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I am really looking forward to the photos and learning more about gardening for wildlife. My garden is not all that big but at the moment I have roses, lavatera , hollyhocks, buddleia and japanese anenomies all in bloom and I must say that the butterflies, bees and insects love them, but what can you suggest that I plant now in the autumn to get ready for the wildlife in spring

Hi, I'd also love to plant more bee/butterfly plants. It's been the best year I can remember for butterflies in the garden. They loved the buddleia and hyssop- new this year. Bees/hoverflies also love the field poppies. I've just sent for some verbena bonariensis after seeing some covered with butterflies recently! Does anyone know if Woodruff(Blue Mist) attracts insects? It's an annual that is scented and likes shade-very useful!

Hi Gill and Taffy2

Glad you've enjoyed Adrian's great opening blog and it's stimulated your thoughts to provide more for our nectar hungry insects.

There are some lists of trees, shrubs and flowering plants on the RSPB website that should help. They are not exhaustive - as with any plant list they are rather subjective, but are good for getting you underway.

The list at the link below is for flowering plants. When compiled, I tried to find to the best of my knowledge which key insects they benefit and indicate it in the table.  

www.rspb.org.uk/.../Flowers_tcm9-162422.pdf

Hope this helps and if you've not done so already, don't forget to sign up to Homes for Wildlife and tick off your actions for providing a mix of nectar rich plants.

Hello, I have actually just posted the following question on "Wildlife Questions" forum so I'm sorry if it pops up again.

Up the road from where I live, there is a large house whose owners have been busy chopping down some of their trees.  They have many many large stumps all piled up.  If the owners are willing, I was thinking about approaching them to see if I could have one or two.  My idea was to create a natural winter shelter for insects.  I thought I could drill some holes in the stumps and place them amongst my beds.  Then in the summer I could use the stump tops to rest some of my tubs whilst providing shelter for the wildlife.  Before I go ahead, is this a good idea? and are there trees more suitable for this than others.   I don't at this point know what trees they were so don't really want to go to all the effort of getting them home and find they are not suitable.

This is a super idea. I have got stuck into my garden for the first time in decades and am planning and replanting and any inspiration is gratefully received. I'm trying mostly to garden for birds and butterflies, and I have no water and am in northerly climes. Mind you, I'm just back from a fortnight's holiday and it doesn't look as tho' it's rained once.

Looking for inspiration for the rock garden, which is still a bit bare, and next year I hope to plan a new herbaceous border, so the sedum would do well in there.

Hi Kezmo - Do it!! Dead and decaying wood is one of the most important features you can have in a garden. Native hardwoods are best for decaying wood, but any dead wood is better than none.

For more ideas, check these links out:

www.rspb.org.uk/.../deadwood.asp

www.rspb.org.uk/.../beetlebucket.asp

If there are any long poles available from 100mm diameter up wards (so long as they can be easily manhandled) try burying some vertically into the soil like organ pipes. Make them into an interesting shape and plant up around the base of it.

You could also put a few logs at the base of them and then back fill it all with soil and have some logs laying on top and plant around them. The airspaces between the buried logs will give opportunities for frogs and toads to bury themselves in.

Many people that have trees cut down also have the stumps ground out. If its not too late, try and convince the people you are getting the wood from to at least keep the stumps as they are valuable to a lot of important insects, some of which like the stag beetle, specifically need tree stumps.

Please let us know how you get on with creating your deadwood features - some pictures and a post on the forums telling people what you done would be great.

Hi Adrian and John

Thanks for your advice and the links - very helpful - While the weather is still good, I am going to try very hard to get started.  Just got to convince my OH he has worked to do!!!.

Brill. I'll try that too. Thanks

Hi John and Adrian

Have managed to get my wood (finally) alas not the stumps I was hoping. Anyway after visiting our local Wildlife Trust Reserve yesterday, I did actually buy some wood from them, albeit it is small wood blocks  - foot long by 8in thick - what is the best way to set them in the garden- are these too small to use plus will drilling holes still be required?  I want to set them safely so that I don't inadvertently concuss any poor unsuspecting frog or hedgehog that might forage amongst them.  Many thanks