Insects are simply part of a he althy garden. Here you can find out what you need to consider to make your garden insect-friendly.
Whether as pollinators for all kinds of plants, as beneficial insects against unloved herbivores or as food for birds and hedgehogs - insects fulfill a multitude of important tasks in nature and of course in our gardens. Unfortunately, things are getting harder and harder for the small animals: In recent years, the number of many insect populations has fallen dramatically. A particularly prominent example of the difficult situation of insects is probably the death of bees, but other insect species such as butterflies or bumblebees are also struggling to survive. Fortunately, however, it is not that difficult to do something good for the insects: If you offer the animals a place of retreat in your own garden, you help the little helpers enormously and can thus ensure greater biodiversity. Find out how you can make your garden particularly insect-friendly in this article.
Insects ensure life in the garden. If you want to strengthen the back of the beautiful and fascinating animals, you should definitely follow these six tips.
1. Creating an Insect Friendly Garden
It takes a lot of work and space to create an insect friendly garden? Fortunately, that's not true: In fact, even small gardens and even a balcony can be designed to be insect-friendly. The first step is usually the most difficult - where should you start? It is best to start with a small inventory and write down what is already available in the garden and balcony. It is important to also write down the site conditions so that all plants are later placed in suitable places.
Now the actual planning begins: Here it is important to consider which areas should be redesigned and which beds suit your personal lifestyle. A wildflower meadow, for example, is more suitable for people who want a garden that is particularly easy to maintain. Self-sufficient people, on the other hand, do not want to do without their vegetable patch, others doin turn prefer a flowering perennial bed. The garden becomes particularly insect-friendly if you also plan “wild corners” with piles of leaves, dry stone walls or a small watercourse. Now the pre-selection of the new plants can begin: it is important to leave insect-friendly plants in the garden and to replace less insect-friendly plants with more suitable alternatives. Also consider the different flowering times of the plants - so that bees, butterflies and co. feel comfortable, the garden should be planted in such a way that the animals can find food from spring to late autumn. Once the planting plan has been created, the actual work can begin.
2. What do insects eat? The right choice of plants
The garden is in full bloom - mustn't that be a feast for insects? Unfortunately not, because in fact many plants impress with their great flowers, but hardly produce any nectar. Unfortunately, some of these plants are particularly popular with many gardeners: geraniums (Pelargonium) and dahlias (Dahlia), while pleasing to the eye, leave useful insects empty go out. Double varieties of roses (Rosa) or asters (Aster) are also not optimal for an insect pasture. On the other hand, insect-friendly flowers are more suitable, such as the well-known dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).
Herbs that are friendly to bees are also suitable for every garden and make beneficial animals and people happy. Nobody even has to do without flowering perennial beds, because you can decorate them wonderfully with insect-friendly perennials and shrubs. In addition, fruit trees are popular food sources for insects - bee-friendly trees should therefore not be missing in any larger garden. For smaller gardens, on the other hand, insect-friendly climbing plants are suitable - these can climb up the garden fence or house wall to save space and not only look beautiful, but also provide a welcome source of food for insects. In the video we show you how to create an insect-friendly flower bed yourself.
Tip: With an insect seed mixture like the Plantura bee pasture, you save yourself having to put together insect-friendly plants in your garden.
3. Organic instead of chemicals: Proper fertilization and spraying
When aphids nibble on vegetables or unloved weeds sprout in the beds, many hobby gardeners grab themto insecticides or weed killers. But this not only drives away the annoying visitors - beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies often cannot tolerate the chemical clubs and become unwanted victims. It therefore makes sense to omit chemicals - many pests can also be driven away with all kinds of household remedies such as nettle manure or by choosing the right planting partner. When it comes to weeds, it is sometimes even worth taking a closer look, because many weeds are not only edible, they are also very tasty. But you should not only be careful when spraying: mineral artificial fertilizers not only lack a lasting effect, they are also toxic for humans and animals in many cases. The much better option is organic fertilizers such as our Plantura fertilizers, which have a long-term effect due to their composition and pose no danger to insects.
4. Insect Friendly Variety
An English lawn may look neat and tidy, but it is a nightmare for many insects: the animals often cannot find enough food to survive on such monocultures. But even richly blooming summer meadows cannot provide enough food for bees, bumblebees and co. Although there is an abundance of food sources in this planting in summer, in spring and autumn the little helpers go in search of food in vain. So that the insects are supplied all year round, it is worth choosing as diverse a planting as possible. Early bloomers such as the spring crocus (Crocus vernus) or the grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) ensure a good start to the year for insects. In late summer, on the other hand, fall anemones (Anemone hupehensis) or ivy (Hedera helix) begin to bloom, providing one last feast before winter .
Seed mixtures such as the Plantura Beneficial Magnet are therefore ideal for an insect-friendly garden: Due to the large number of different native plant species contained in the mixture, it not only attracts various beneficial insects, but also offers a source of food over a long period of time for insects.
5. Creating retreats for insects
Trimmed hedges and tidy beds are a joy for many people, but a nightmare for insects: most of them don't find any in the gardenmore retreats where they can build their nests. “Wild corners” provide a remedy, where as little as possible is changed by the gardener. Deadwood, piles of leaves and old stalks provide ideal shelter for many insects. Thanks to wild herbs and perennials, such a corner does not have to look untidy, but exudes its very own charm.
Another great way to create a retreat for insects is to plant on a dry stone wall or pile of stones - these sunny spots are ideal spots for warmth-loving insects and are also extremely easy to care for. A pond not only cools you down in summer, but is also home to numerous species of insects, such as the beautiful dragonfly. But there are also great alternatives for smaller gardens: Insect hotels do not need much space, but are still a wonderful way to help wild bees and Co. So that the insects feel comfortable in their new house, you should make sure that the insect hotel is well made. The location is also crucial: Full sun but protected from the weather are ideal conditions for attracting the animals. If you also place the insect hotel near insect-friendly plants, the accommodation will soon be teeming with beneficial insects.
6. Remove Death Traps
Nobody really likes mosquitoes - especially on warm summer nights, the annoying bloodsuckers can spoil the evening. No wonder, then, that many garden owners set up UV traps to protect them from the pests. But also adhesive strips for flies or traps with scented bait can be found again and again on terraces. Unfortunately, these devices not only catch annoying pests, but also numerous useful insects and are therefore anything but insect-friendly. Better to use plants to repel mosquitoes: lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) or walnut (Juglans regia ) deter biting insects while providing food for beneficial insects.
But it's not just mosquito repellent that can become a death trap for insects: few people know that light pollution is also harmful to many insects. Since the animals are magically attracted to the light, they often circle or even crawl into the garden lights until they are completely exhaustedLamps inside - a death sentence. If possible, do without permanent garden lighting at night, for example by using a timer - this not only saves electricity, but also helps the insects at the same time.
If you want to learn more about how to turn your garden into a real bee paradise, then have a look here.