Spring is the perfect time to grow plants, shrubs, and flowers in your garden. However, it is more likely that your shoots will grow and later multiply when insects are flying around.
Skilled gardeners at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew have shared their tips on creating an insect-friendly outdoor space.
Your first piece of advice is simple: grow a variety of plants in your garden that will in turn attract a variety of insects.
Both Buddleia, also known as the “butterfly bush”, and lavender are good butterfly attracters.
The plants provide a plentiful source of nectar and have a strong smell when they bloom.
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Fallen leaves and piles of wood make great hiding places for insects such as worms, wood lice, millipedes, and millipedes.
Leaves and tree trunks can also attract other wildlife such as hedgehogs.
You can also let an area of your garden grow wild, leaving branches, stones, and leaves on the ground to make it a comfortable habitat for insects and wildlife.
Creating a compost heap in your yard is another way to attract insects, and it’s good for your soil and plants too.
The next tip is a little more time-consuming, but it can be done easily enough if you learn how to do it or hire a gardener or landscaper: build a pond.
Ponds are incredible habitats for dragonflies, damselflies, water beetles and more.
The water is also a great source of drinking for wildlife such as foxes, hedgehogs, and birds.
If you want to save yourself the hassle of building a large pond, or if you don’t have enough space in your yard, you can simply use a large pot or upturned trash can lid as a mini pond.
Another way to attract insects to your garden is to take care of your hedges.
Butterflies like to lay their eggs in hedges, and some may depend on specific plants that are common in hedges.
These plants include hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple, and hazel.
Hedges also act like wildlife corridors, allowing hedgehogs to get from one place to another safely.
In addition, they are great nesting sites for some birds.
