Natural/wild border planting suggestions

[Scarlet]

In my garden the bees go mad for borage, comfrey, perennial cornflower - purple and white. Penstemons. Sunflowers when they pop up. Knautia macedonia, alliums. Forget me knots. Calendula. They are all easy plants that should return or self seed.

#forgot perennial poppies - I have several different colours and the bees love them.

And I love perennial geraniums!

[Scarlet]

And I forgot red campion....I think I could go on forever

[nickdub]

Well I can't claim to be a TV personalty but I do like flowering plants of all sorts and 50 years of gardening has given me a chance to get to know some of them :-)

If you fancy another purplish one you could have a look at sambucus nigra "black-beauty" - large bunches of pink flowers in mid-summer followed by blackish red fruit which the balck-birds like - its not what I'd call a "first class" plant, so I wouldn't go for it myself, but it might fit the theme you are after.

[Dynamite]

Hi Perko, I’m doing a similar thing and it’s starting to look ok now and filling out. I would definitely do:-

Foxglove.
Forget Me Nots are absolutely perfect for it and look very natural.
Hollyhock for height.
Delphinium maybe, again for height.
Agapanthus.
Euphorbia.
Grasses. We have some and they look natural and fill out the space a bit.

Kind Regards.............Rob

[Mitzi]

Well I can't claim to be a TV personalty but I do like flowering plants of all sorts and 50 years of gardening has given me a chance to get to know some of them :-)

If you fancy another purplish one you could have a look at sambucus nigra "black-beauty" - large bunches of pink flowers in mid-summer followed by blackish red fruit which the balck-birds like - its not what I'd call a "first class" plant, so I wouldn't go for it myself, but it might fit the theme you are after.

What’s not first class about it? I’ve just planted a black elder!

[Babru]

I try to grow a range of plants to give as long a flowering season as possible, so there is something for bees etc at all times they are active. Blue, pink and purple flowers are very attractive to bees so you can't go wrong with most, as long as you avoid double flowers.

Early in the year you could have crocus, comes in all colours.

I also grow dead nettle (not a nettle, don't worry), apparently called the bumblebee plant in some areas https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/disc...ed-dead-nettle, it flowers early and keeps going for months.

If you grow buddleia and cut it back hard in mid May you can extend the flowering into autumn. It's not called butterfly bush for nothing! You can get smaller varieties nowadays if you prefer, eg the Buzz and Free Petite ranges.

[nickdub]

What’s not first class about it? I’ve just planted a black elder!

Just a prejudice on my part really - we used to have loads of elder in the rough ground around the village and sometimes in hedges, and it was always thought of as a bit of a weed - doesn't help that its not much of a hedging plant getting woody and open at the bottom, while all the growing bits are at the top - makes very poor firewood too :-)

[nickdub]

I try to grow a range of plants to give as long a flowering season as possible, so there is something for bees etc at all times they are active. Blue, pink and purple flowers are very attractive to bees so you can't go wrong with most, as long as you avoid double flowers.

Early in the year you could have crocus, comes in all colours.

I also grow dead nettle (not a nettle, don't worry), apparently called the bumblebee plant in some areas https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/disc...ed-dead-nettle, it flowers early and keeps going for months.

If you grow buddleia and cut it back hard in mid May you can extend the flowering into autumn. It's not called butterfly bush for nothing! You can get smaller varieties nowadays if you prefer, eg the Buzz and Free Petite ranges.

The one problem with buddleia is though its a good nectar source because its a recent introduction very little in the way of native bugs etc will live off it, so once the flowers are gone that's it for the year as afar as wildlife support goes. I like them myself but if space is an issue I'm not sure I'd recommend it for a wildlife garden.

If you want something easy to grow which provides valuable early pollen for the bees, then its hard to beat pussy willow.

[Guest]

You could join the flower seed circle https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...9-a_98375.html

In previous years there has been such a diverse range but lots of interesting and fantastic seeds appear that you may not naturally consider.

[burnie]

I have thin coastal soil , so ideal for a lot of native plants as most do no thrive in rich soil, Ox eyed daisy is one I have that I grew from seed and foxgloves are all over the garden, we have a really nice Sow thistle in flower at the moment, but not everyone will go that far, I also leave some stinging nettles, butterfly caterpillars eat them. I am now only sowing British native flowers in our garden, one of the reasons for next years pond/bog garden, intent to grow Ragged robin and Sweet cicely(which you can eat).

[nickdub]

Just noticed that one of the mulleins in my garden has some caterpillars on it - it makes quite a good background plant, but again of course its a biennial which self seeds freely - the yellow flowers might not match your colour choices, but I believe there is a white one too.

[Scarlet]

- doesn't help that its not much of a hedging plant getting woody and open at the bottom, while all the growing bits are at the top

I have several, a black, a yellow and a variegated. Pruned back hard they don't ever get leggy.

[chrisdb]

Here's some things I grow in borders and find quite ornamental which are a bit wild, attract wildlife and/or are tough as old boots:

Lovage
Fennel
Meadowsweet
Turkish rocket (glow in the dark yellow flowers are nice, even if the leaves are boring)
Feverfew
Tansy
Alecost
Red veined sorrel
Geraniums (e.g. pratense, macrorrhizum)
Jacob's ladder
Honesty
Fox gloves
Bird's foot trefoil
Toadflax
Solidago canadensis
Scabious
Stachys officinalis
Wild garlic
California poppies
Marigolds
Borage
Daisies
Mountain mint
Horehound
Speedwells
Marjoram (self seeds everywhere...)
Soapwort
Sweet woodruff
Lady's bedstraw
Creeping jenny
Joe pye weed
Astrantias
Bastard balm
Sweet cicely
Centaurea / knapweeds
Wild strawberries
Valerian
Red valerian
Comfrey
Lungwort
Bladder campion
Sweet violets

I agree about the dead nettles too, but I don't plant them, they just show up.

I'm forgetting some, but I'd need to wander outside with a notepad to complete the list.

[nickdub]

I have several, a black, a yellow and a variegated. Pruned back hard they don't ever get leggy.

Its not so much that they get leggy, its just that you could never seem to get any leaf growth in the bottom foot or so - may be you have managed the trick somehow though :-)

I reckon they are a good plant anyway for someone creating a wild look - which is why I recommended them.

[Babru]

My neighbour has a huge purple and pink fuchsia over the wall from me, and it's absolutely covered in bees right now. Flowers for months and lots of insects like it too eg greenfly, capsid bugs etc, so good for birds as well. They also come in smaller sizes so no need to grow a monster.