down pipes in a bracket, or to use a water scarecrow. They're no use in winter though as they freeze as soon as there's frosts. Creating a dense thorny hedge will only work to a certain extent as they'll get through gaps that are suitable for hedgehogs, so it's a no win situation if you want those as well.

 

Wild marjoram is loved by bees and butterflies. Pulmonaria is great for bees early to mid spring.
valerian is good too. All three seed all over the place but easy enough to spot seedlings and remove them if they start to get out of control.

 

Knapweed and cornflowers are great for insects. Oxeye daisy is another one BUT they do tend to spread so probably not good. What about teasels? Very interesting plants. We have Sarcococca which flowers in the winter/early spring and the insects love it and the scent is brilliant. We do prune it back so that it does take over.

 

Lots of good advice already @steven eales . I was about to suggest Teasels as well for your "thistle patch" - attractive, spiky and good for seeds for the birds. Honeysuckle also attracts various insects, Valerian is popular with Butterflies . Elder is also good for both the flowers and the berries which follow.
Trying to keep cats out is practically impossible if neighbours allow them to roam. My garden is walled, hedged and "tree'd" all round but the trail camera , in use for the resident Hedgehogs, never fails to take pics of various cats overnight !!
Best of luck with your garden plans

 

I would avoid the thistles and dandelions as they are plentiful in the verges and countryside and very invasive. Your neighbours will not thank you for growing those.

As @fairygirl says you need to plan a succession of plants with pollen and nectar throughout the year and also shelter. Pyracantha are excellent and can be trained. Hawthorn is good too and can be kept clipped.

The RHS has a list of plants for pollinators - RHS Plants for Pollinators / RHS Gardening - which you can investigate and then source seeds for your chosen varieties. A small pond, if you can manage it, will also attract wildlife.

 

There's literally thousands of annuals which will provide a food source for insects/pollinators, but it's that succession of plants that matters most. Nigella, Larkspur, Corncockle, Lunaria [honesty] Foxgloves, Poppies, Toadflax [Linaria], Borage and many many others will provide a long season from late spring through summer, but perennials like Aster and Sedum spectabile [now called Hylotelephium] will flower and carry on into autumn. Thyme is great for sunny, well drained areas,as well as Salvias, Scabious and Agastaches.

As far as seeds, for things like goldfinches, are concerned, it takes a while to get to that stage, and you'd have to determine which birds are already present in the area as well. Having bird feeders and a water source is a good start, even if that's in a more protected part of the garden - or your back garden, but nothing is instant.
I'm also wondering if your thorny barrier for the perimeter is outwith the 7 x 2 metre area you want to plant up. If it isn't, there won't be much room for that planting once the perimeter grows.

 

High-low-telly-fie-‘em - how is that an improvement on Sedum? My old brain can’t cope with all these new fangled names.

 

Funnily enough - I find that one easy to remember @Tidemark . It's the one for Dicentra that floors me!
Lampra...lampo..lampro...
Oh ****** - it's Dicentra!

 

Yeah,
the small plot does have it's limitations, I just wish that I could provide a safe space for birds . My wife says that I need to get over my obsession with cats. Oh, I don't know.
Just a single row of holly, and or gorse bushes around the edges with a low plastic mesh on the inside of that with something prickly inside that.

As for the actual inner, might just throw a load of wild flower seeds down to start with then just a few bushes, like the pyracanthas.

How might these things, including Lavender be, growing in those circular plastic pots with a diameter of, what are they?40/50 cms?