Wildlife friendly plants for a moist area are often assumed to be best as British Native for our pollinating wildlife including bees, butterflies & moths.
- Primula veris (Cowslip)
- Geum rivale (Water Avens)
- Lychnis flos-cuculi (Ragged Robin)
- Filipendula ulmaria (Meadowsweet)
- Succissa pratensis (Devils Bit Scabious)
- Eupatorium cannabinum (Hemp Agrimony)
These British Native plants can be used in damp meadow situations or areas that surround a pond. In addition some British Native pond plants grow in moist soil as well as in shallow water:
- Caltha palustris
- Eriophorum angustifolium
- Lythrum salicaria
- Mentha aquatica
- Potentilla palustris
- Ranunculus flammula
- Veronica beccabunga
Using a combination of all these you will create a succession of interest for the insects that visit your pond and damp area. For more information please see our Tips and Advice page
Using Non Native wildlife friendly plants:
- Adds to the range of plants & flowers available.
- Increases the length of flowering time for the wildlife in a year
- Iris pseudacorus (British Native) can reach 5ft tall and is only suitable for a large lake area. Non Native Iris versicolor will give you the foliage shape and upright function for emerging dragonfly but are smaller in size and introduce purple and plum colours to the flower range.
- Mentha aquatica (British Native) can raft across a small pond surface or moist area and cover it but Mentha cervina & Mentha cervina alba are clump forming. It is a Non Native Water Spearmint that bees, butterflies and other pollinators will enjoy in August/September. This is suitable for a smaller pond or container pond or moist area.
Late season flowers:
- The last pond plant to flower is Non Native Pontederia cordata (Pickerel Weed) in August & September. Both blue & white flowers are available and a taller Pontederia cordata lancifolia in pale blue too. So adding these to your pond onto a 25cm/10" shelf gives pollinating insects - especially bumble bees the late season feast they are looking for.
- The last Moist area flowers for wildlife are also Non Native - Hesperantha coccinea Mixed colours and Hesperantha coccinea Pink. These can still be flowering in November!
- We have a Moist plants for Bees & Butterflies scheme that will supply you with a selection of moist plants for late season.
If you have a small pond and moist area try to combine the smaller growing Natives with some ornamental, non Natives plants for pollinating insects. This gives them the maximum variety of pollinating plants possible.
Remember the bees & butterflies and find pollinating plants a place in your garden.