Peter Dowdall: How to turn our gardens into wildlife havens

Planting in pots and containers not only adds visual beauty but can also provide essential resources for local wildlife, provided we use the right plants.

By carefully selecting plants that benefit winter pollinators and wildlife, we can enhance the biodiversity in our garden and support the survival of various species during the colder months.

For us, they may give that shot of colour, but think for a moment if you’re a bumble bee out foraging in the winter, these planted containers can be veritable oases in an otherwise barren garden.

Some winter-flowering plants, such as winter heather, will provide both nectar and pollen for bees during this quiet time in the garden. Look for the beautifully, rich-toned Erica carnea ‘Myretoun Ruby’ (Winter Heath) or perhaps the ‘Springwood White’.

Cyclamen persicum, which is the species that we grow in pots and containers during winter, of which the red and white forms have become synonymous with Christmas, are beautiful to look at but, unfortunately, may as well be artificial when it comes to bees and other pollinators.

In larger pots, shrubs such as hamamelis (witch hazel) or mahonia are two which will be positively laden with flowers over the next few months and are very valuable to pollinators. There are many plant species which will bear fruits, berries, or seeds during winter, which serve as essential food sources for birds and small mammals.

Using holly, crab apples, callicarpa, pyracantha, and skimmia, we can attract and sustain these creatures throughout the season. Not only will the containers sparkle with the delightful berries but our gardens will come to life when we see the birds flock to these shrubs.

It’s like the first bird sends some type of avian text message to all its friends and before you know it, your garden will be fluttering with life.

I could sit all day, looking out the window at the birds feeding on plants and feeders.

Again, for bigger pots, dense evergreen shrubs, yew, juniper, or viburnum will provide excellent shelter for birds during cold winter days. These shrubs offer protection from harsh winds and predators and if they are large enough shrubs, they will create safe spaces for these same birds to build their nests.

Using plants with different foliage colours and textures will add a vibrancy to your winter planters which flowers alone cannot provide. Consider combinations of evergreens with different shades of green, red, orange, or yellow berries, and pops of colour from winter-flowering plants.

Ornamental grasses can add texture and movement to winter planters while also serving as valuable shelters for insects and small mammals. Calamagrostis, panicum, and stipa will all bring that extra element to the planting mix with their texture and winter look.

Heucheras will bring low-growing evergreen foliage. As there are now over 1,500 varieties of heuchera available, there will always be one to suit your colour scheme. I would opt for one of the warmer, mahogany-coloured forms such as cherry truffles for interest during the winter but you may want something brighter such as lime ruffles.

Any or all of them will work and will combine beautifully with the contrasting textures of the grasses and will work well with winter flowers and berries. Later, in the spring and summer, these heucheras will flower too and will provide nourishment for bees, hoverflies, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

Perhaps the most important element when planting pots and containers for winter colour is the container selection.

Give some thought first to the colour choice as the colour of the pot is very much part of the overall effect.

Make sure that the pots are frostproof terracotta or glazed so that they will survive our low temperatures and, perhaps more importantly, ensure that they have adequate drainage to prevent waterlogging.

I think it is wise to the point of being essential that pots are raised on “pot feet” during the winter so that excess water can drain away easily. If it doesn’t, the plants will be at risk of rotting from being in waterlogged soil but the pot itself will be more at risk if and when the temperatures drop below freezing, as water expands when it freezes and if there is too much moisture in the soil, it will very possibly crack the pot when it freezes.

• Got a gardening question for Peter Dowdall? Email gardenquestions@examiner.ie