Wildlife-Friendly Plants: Make Your Garden a Haven for Beneficial Insects, Amphibians and Birds

Many home gardeners wish to create a natural habitat for wildlife but don't know how: Rosemary Creeser's bright Wildlife Friendly Plants: Make Your Garden A Haven For Beneficial Insects, Amphibians And Birds covers plants which invite not only birds, but beneficial insects and amphibians, expanding the number of creatures which fall under the 'beneficial' flag. Contrasting colors, scents, and shapes are the heart of creating such a sanctuary, and Creeser's practical advise covers everything from soil preparation to choosing the right plants that go together.

This is a wonderful book that makes you think about which plants to select and grow in your garden, backyard, roof top or balcony with a view not just for the colors, fragances and beauty they bring to you as a human but also what kinds of wildlife they can attract to also enjoy the fragances, blooms, blossoms and nectars they provide. The guidance on how to do this throughout the book is clear and beautifully illustrated, with enticing descriptions of nectar-rich plants for attracting different species, from bees to birds throughout the year. Suggestions like planting a creeping thyme that is nectar-rich in the small crevices between the stones on a gravel path to enable butterflies to bask in the early morning sunshine provides a quite different way of thinking about what to plant in a garden. Not just to enrichen your own experience but also provide a haven, a home and a food supply for insects. The extensive plant directory also includes a wonderful set of home drawn (and easy to understand) set of symbols for both plant and wildlife attributes - my favorite being the kinky shaped caterpillar. Each plant is described in terms of the region it will grow in, where to plant it and how to care for it to attract a range of wildlife. Living in the mid-west of the USA, I was intrigued to see what plant plus wildife combos I could experiment with. I am squarely in zone 5 and was pleased to see from the list of plants that most would attract a range of wildlife, although sadly Indiana is not suitable for growing the poached egg plant (limnanthes douglasii) which thrives further south. This book will greatly appeal to those who are interested in encouraging (and discouraging) certain kinds of insects, amphibians and birds to their gardens. While the advice suggests postponing deadheading and trimming spent flowers till a little later in the season (to encourage the wildlife to drink the remaining nectar) the trade-off in doing so is to provide wildlife with both food and a place to hibernate over winter without disruption. What better form of altruism. This book provides a different way of thinking about flaura and fauna, especially if you are curious about attracting wildlife to your garden.