However, flowers are inherently beautiful and impossible to hate, and they soon achieved an importance in the garden equal to that of the food-supplying plants. The wild-flowers self-seeding amongst the other flowers gave the cottage garden its unplanned and natural appearance so many gardeners aspire to today.
Whatever you decide to do, once it's done, sit back and watch the butterflies, bees, moths, hoverflies and birds pay you visits in their droves!
Some Plants to Attract Bats
Bladder Campion; Borage; Corn Marigold; Chives; Dog Rose; Evening Primrose; Golden Rod; Honeysuckle; Lemon Balm; Marjoram; Poppy; Red Valerian; Sage; Soapwort; Tobacco; Wild Cornflower; Wild Wall Flower; Yarrow
Some Plants to Attract Bees
Bees are important pollinators in the garden, pollinating flowers and vegetables.
Betony; Birds Foot Trefoil; Bush Basil; Dyers Chamomile; Chives; Comfrey; Evening Primrose; Feverfew; Foxglove; Garlic Mustard; Greater Knapweed; Hounds Tongue; Hyssop; Jacob's Ladder; Joe Pye Weed; Lady's Smock; Lavender; Lesser Knapweed; Purple Loosestrife; Red Campion; St John's Wort; Teasel; Toadflax; Viper's Bugloss; Wild Pansy; Woodruff; Yarrow
Some Plants to Attract Birds
Birds are good pest controllers - they'll eat slugs and snails, for example. They also enliven the garden with their song. The following plants produce seeds that birds find attractive.
Forget-me-not; Greater Knapweed; Honesty; Poppy; Small Scabious; Solidgao (Golden Rod); Teasel
Some Plants to Attract Butterflies
The following plants produce nectar-rich flowers that are very attractive to butterflies and moths.
Angelica; Betony; Birds Foot Trefoil; Bladder Campion; Candytuft; Carnation; Chrysanthemum; Corn Marigold; Cowslip; Devil's Bit Scabious; Feverfew; Field Scabious; Forget-me-not; Foxglove; Garlic Mustard;n Golden Rod; Greater Knapweed; Hollyhock; Honesty; Honeysuckle; Hyssop; Lady's Bedstraw; Lady's Smock; Lavender; Lupin; Marigold; Marjoram; Mignonette; Ox-eye Daisy; Phlox; primrose; Red Hot Poker; Red Valerian; Rosemary; St John's Wort; Sea Holly; Sedum Spectabile; Small Scabious; Sneezeweed; Soapwort; Sorrel; Sweet Rocket; Teasel; Thrift; Thyme; Toadflax; Vervain; Viper's Bugloss; Wall Flower; Wild Clematis; Wild Pansy; Yarrow