The Wild Wall Border – Unexpected Wildlife Along the Kitchen Garden
Spent the afternoon taking a closer look at the shady strip of ground that runs along the side wall of the flat. Until recently this whole area was overgrown and rather neglected, but as I’ve gradually restored the garden, some fascinating plants have begun to reveal themselves.
One of the stars of this little border is what appears to be Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), a native wildflower in the dead-nettle family. Despite the name, it doesn’t sting. The plant has large, softly hairy leaves and attractive pink-lilac flowers arranged in tiers up square, fuzzy stems.
A Plant for Pollinators 🐝
Hedge woundwort thrives in exactly the sort of conditions found here:
- Partial shade beside a wall
- Slightly damp, undisturbed soil
- A sheltered corner where taller plants can establish themselves
The flowers are particularly attractive to bumblebees and other long-tongued pollinators, while the dense growth provides shelter for insects and spiders.
Growing alongside it is a patch of creeping buttercup. Although often dismissed as a weed, its cheerful yellow flowers provide nectar for small bees and hoverflies in spring and early summer.
A Productive Little Habitat
Interestingly, the neighbouring wall has become colonised by brambles, which are flowering well this year. I cut back a lot of the long, vigorous new growth earlier in the season, so with a bit of luck we may be rewarded with some blackberries later in the summer.
The border now has a rather pleasing succession of interest:
🌼 Spring: Creeping buttercups
🌸 Early Summer: Hedge woundwort flowers
🍇 Late Summer: Blackberry fruits
🍂 Autumn: Seed heads and winter shelter for insects
Managing Rather Than Eradicating
Not much else seems willing to grow in this narrow strip, so my plan is simply to manage it rather than clear it completely.
- Allow the woundwort to flower for the pollinators.
- Cut the stems back once they have finished blooming if they become untidy.
- Keep the buttercup from spreading into the lawn or paths.
- Trim any adventurous bramble shoots that wander too far.
Sometimes the most interesting parts of a garden are the corners we didn’t intentionally plant. What was once an overgrown strip beside the wall is slowly becoming a little wildlife corridor running alongside the kitchen garden, proving once again that a few well-managed “weeds” can make a valuable contribution to biodiversity.
Excerpt:
Not much else grows in this shady strip beside the wall, so nature has taken the opportunity to create its own miniature wildlife border. With hedge woundwort, buttercups and even flowering brambles, this forgotten corner is becoming one of the most interesting habitats in the garden. 🌸🐝🍇