You don’t need a large garden to grow plants that will attract a wide variety of wildlife, such as bees, butterflies, insects and birds. You can create a mini-pollinator patch in an area as small as 1metre square.
The best way to plan your plot is to aim for diversity, by choosing a range of plants the will bloom for as long as possible to ensure there is plenty of food for pollinators from spring to winter.. by planning your patch carefully you will be creating a safe, natural environment for abundant wildlife., which in turn supports biodiversity
Bees are an important and precious part of our ecosystem and, with the loss of habitat and the use of pesticides, need the help of urban gardens to enable them to thrive.
Bees are attracted to purple, blue, yellow, violet coloured blooms that are scented. They love Calendula, Borage, Vygies, Karee, Fuschias, Rosemary, Scabiosa, Sunflowers, Cosmos, Cape May, White Alyssum, Agapanthus, Bottle Brush, Buddleja, Linaria, Bee Balm and Thyme. A shallow dish of water near the plants is invaluable for them.
Butterflies are beautiful but unfortunately you may have to sacrifice some foliage as the caterpillars love munching leaves! However, butterflies provide food for spiders, frogs, lizards and praying mantis. Nature at its best! Butterflies love Cape Plumbago, Verbena, Zinnias, Hibiscus, Impatiens, Marigolds, Lavenders, Daisies, Gazanias, Ribbon Flower, Flowering Acacia, Foxgloves, Cape Honesuckle and Sweet Thorn.