How many native British plants do you have in your garden? I don’t mean in a meadow, the long grasses or that “rewilded” area where you threw all those free seed bombs — but in your ornamental beds, vegetable patch or plant pots?
Gardens — and the countryside — are too often dominated by plants that have been introduced from around the globe. Native plants are often overlooked, despite their resilience and beauty, for louder, more exotic or cultivated varieties, while the nitrogen enrichment of soil through over-fertilisation and atmospheric pollution benefits many non-native species. Over half of native plants in the UK are in decline due to agricultural intensification, degradation of habitats and increased grazing.
Discussion of wild flowers — popular modern shorthand for indigenous flora — is often restricted to rewilding and land management. Which is a shame, as they can be incredibly accessible, practical plants to grow in gardens big or small, offering multiple benefits to humans and wildlife.