Eco Notes October 2025
Planting in your garden
As autumn draws in, many people invest in their gardens, planting bulbs that will reward them with a colourful display the following spring. Daffodils, such beautiful harbingers of spring, are not actually very attractive to pollinators, so selecting a variety of other bulbs as well is a good idea (e.g. grape hyacinth, wood anemone snake’s head fritillary, camassia, star of Bethlehem, allium, autumn crocus, snowdrop, winter aconite, crocus). Early flowering bulbs provide food that is invaluable for early flying pollinators; on warm, sunny spring days, crocus flowers, for example, positively buzz with bumblebees in particular (these bees also feed avidly on catkins of our native willow). When it comes to buying other garden plants, be sure NOT to purchase invasive species. Despite legislation, many garden centres are still supplying some incredibly invasive plants, which cause untold damage if they escape into the wild. One only has to visit Devil’s Glen to see how laurel had spread widely – steps have been taken to remove it, but it is a huge and slow undertaking. Likewise, the common rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum spreads rapidly. Both of these species smother the ground so that native ground flora is outcompeted. Furthermore, rhododendron flowers are toxic to honeybees (who produce ‘mad honey’), though bumblebees are apparently unaffected. Other species that many will have seen being controlled include Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed. Some “pretty” small invasives include flowers such as the hottentot fig – all displace our native species and deprive our native pollinators of food. Please do not be tempted to buy illegal invasives. Equally, do not be tempted to bring home cuttings or seeds of “beautiful” plants you may see abroad.