GARDENING: Bring biodiversity back to your patch

SPRING is a busy time in the garden for everyone. No matter how big or small your garden is or the amount of time you can spend on your plot, I would suggest you make 2024 the year you take biodiversity to heart. There are several simple easy actions we can take to help increase pollinators in our garden.

Mow less
BY mowing less we can allow native wildflowers like dandelions, clover and birds-foot trefoil to naturally return over time. This action helps to restore species-rich grasslands: a vital habitat providing food and shelter for pollinators.
Species-rich grasslands have been decimated in Ireland in recent decades. By reducing mowing – even to once a month – you will help them slowly return, one pocket at a time. We are all encouraged to participate in No Mow May but I would suggest continuing this for further months. I mow a path around the edge of the lawn and leave the rest!
The more blossom your hedgerow has in spring, the better it is for biodiversity. Allow hedges to grow into a natural A-shape profile rather than a neat box shape. Flowers grow on older wood, so avoid cutting annually – cut on a three-year rotation instead to allow them to flower in spring.

Go native
NATIVE hedgerow plants such as hawthorn (also called whitethorn) and blackthorn flower early in spring, providing vital food for wild bees when they emerge from hibernation. Birds and mammals eat their berries later in autumn. Hedgerows are an important nesting habitat for many creatures, forming vital corridors for nature through our more sterile modern landscape. Remember when picking blackberries within hedgerows in the autumn for natural, tasty treats, leave plenty for the birds.
Native trees and shrubs such as willow, hawthorn, rowan, crab apple, and holly support huge numbers of insects, including pollinators. Plant a young tree in the autumn or winter, or grow them from seed. Trees that blossom in spring are a low-maintenance, vital source of food for pollinators. Trees contribute to a healthy climate and biodiversity, supporting a rich variety of organisms such as lichens, mosses, birds, mammals and insects.

Avoid chemicals
IT IS very important to avoid chemicals – herbicides and pesticides. These potent chemical cocktails are designed to kill various organisms. One of the best things you can do for pollinators is to avoid using them. If you buy plants at a garden centre, ask if they have been treated with chemicals. Even ‘bee friendly’ labelled plants may have been treated with pesticides.
Insecticides have been found to kill, harm and disorientate pollinators. Herbicides kill the ‘weeds’ that provide them with important food. Instead of using herbicides, enjoy spotting the little wildflowers that pop up when you stop spraying.

Nesting habitats
IT IS important to create nesting habitats for pollinators too. Wild pollinators nest in hedgerows, wild areas, dry stone walls and even in the ground. To make a nesting habitat for them, just scrape back some bare earth, leave some areas to grow wild, or simply drill holes 10cm deep in unvarnished wood for solitary bees.
Wild pollinators need safe nesting habitats for shelter and protection from predators in order to survive and thrive, and to allow next year’s pollinators to grow and develop. Choose areas that are close to flowers. Bumblebees need food within about one kilometre of their nests, and solitary bees will only travel a few hundred meters. You could also protect an old stone wall, a south facing earth bank, a hedgerow, or reduce mowing.
Create a small bee hotel out of reeds or bamboo stems. Hang it away from bird feeders at the start of spring and leave it alone for a year to see adult bees emerge the following spring.
Large bee hotels are attractive to humans, but not great for pollinators. They can encourage the spread of disease and attract predators. Avoid anything bigger than an average-sized bird box. There are many other ways to provide nesting habitats for pollinators, such as providing wild areas of undisturbed long grass, and scraping back some bare earth. If you want to make a bee hotel, make sure it is small, and position it away from bird feeders so the insects aren’t easy targets.

Pollen providers
CHOOSE pollen rich friendly plants. There are plenty of beautiful plants you can choose for your garden that are rich in nectar and pollen. Bidens and Bacopa are great bedding plants for small containers and hanging baskets; and herbs such as thyme and rosemary provide food for you as well as for pollinators. Make sure you keep these plants to your garden and don’t plant them in the wider landscape. Outside your garden, the best action for pollinators is to create biodiversity meadows and margins by reducing mowing.
Pollinators need flowers that produce lots of nectar (for energy) and pollen (for protein). If you don’t have a garden, you can plant in pots, window boxes and balconies.
The flowers of bulbs such as snowdrop, crocus, and grape hyacinth sown in the autumn provide early food for emerging pollinators the following spring. And all it takes is planting five fruit trees to create a mini orchard.
You might be surprised to hear that sowing wildflower seed mixes can be detrimental to local biodiversity. Many wildflower seed mixes contain non-native species, and can inadvertently introduce invasive species. Please avoid using them where possible.
If you do decide to sow wildflower seed mixes, keep to garden settings, ensure they are native and of Irish origin, and never use in situations where natural habitat restoration is possible (don’t mow, let it grow!). Alternatively, you could collect and sow seeds from local wildflowers.

Chris Smith has been running Western Herbs & Veg for more than 30 years, producing organic herbs and vegetables for sale at Westport Country Market. He is a member of Mayo’s Clew Bay Garden Trail, a chain of beautiful and unique private gardens that open to the public during summer to raise funds for charity (see www.clewbaygardentrail.ie for more). Each month, an article by a trail member will appear in these pages.