That's true enough @McRazz but the OP seems to have altered their stance from not wishing to grow anything which may have an effect on bio diversity ( whether local or more far reaching ) to deciding to grow something which they prefer ( flower/fragrance ) for their own pleasure. No one on the forum can alter that as is obvious from the various threads. It is the OP's choice in the end.
The issue is here is that people prefer to please themselves rather than help nature and then complain and ask for pity when its too late. Obviously the horticulture sector doesn't want you to only grow native plants as they'll lose money and business, this reminds me of other issues in the world where this was the case and now some of us are trying to clean up their mistakes (when it should be all of us). In the long run, the naturalists are more likely to be right here, I'd rather support wildlife than to stroke my own or other people's ego.
You have to remember that sometimes we can't always keep control of the plants that we grow entirely, if this is the case, native plants would be better off as if it spreads, it cannot have a bad effect.
I always try to mix in both, but in terms of vertical space, asian species of plants always seem to be better for the job, I also have winter-flowering plants (which are both asian) which provide food for bees active in winter. I think if we cover all bases of the year with flowers, wouldn't that be better than our native flowers that appear to only be active in a certain window?
Some of our native plants are capable of covering walls (and trees) vertically without any problems and they provide food for wildlife, which is how that wildlife prospered in the past. The winter has always been a dodgy time for creatures and has been for humans too.....the only reason we aren't all dying of hunger during the colder months is down to those pesky, imported, foreign plants. Mix it all up and reap the benefit.
The reason why this has me conflicted is imagine Gardens with only natives in it (excluding fruit and veg, that would make sense to grow here), it would be bland and the creativity we could have would be limited.
I always try to mix in both, but in terms of vertical space, asian species of plants always seem to be better for the job, I also have winter-flowering plants (which are both asian) which provide food for bees active in winter. I think if we cover all bases of the year with flowers, wouldn't that be better than our native flowers that appear to only be active in a certain window?
Some of our native plants are capable of covering walls (and trees) vertically without any problems and they provide food for wildlife, which is how that wildlife prospered in the past. The winter has always been a dodgy time for creatures and has been for humans too.....the only reason we aren't all dying of hunger during the colder months is down to those pesky, imported, foreign plants. Mix it all up and reap the benefit.
Am I right in saying we don't have native winter flowering plants for pollinators? I tried looking it up but I got no results at all.
Things hibernate for a reason. However, with milder winters a lot of plants are flowering earlier, sometimes throughout the winter, so that some are available for insects at a time when we would expect the garden to be quiet.
I always try to mix in both, but in terms of vertical space, asian species of plants always seem to be better for the job, I also have winter-flowering plants (which are both asian) which provide food for bees active in winter. I think if we cover all bases of the year with flowers, wouldn't that be better than our native flowers that appear to only be active in a certain window?
Some of our native plants are capable of covering walls (and trees) vertically without any problems and they provide food for wildlife, which is how that wildlife prospered in the past. The winter has always been a dodgy time for creatures and has been for humans too.....the only reason we aren't all dying of hunger during the colder months is down to those pesky, imported, foreign plants. Mix it all up and reap the benefit.
Am I right in saying we don't have native winter flowering plants for pollinators? I tried looking it up but I got no results at all.
This is mostly to do with our latitude and associated climate, but off the bat i can think of Winter aconite, Snowdrops & Daffodils (pseudonarcissus).
Native plants aren't exactly bland, but I guess that's subjective, perhaps you're looking at the wrong stuff or in the wrong place?!
I was using the RHS to find anything for winter so all bases are covered but the only information I could find was about winter plants like sweet box etc.
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No one on the forum can alter that as is obvious from the various threads. It is the OP's choice in the end.
Native plants aren't exactly bland, but I guess that's subjective, perhaps you're looking at the wrong stuff or in the wrong place?!