Help wildlife at home
Plants, feeders, bird food, nest boxes and other supplies for garden wildlife. All items are sold separately.
Affiliate links. WildLeague earns commission on qualifying purchases through the product links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check current prices, pack sizes and dispatch dates at the retailer: Garden Wildlife Direct or Thompson & Morgan.
Choose a feeder and suitable food. Our guide covers when to feed birds and how to keep feeders clean.
Choose your first setup →Leave gaps between gardens and places to shelter. A shallow dish can provide drinking water.
Read the hedgehog guide →Grow flowers and leave places for bees to nest. Bee hotels need a suitable position and regular maintenance.
Read the pollinator guide →
Wildlife-friendly plant
Small purple flowers provide early pollen and nectar when relatively few plants are flowering. Grow in sunny, well-drained borders, pots or grass. Allow the leaves to die back naturally before mowing. Around 10cm tall.
Supports bees
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Wildlife-friendly plant
White flowers provide food for bees active during mild winter and early spring weather. Grow in partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. Harmful if eaten; sap may irritate skin.
Supports bees
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Wildlife-friendly plant
An annual with blue, star-shaped flowers visited by bumblebees and honeybees. Grow in sun and well-drained soil. Reaches around 60cm and readily self-seeds.
Supports bees
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A fast-growing annual producing clusters of purple-blue flowers. Sow successive batches in a sunny position to extend flowering. Although sold as green manure, let it flower for wildlife before cutting it down. Can self-seed; foliage may irritate skin.
Supports bees
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A compact lavender with purple flower spikes, suitable for sunny borders and containers. Needs excellent drainage and dislikes wet winter soil. Trim after flowering without cutting into old bare wood.
Supports bees, butterflies, moths
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Tall, slender stems carry small clusters of purple flowers, providing food into autumn. Grow in full sun and well-drained soil. Reaches around 1.2m and may self-seed. Cold, wet winters can damage plants.
Supports bees, butterflies
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Tall spikes of tubular purple flowers are particularly useful for bumblebees. Grow in partial shade with moist but well-drained soil. Usually produces leaves in its first year and flowers in its second. Allow some self-seeding. Toxic if eaten.
Supports bees
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A low-growing annual with yellow-and-white flowers that are easily accessible to hoverflies. Suitable for border edges and paths. Grow in sun with soil that retains some moisture. Around 15cm tall.
Supports bees, hoverflies
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A native perennial with white petals surrounding an open yellow centre. Suitable for sunny borders and meadow areas, where its flowers provide accessible food for many insects. Around 60cm tall and can spread readily.
Supports bees, butterflies, hoverflies, beetles
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Flat clusters of pink flowers provide feeding places for insects with short mouthparts, particularly hoverflies. Grow in full sun and well-drained soil. Around 60cm tall and tolerant of dry conditions once established.
Supports bees, butterflies, hoverflies
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A tall perennial with bronze foliage and open clusters of yellow flowers. Allow stems to flower to provide food for pollinators. Aphids on the plant can also support predatory insects. Grow in full sun and well-drained soil; reaches around 1.8m and can self-seed.
Supports bees, hoverflies, ladybirds
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Clusters of white bell-shaped flowers support bumblebees and specialist bellflower bees where they occur locally. Grow in sun or partial shade with moist but well-drained, neutral-to-alkaline soil. Around 45cm tall and spreads into clumps.
Supports bees
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Woolly silver leaves provide fibres that female wool-carder bees collect for their nests. Purple flower spikes also feed bees, so leave them intact. Grow in full sun and well-drained soil.
Supports bees
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Wildlife-friendly plant
An annual with small flowers that release their strongest fragrance in the evening, attracting moths. Grow in a sunny, well-drained position. Sow successive batches to extend flowering. Around 45cm tall.
Supports moths
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Purple flowers release an evening fragrance and provide nectar for butterflies and moths. The plant also feeds caterpillars of some white butterflies and garden carpet moths. Grow in sun or partial shade. Around 90cm tall; usually biennial or a short-lived perennial that self-seeds.
Supports butterflies, moths, caterpillars
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A scented native climber providing nectar, caterpillar food and berries for birds. Grow in sun or partial shade with moist but well-drained soil. Needs sturdy support and substantial space, potentially reaching 4 to 8m. Berries are not for human consumption.
Supports bees, butterflies, moths, caterpillars, birds
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Purple spring flowers are followed by distinctive papery seedpods. Supports orange-tip butterfly and garden carpet moth caterpillars. Leave occupied flowering stems and developing seedpods intact. Grow in sun or partial shade; around 90cm tall.
Supports butterflies, moths, caterpillars
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A vigorous trailing or climbing annual with colourful flowers and variegated leaves. Its foliage feeds white butterfly caterpillars and can also support garden carpet moth caterpillars. Grow in sun and relatively poor soil. Can reach around 2.4m; allow some leaves to be eaten.
Supports bees, butterflies, moths, caterpillars
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A native perennial with pale lilac or white flowers, especially valuable as an orange-tip caterpillar food plant. Grow in damp soil, moist meadow patches or pond-edge ground. Leave flowers and developing seedpods intact for caterpillars rather than routinely deadheading.
Supports butterflies, caterpillars
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A UK-native wetland perennial with tall spikes of purple-pink flowers. Grow in full sun with reliably damp soil or in a very shallow pond margin. Around 1.2m tall; unsuitable for a dry border.
Supports bees, butterflies
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Broad clusters of pink flowers provide late-season food as many summer plants finish flowering. Grow in full sun and well-drained soil. Around 60cm tall. Leave dry flowerheads standing over winter.
Supports bees, butterflies
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Wildlife-friendly plant
Purple daisy-like flowers provide food later in the season. Grow in sun or light shade with moisture-retentive, well-drained soil. A perennial reaching around 90cm, suitable for garden borders.
Supports bees, butterflies
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Wildlife-friendly plant
A tall native biennial with prickly flowerheads that later supply seeds for goldfinches and other birds. Grow in sun or partial shade; tolerates heavier soil. Reaches around 1.5m or more and self-seeds freely. Keep mature seedheads standing.
Supports bees, butterflies, birds
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