Manor Nurseries

Don't bug me!

They lurk in dark corners, dangle from webs and they buzz and whine around our ears. They crawl up our trouser legs. They have way too many legs. Quite a few of them have sharp ends, and quite a few of us flee in terror at the sight of them. We swat them and spray them, hoover them up and tread on them. We're talking bugs here.

But now let's get a bug's eye view of things. OK, there are some bugs that are bad to the core. All they do is eat. Herbivores like greenfly, blackfly and whitefly are on a mission to consume your garden, while carnivores such as mosquitoes go straight for your throat.

Please don't step on me!

Not all bugs are bad bugs. Insects perform a vast number of important functions in our ecosystem. They aerate the soil, pollinate blossoms, and control plant pests. They also decompose dead materials, thereby reintroducing nutrients into the soil, not to mention cleaning up disease. Burrowing bugs such as beetles, and those ants that get in your pants, dig tunnels that provide channels for water, benefiting plants. Bees play a major role in pollinating fruit trees and flower blossoms. And they make honey! Big bugs like ladybirds eat smaller bugs such as aphids and whitefly, which eat our plants. And all insects fertilize the soil with the nutrients from their droppings. And butterflies are pretty ...

If all insects were to disappear, humanity would probably not last more than a few months.
Those irritating garden pests which make holes in our plants are primary consumers in the food chain. They provide protein and energy for secondary consumers, such as spiders, snakes, birds and toads that could not survive without feeding on insects. Tertiary consumers eat these small creatures, and bigger animals eat them. Including humans. No bugs, no food, no people. Simple as that. So ... a bit of respect for the bugs!

Love your wildlife!

Here at Manor Nurseries, we like our little creatures, and we do everything we can to encourage their health and happiness. You can do the same. Install bug hotels ... ladyird towers ... bat boxes ... hedgehog houses. Make your own like Teddy has ... now there's a fun project for the kids during the long school holidays! Use a cool damp corner to create a haven for toads and frogs. Feed the birds.

And fill your garden with the flowers they love ... if you have the room, you could even have a little native wildflower section! In the words of Sir David Attenborough ...

"Nature is not tidy, so if you want to help our butterflies, find a corner where you can let the weeds do their thing. Whilst a plentiful supply of nectar will sustain the adults, the all-important caterpillars need something to munch. Nettles, grasses and wildflowers are the summer salad they require."

Plants to make Butterflies hover

It's about colour ... and it's about smell. Not always good smells either ...

Butterflies will hover around shrubs such as Buddleja (why else would it be called Butterfly Bush!), Caryopteris, Cotoneaster, Escallonia, Hebe, Hedera, Lavender, Ligustrum (Privet), Pyracantha, Rubus, Salvia, Spiraea, Syringa and Thyme. Hummingbird Hawk Moths love Thyme! On a warm summer day they sip nectar from perennials such as Coreopsis, Cardoons, Echinacea, Echinops, Eryngium, Helenium, Knautia, Mint, Nepeta, Oenothera, Phlox, Scabiosa, Sedum and Solidago.

Some moths actually prefer the evil smelling flowers of Arums and the pretty little Bogbean that grows in your pond. They think it's carrion ... one man's meat etc.

Put the buzz in your Bees

Most of the plants that butterflies love are also appealing to bees. And so are most of the fruit trees and soft fruit. In addition, they love Amelanchier, Arbutus, Berberis, Buxus, Ceanothus, Cistus, Cytisus, Genista, Heathers, Helianthemum, Hyssop, Kolkwitzia, Laburnum, Leptospermum, Mahonia, Parthenocissus, Perovskia, Photinia, Physocarpus, Potentilla, Prunus, Ribes, Robinia, Rosemary, Sarcococca, Schizophragma, Skimmia, Sorbus, Ulex (Gorse), Vaccinium, Vitex, Weigela, and Wisteria. They love Alliums, Alstroemeria, Asclepias, Aster, Campanula, Centaurea, Clematis, Cosmos, Delphinium, Doronicum, Fuchsia, Heliopsis, Lavatera, Ligularia, Lupins, Monarda, Polemonium, Rudbeckia, Thyme, Trollius, Verbascum and Veronica.

The important thing is to provide a selection of flowers starting from early March and continuing into the autumn. Different insects like different colours, shapes and perfumes, so try to cater for them all. Highly bred, fancy flowers are pretty, but many of contain no pollen or nectar, so mix them in with some old fashioned cottage garden favourites.

Buzz on in to see our Pollinators area, currently being set up near the fruit trees, at the end of the covered walkway!

Hints and Links

Click here on Butterflies to see pictures of plants they love!

And click here on Bees for things that make these bees go buzzzzz ...