Yes there is a native Scabious, Scabiosa columbaria, but the one generally seen in gardens is S. caucasica.
And the Aquilegia most often seen in gardens is a cross between various species from America rather than the native A. vulgaris (quite a rare plant these days too).
I think the most danger to our insect wild life comes from the indescriminate spraying of insecticides by people who want perfect plants and gardens. We rarely spray anywhere in our garden and then it is with a Horticultural soap which is harmless to bees, but ti does control the less welcome beasties on our Apple trees (non native by the way).
If we can make our gardens a balanced place then pests do not really get out of control (except for introduced and thus non-predated ones) and I for one can put up with chewed leaves etc. Mind the snails can keep out of my frames where I keep my sales plants! Unless they want a does of salt.
hollie-hock.. yes it is a lovely plant so scented with it.. and seems to be flowering for ever if i keep dead heading it.. will deffinitely grow it again..
I grew the white variety (Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora) from seed a few years ago and it self seeded so moved a few young plant around the garden. Lovely scent and they look after themselves, acting as short-lived perennials. They are host to a few butterflies, including the orange-tip which I saw in my garden for the first time last week.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
I agree we need to be more relaxed about what constitutes a garden. As far as butterflies are concerned we seem to forget the caterpillar stage of the lifecycle is as important as the adult stage, so they need nettles, grasses, trefoil, dock, etc...So it is a brave gardener who steps out into this new world of 'wilderness'. Last year I recorded 11 species of butterfly visiting the garden. I have to stop myself cutting down nettles, and have learnt to see them as valuable foliage plants in the background of the border ! Great blog.
And thyir sting is good for arthritic bits but I have " week old rash now from dealing with a combo of nettles, thistles and sticky bud in one bed. Not pleasant at all in cultivated borders and we need non natives to provide nectar throughout the season and not just in spring and early summer..
I don't mind leaving a fewnettles where I don't have to go and get hurt and we have them growing on the outside of our mesh fence anyway as it's arable and pasture land. They do make excellent garden compost.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
hi all in the garden i tend i grow borage for the bees in the borders around the kitchen garden i grow nettles in a large patch then cut down and steep for the brassicas havent seen many bees over the past few days though too cold and wet
Having a big garden is teaching me to relax. There's no way that I can keep it pristine whilst I am still working and have children at home. I take nettles and out of flower beds (but leave a big nettle patch in one corner) but I allow red campion to flower in them. Creeping buttercup is only welcome in the boggy bit that I'm not going to get to, but other buttercups flower in the beds. I was planning on taking up the turf under a winter-flowering cherry near the front door but haven't got around to it yet. This year it has a lot of primroses starting to grow in it, as well as buttercups, so I think I'll just let the grass grow long, then lift patches to put in ox-eye daisies. And then there's the 'orchard', where I've put in some wildflower plugs, but which has a really good dandelion crop too.
We're running a simple survey to find out which are the most popular wildlife friendly plants in gardens. If you want to take part, visit our facebook page Wildlife Gardening Club and download the doc. Hopefully we'll be able to compile a 'top ten'
Posts
Yes there is a native Scabious, Scabiosa columbaria, but the one generally seen in gardens is S. caucasica.
And the Aquilegia most often seen in gardens is a cross between various species from America rather than the native A. vulgaris (quite a rare plant these days too).
I think the most danger to our insect wild life comes from the indescriminate spraying of insecticides by people who want perfect plants and gardens. We rarely spray anywhere in our garden and then it is with a Horticultural soap which is harmless to bees, but ti does control the less welcome beasties on our Apple trees (non native by the way).
If we can make our gardens a balanced place then pests do not really get out of control (except for introduced and thus non-predated ones) and I for one can put up with chewed leaves etc. Mind the snails can keep out of my frames where I keep my sales plants! Unless they want a does of salt.
hollie-hock.. yes it is a lovely plant so scented with it.. and seems to be flowering for ever if i keep dead heading it.. will deffinitely grow it again..
I grew the white variety (Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora) from seed a few years ago and it self seeded so moved a few young plant around the garden. Lovely scent and they look after themselves, acting as short-lived perennials. They are host to a few butterflies, including the orange-tip which I saw in my garden for the first time last week.
@paul steer.. i agree i leave nettles coming up amoungst my plants every year.. their flowers are pretty enough to tolerate..
And thyir sting is good for arthritic bits but I have " week old rash now from dealing with a combo of nettles, thistles and sticky bud in one bed. Not pleasant at all in cultivated borders and we need non natives to provide nectar throughout the season and not just in spring and early summer..
I don't mind leaving a fewnettles where I don't have to go and get hurt and we have them growing on the outside of our mesh fence anyway as it's arable and pasture land. They do make excellent garden compost.
Having a big garden is teaching me to relax. There's no way that I can keep it pristine whilst I am still working and have children at home. I take nettles and out of flower beds (but leave a big nettle patch in one corner) but I allow red campion to flower in them. Creeping buttercup is only welcome in the boggy bit that I'm not going to get to, but other buttercups flower in the beds. I was planning on taking up the turf under a winter-flowering cherry near the front door but haven't got around to it yet. This year it has a lot of primroses starting to grow in it, as well as buttercups, so I think I'll just let the grass grow long, then lift patches to put in ox-eye daisies. And then there's the 'orchard', where I've put in some wildflower plugs, but which has a really good dandelion crop too.
We're running a simple survey to find out which are the most popular wildlife friendly plants in gardens. If you want to take part, visit our facebook page Wildlife Gardening Club and download the doc. Hopefully we'll be able to compile a 'top ten'