5 Go-To Wildlife Friendly Plants for the Summer Garden

The last few weeks have felt more like mid-summer than spring, and I've enjoyed sitting in my outdoor office with the door swung open, enjoying the warm weather and listening to the birds.

Right now, I can see a wood pigeon pecking about on the lawn (blocks of which are unmown for ‘No Mow May’) while a Starling sits on a nearby roof, its high-pitched tweet carrying across the surrounding gardens. I can easily make out a blackbird’s song, sending out a warning call as the sparrows constantly tweet – I can’t tell if the sparrows are chattering happily or arguing with each other. Some of them have joined the pigeon and are bouncing about in the long grass.

Many of my garden plants are in flower at the moment and my garden is at its best right now in terms of colour. But, no matter what time of year, there is always something going on in my garden and I choose plants that flower at different times to ensure a constant source of pollen or nectar for visiting insects and birds. When the flowers die back I leave the seed-heads standing to provide seeds for birds and insects. I have also planted a number of evergreen and deciduous shrubs to allow birds places to perch and shelter.

When choosing plants for a garden it’s important to consider the foliage of the plant and not just the flowers. The flowers are a bonus and amazing to have – but the foliage is the constant. Usually foliage emerges before the flowers and often provides beautiful shapes and textures. Some of my favourite planting schemes are those which favour foliage – pulling together a beautiful tapestry of different shades, different shapes and different textures.

I will also ask you to think about including some UK native plants in your wildlife friendly garden. Many of the UK's native plants provide vital food for caterpillars and other larval insects. These little creatures are just as important as the butterflies and the bumblebees (caterpillars become butterflies after all!) so we need to consider them when planting a garden for wildlife. It turns out that caterpillars are very fussy eaters and have go to plants which they feed exclusively on. These are usually native plants.

I’ve been working on planting plans for some client’s this week and it’s got me thinking about my go-to wildlife plants for the warmer summer months. I’ve listed these below:

Masterwort (Astrantia major)

I can’t help but love Astrantia. This pretty little plant has beautiful lobed leaves and the prettiest star shaped flowers. Astrantia major is white with pale pink centres but there are also some beautiful deep pink, almost red cultivars such as Astrantia ‘Roma’.

Astrantia's look great when planted in groups in dappled shade alongside ferns and Geraniums and are happy in sun or part shade. They also don’t mind clay soil which works well for me in my garden.

Once established, Astrantia's hold up well in dry weather. I don’t water the plants in my main garden borders and, in dry weather, Astrantia wilts a little in the midday warmth but is always perky again in the mornings and survives without any additional watering.

These plants are also great for pollinating insects and they make beautiful cut flowers too.

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

I’m sure that most people will be familiar with foxgloves. A beautiful native, biennial plant which is frequently seen in the countryside – woodland edges, ditches, the edge of hedgerows. The tall flowering spires are hard to miss in early summer and they are loved by fat bumblebees and other insects. The leaves are also a food source for many caterpillars.

Despite being short-lived, foxglove makes a stunning garden plant. The tall spires are structural and make a great display when they are at their best. The foliage grows from the base of the plant – the large, soft leaves providing a great foil for the flower spikes and creating a great contrast with other plants too.

If happy in your garden foxglove will self-seed, popping up randomly in your garden borders. It’s worth noting that the flowers appear in the second year of growth.

The flowers of foxglove are usually pink or purple and occasionally white. They prefer a well-drained soil with a bit of moisture and are happy in full sun or part shade. They are quite large plants – reaching a height of over 1.5m, so give them a bit of room. They suit a naturalistic or a cottage garden planting scheme. Pair them with ferns, lady’s mantle or geraniums.

It is worth remembering that foxglove is a very poisonous plant and so do not plant it if there is a chance that a pet or a child could eat it.

