Companion Planting

Companion planting is good for the organic grower as it a way of working with nature, rather than against it. It is also a technique used by people that practice permaculture.For example some plants are good at deterring unwanted pests from crops. 

A few examples are:

• Chives, radishes, or rosemary can be used to deter carrot fly from a carrot crop, as they then can't smell the carrots due to the scents of the other plants.
• Rosemary is also good for driving away cabbage moth.
• Apparently Chives are also good near roses for controlling aphids, helping to reduce the disease blackspot.
• Marigolds help to keep away aphids, perhaps due to their aroma.

 The good thing about companion planting is that you can also get some other crops to eat too! They will  help to attract pollinators and other insects such as ladybirds, that are beneficial for controlling aphids.

Someone once told me a planting scheme for a border which she referred to as 'Something the same, Something different'. For example you have the same colour flowers or foliage throughout the border using different species, so it could be an all purple border but with different types of foliage.This could also mean picking different varieties, that flower at different times. I thought it would be interesting to see what a border like this would turn out like!

-Emma-

Plants Beneficial to Nature

Why we need to put plants that are beneficial to insects in our gardens?

 I don't know if you are aware, but the population of bees has been declining recently in the United Kingdom. They are thought to be under threat due to changes within the countryside and to agricultural techniques. According to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust there are fewer wildflowers than there used to be; this is because more land is being used for increased food production.

Also, nowadays, people are having modern hard landscaped designed gardens that are of low maintenance; which have formal planting schemes (usually a lot of gravel and Buxus hedging!) This means that are few flowering plants to attract bees into these types of gardens.

Why are bees important?
Bees are key Pollinators, especially when it comes to food production!

                    

Here is a way we can help bees 

Other Plants That Are Beneficial To Wildlife

• Teasels and Millets  provide seed for birds.

• Verbena, Echinacea and Buddleja to name but a few are great for attracting butterflies to your garden. Scented flowers such as Lavandula (Landender) also go down a treat with the bees.  

Red Admiral Butterfly(Vanessa atalanta)

-Emma-