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Recommended shrubs
A wide variety of shrubs provide food and suitable habitat for wildlife. Here are profiles for a few highly recommended species suitable for planting in gardens. For a comprehensive listing, click on the link to the right.
Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Height and spread: 10 m (30 ft) x 8 m (25 ft).
Conditions: Grows very fast and is tolerant of all but the most waterlogged soils. Will grow in full sun or partial shade.
Features: Two wild varieties of hawthorn are found in the UK: common hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna - familiar as a hedgerow plant or in scrubby areas and Midland hawthorn, Crataegus laevigata - found mainly in woods in Central England.
Propagation and maintenance: Winter planting of bare-rooted ‘whips’ is best for rapid establishment. Pruning is minimal. If growing a tree, remove side (lateral) shoots in the early stages of growth to encourage it to grow upwards to the desired crown height. If grown as part of a shrub bed, rotational cutting to the base is required every 8 to 12 years to encourage thick re-growth of fresh new shoots. Hedges require trimming in late winter in alternate years, after berries have been eaten.
Benefits: 356 species of insect have been recorded feeding on it, 29 of which feed nowhere else. The thorny nature provides excellent protection for birds and mammals and the berries are much sought after in autumn. Hawthorn provides food for caterpillars and aphids, which in turn are an important food for birds and other wildlife.
Goat willow Salix caprea
Height and spread: A common wild variety of willow which can reach 15 m (35 ft) in height, with a spread of 5 m (15 ft).
Conditions: Very hardy. Suited to moist, but well drained soils and grows well in full sun.
Features: Attractive winter stems and catkins in the spring. The ‘Kilmarnock’ variety of S. caprea has been grafted onto a short standard root stock. This is ideal if you have a small terrace or balcony, as it may be grown in a container and takes up little room.
Propagation and maintenance: Easy to propogate from a cutting and requires minimal management. Every three to six years, cut stems to the ground in late winter. If you only have one plant, cut a proportion of the stems over the same period.
Benefits: Extremely beneficial to insects. The catkins provide a rich source of nectar for bees in early spring. The leaves are eaten by many kinds of caterpillar and may support large numbers of aphids and sawflies - important food for birds.
Cotoneaster Cotoneaster spp
Height and spread: Variable. Some are low growing from 30 cm (12 ins) up to small trees as tall as 6 m (20 ft). Spread is equally variable, from 90 cm (36 ins) to 4 m (12 ft).
Conditions: Very hardy and grow in most fertile, well drained, neutral to chalky soils. Most prefer sun or partial shade. Some deciduous varieties prefer full sun. May be susceptible to damage by severe wind chill in exposed places.
Features: The more than 200 different species have a range of different sizes and shapes, from prostrate ground cover plants, to bushes and small trees. Some are deciduous, while others are evergreen. The flowers are similar in size and colour – small, whitish-pink. The berries are generally red in colour although some varieties are yellow. There are varieties to suit the smallest to largest garden.
Propagation and maintenance: Seeds can be sown in cold frames after ripening. Alternatively, cuttings from evergreen varieties are best taken in late summer and from deciduous varieties in early summer. General maintenance is minimal. Lightly prune in late summer to make clusters of berries or fading flowers more accesible to birds. They will tolerate hard cutting back to restore neglected plants.
Benefits: Bees find the flowers highly attractive as a source of nectar. Birds, particularly starlings and thrushes, find the berries a good source of autumn and winter food. Evergreen varieties provide shelter for insects over winter. They also provide food for aphids, which are eaten by birds, and other beneficial insects. Most varieties are drought- resistant.
Last modified: 12 June 2008