I have to confess, until I sat down to write an article about Hanging Baskets, I never really thought of them in terms of their benefit to wildlife. I thought flowers, colours, scents, greenery, foliage, but never wildlife. It was only when my wife peered over my shoulder and said ‘don’t forget about the wildlife’ that I began to look at the subject in a different light.

But when you think about it, given that many of us are today crammed into ever tighter communal spaces with postage stamps for gardens, the humble Hanging Basket could be the only chance we have to make a difference to our local wildlife.

Our Hanging Baskets, designed to provide a focal point for our properties, could also be a valuable food source for insects and butterflies, provide nectar for bees and even on occasions, nesting places for blue tits and wrens. Now if that’s not added incentive to get out there and build yourself your very own Hanging Basket, I don’t know what is!

Plants likely to attract the most wildlife, although not necessarily exclusively so, are likely to be native species including: verbena, heathers, aubretia, lobilia, wild pansy, nepeta, marigolds, fuchsia, sweet alyssum, erigeron, ox-eye daisy, knapweed, scabious, lavender and snapdragon.

Trailing Hanging Basket plants ideal for wildlife include: sweet pea, nasturtium, ivy, honeysuckle and lobelia ‘pendula’.

Edible Hanging Basket plants ideal for wildlife include: tomatoes, strawberries, chives, rosemary, thyme, parsley and sage.

Editor, Third Age.