plants for pollinators

Take a look at Q Lawns' new video featuring two different ways to encourage pollinating insects into your garden.

Penny Bennett Architects' gazebo with a green roof

Wild flower meadows are lovely, but they're not everybody's first choice.  Living green roofs on the other hand don't affect the way your garden can be used, but they do have a whole heap of benefits for butterflies, bees and householders.
You'll find the video on Youtube by clicking on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVsYVkMl-kk

Gardening for Butterflies, Bees and other beneficial insects

Today, I recieved in the post a copy of the book "Gardening for Butterflies, Bees and other beneficial insects" by Jan Miller-Klein. 

I've not had time to study it in detail yet, but a quick flick through has left me itching to put aside a whole afternoon to be spent in a comfy chair with a pot of tea, a log fire and a fruit cake, just reading this book and learning so much more about ways to nurture and support the flying minibeasts that are so important to our eco-system.

Jan's book takes us through the four seasons, telling us which butterflies and bees are likely to be active and which plants they need to supply them with nectar and with food for their caterpillars.  I'm not surprised to see that many of the plant species Jan describes are in Meadowmat and how many could be plug-planted into Meadowmat or planted alongside it to make even more valuable habitat. All of the  plants in the book are beautifully photographed and described with sensible advice on how best to cultivate them and what to grow alongside them.

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys (or would like to enjoy) gardening for wildlife