Plant a Tree or Climber for Wildlife

Gardens, no matter how small, have become incredibly important havens for wildlife. This is because wild creatures have lost many of their feeding and breeding sites in the countryside — either as a result of intensive farming, which makes widespread use of pesticides, or changes in land use. Some creatures, such as moths, bumblebees and hedgehogs, are increasingly reliant on our gardens for their survival.

If all you have in your garden are a few containers with a selection of flowering plants, you will still have some wildlife: small soil creatures, visiting butterflies and hoverflies, perhaps, and, if you leave the seedheads on your plants, some seed-eating birds. You’ll attract more creatures if your patch has some water, a shrub or two and a thick climber. But you can offer first-class living quarters to a host of wildlife if you have a small tree.

A tree can provide

• Plenty of leaves and nectar-rich flowers for insects and their larvae to feed on.
• Bark for insects to live in and for lichens and mosses with their attendant creatures.
• Berries and seeds for birds.
• A layer of leaves at the base of the tree that, if left to decay, creates food and shelter for worms, slugs, snails, woodlice and millipedes, which in turn provides food for centipedes, spiders and beetles.
• Dead and decaying wood, which provides food and nesting sites for creatures such as beetles or solitary bees. Eventually, holes in the trunk can create nesting sites for birds.

In a small garden, a tree will probably become the dominant feature, and if you choose a deciduous tree it will help to bring seasonal changes: new buds, followed by blossom in spring; a lush green canopy of leaves in summer; tawny, orange or red foliage, plus berries or seeds, in autumn; and a striking silhouette of branches to admire in winter.

Choose your wildlife plant

Crab apples (Malus spp) are ideal for small gardens, especially ‘John Downie’ (8 x 8m/25 x 25ft) or the weeping M x scheidecked ‘Red Jade’ (4 x 4m/12 x 12ft). Insects will gorge on the blossom and birds love to devour the red or orange fruits.

Hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna) (8 x 8m/25 x 25ft) are magnets for caterpillars, which in turn provide food for countless birds. Hawthorns are tough, thorny trees with beautiful white blossom and bright red berries.

Rowan trees (Sorbus spp) also support lots of wildlife. The variety ‘Joseph Rock‘ (8 x 8m/25 x 25ft) has white flowers and creamy-orange fruits.

If you don’t have space for a tree, but can plant a climber, think about planting an ivy along a fence or wall. Ivies (Hedera spp) make wonderful curtains of greenery, can be grown on north-facing surfaces and are top-notch wildlife plants: they are associated with some 230 species of animal, from insects to nesting birds. Ivies are especially valuable as a late source of nectar for butterflies, and the winter berries attract birds. Ivies can be allowed to bush out for an informal look, or clipped to suit a more formally designed plot. If clipping ivy, make sure you wait until after the nesting season, as a secretive wren may have nested there. With a bushy ivy, a hedgehog may even take up residence behind the leafy apron at the base.

Firethorns (Pyracantha spp) also make excellent evergreen coverings for walls or fences, and their bounty of beautiful yellow, scarlet or orange berries will feed birds through the cold winter months.

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