If you are a gardener who is wondering what to plant in order to help wildlife and promote biodiversity, have a look at the Natural History Museum's Postcode Database. All you do is supply your postcode and up comes a list of plants that are native to your local area. It's brilliant!

There are sections for all types of plants, annual, perennial, water plants etc. 'Gardenworthy' plants are marked, many are illustrated and there is information about each plant and any species of wildlife that needs it to survive. In this way, you can learn as you browse and choose plants. Of course, you will also be helping to maintain our own native plant stocks as well. 

It can be very satisfying and calming to sit in a garden that is full of birdsong and the buzzing of insect-life. Such a garden is usually a healthy and rich habitat, that is good to be in and likely to attract birds, frogs, toads and possibly hedgehogs, even in Stoke Newington.

I remember sitting next to a native blackthorn bush in a friend's garden, which was in full bloom. I spent a long, peaceful time happily listening to the constant hum of bees and hoverflies from amongst the delicate white flowers. Later, I enjoyed some of my friend's delicious sloe gin, made from the previous year's fruit from the same bush!

A silent garden seems barren and rather boring to me, no matter how many exotic plants are in it. Many insects find highly cultivated plants to be inhospitable, often because they cannot access pollen and nectar as flower heads are too tightly formed. So try including such beautiful flowers as primroses or purple loosestrife in your garden, native plants which help support many insects.

Check out the Website to find lovely plants ideal for your own area, so you can create wildlife habitats and make your garden or windowsills more interesting - and know you are helping the environment.
  
Here's the Agrimony entry from the Database - an attractive flower, native to Stoke Newington, N16.




http://www.nhm.ac.uk/fff/index.html