Geranium ‘Dreamland’

I love most geraniums. They are the perfect filler plants and there is usually a geranium that will suit most garden situations. I haven’t got a particular favourite but do have a few go-to cultivars depending on the situation and today I've chosen to focus on this pretty little pale, pink flowered cultivar.

Geranium ‘Dreamland’ flowers for a long period over the summer and is a great filler or ground cover plant in a border. It will happily creep around other taller plants and flowers from May through to September and doesn’t mind growing in a partially shaded situation.

I would happily pair this Geranium with both Astrantia and Foxglove. It particularly suits a wilder and more naturalistic planting scheme and also works well in traditional or cottage garden borders.

There are also some fabulous native or naturalised Geranium’s that you could plant in your garden which would be even better for wildlife, such as Geranium sanguineum (bloody cranesbill), Geranium phaeum (dusky cranesbill) or Geranium sylvaticum (wood cranesbill). I grow Geranium sanguineum in my own garden and welcome the bright magenta flowers which start from May. If the foliage becomes overly straggly I trim it back a little which can sometimes encourage a second flush of flowers. This strategy works with all Geraniums.

Bees and other insects makes use of the flowers.

Compact Oregano (Origanum vulgare ‘Compactum’)

I like to favour herbs and other useful plants in my garden and this little compact oregano is one of my favourites. It serves as an excellent ground cover plant in a sunny, well-drained border with a bit of space and plenty of light.

Growing to a neat mound of around 15 cm high, this perennial is an excellent form of oregano if you want a culinary herb. As an added bonus it is a magnet for insects when the small purple-pink flowers open in summer.

The foliage remains neat throughout the year and only requires a light trim after flowering to keep it looking tidy, although I tend to leave mine a little longer as I quite like the texture that the seed heads add after flowering and there is often a benefit to insects and birds in leaving dead plant growth.

Use this little plant in a herb garden or use it to fill gaps between plants in sunnier areas. Bear in mind that it does like a sunnier spot. Plant it between salvia's, compact geraniums or thymes.

If you wanted to focus on native plants for your garden, then wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare) is also an excellent ground cover plant, although be prepared for it to self-seed and pop up all over the place. This native plant is not quite as strong flavoured for cooking as compact oregano but is a very useful plant to include in a wildlife garden and is a food plant for the large blue butterfly. I have both these forms of oregano in my own garden. Compact oregano stays where I planted it and hasn't spread much at all, while the wild marjoram has spread to most parts of my garden and I often pull it up to make way for other plants.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)

Honeysuckle is a beautiful scented, native, deciduous climber which grows happily in most garden soils (including clay and sand) and doesn’t mind full sun or shadier areas too.

Honeysuckle is a twining climber that will quickly scramble up a trellis or pergola or clamber its way through existing trees or shrubs. It is useful for softening a garden fence or wall and the flowers, which usually appear in summer, are beautifully scented, particularly in the evenings when they attract moths that enjoy the nectar.

Honeysuckle is a very useful plant with lovely foliage and beautiful flowers too. The nectar is great for insects and there are berries which birds eat too. The dense, vigorous foliage provides shelter for various wildlife and the flowers can be picked by us and added to salads or used for perfumes or essential oils.

It is sometimes necessary to prune honeysuckle after flowering, and if the plant becomes too woody you can cut it back hard to encourage new, leafy growth.

My go-to cultivars (which can be better behaved than the wild form) are Lonicera 'Scentsation' and Lonicera 'Serotina'. I love the beautiful colours of the flowers and the scent that they add to a garden.

There are so many plant options for a garden border and it can be difficult to know where to start. Always remember to base your choices on the existing site conditions of your garden. As a starting point, work with the soil that you have and think about the amount of sunlight a particular border receives, what the soil is like and how damp the area is and make your plant choices from there.

Need a little extra help or don't know where to start? Get in touch with me, Emma, at Wild Edge Garden Design and I'd be delighted to use my planting design expertise to create abundant, beautiful and wildlife friendly planting schemes for you.