An autumnal tidy up is looming for my garden and I’ve been thinking of ways to prepare it for winter while also providing some cold weather food and shelter for the creatures that have enjoyed it during the summer. Thankfully, very few of us now choose to subscribe to the idea of getting the garden ready for winter the old way, by chopping everything down to ground level, leaving bare earth with no food or hiding places and also risking the loss of some of our less hardy plants to the elements.
My aim to garden more sustainably has led me to grow more perennial plants, largely chosen for their wildlife friendly properties as well as their beauty and these now have an array of seed heads. Some I’ve collected to save seeds for next year which you can read about here Saving Seeds, Saving Resources and others whose stems decay or collapse with the arrival of the first frost will be cut back and either composted to avoid disease or in the case of the more robust, used as mulch. However, for many that are sturdier and can stand up to the winter winds and snowfall, I’ve spared the secateurs and chosen to leave for the wildlife until the new plant growth appears in early spring. This approach doesn’t have to look untidy, in fact the bare stems and seed heads can add beautiful, almost sculptural structure and look absolutely magical when dusted with frosty highlights. Providing a range of natural, tasty seed options in our gardens allows the birds to feed in a wider area which makes them far less vulnerable to predators than congregating in numbers at a feeder.
Another benefit of this approach is that wildlife friendly gardening can involve a lot less tidying and pruning for us, which can only be a good thing! My next post will be about more general things we can do to give the wildlife a helping hand over winter but here is a list of some of my favourite seed heads to leave standing over the winter which you might want to try yourself.
1. Allium
The starry round heads of Alliums look magical with a touch of frost or snow. I particularly like Allium Globemaster, not just for the beautiful purple flowers in summer but the interest that these stronger stemmed seed heads give while offering great wildlife snack potential.
2. Angelica
If you can resist the temptation to bring these pretty seed heads in to put in a vase, they make a tasty treat for the birds.
3. Coreopsis
I’ve grown the cheerful ‘moonbeam’ variety this year and the smaller birds love this in the colder months almost as much as the pollinators do in the summer. Sparrows and finches are regular visitors.
4. Echinacea
Also known as Coneflowers due to their distinctive shape, these continue to look good once the petals have fallen and attract finches to enjoy their seeds.
5. Eryngium
Also known as sea holly, the soft silver, grey and blue shades of summer give way to a dramatic, spiky silhouetted seed head that looks amazing adorned in ice crystals on frosty mornings and provides an insect habitat that in turn attracts the blue tits.
6. Eupatorium Maculatm
Commonly known as the Joe Pye weed (no idea why), once this architectural marvel has finished attracting pollinators with its abundant purple heads in summer, the seed heads also provide food for snacking and cotton wool like fluff for nesting material.
7. Evening Primrose
The autumn seed pods of this beautifully scented plant are interestingly divided into four parts which can produce over a thousand seeds between them. They are favourites of the birds and in particular, finches.
8. Honesty, Lunaria Annua
The purple summer flowers turn to attractive, translucent moon-like seed cases in the autumn and last really well over the winter providing a long lasting source of visual interest for us and food for the birds.
9. Ivy
Not strictly a seed head I know but certainly worth including. I refrain from cutting it back during my autumn tidy up and allow the dark berries to develop which add another food option for the hungry wildlife. It will also provide a good winter habitat for butterflies and sometimes small mammals if it is dense enough.
10. Knapweed, Centaurea nigra
Although this thistle-like plant can be considered a weed when left to grow out of control, it can also offer a feast of pine cone like, papery, seed heads that are formed from the tiny flower bracts. They are a big favourite of goldfinches.
11. Ornamental Grasses
These provide seeds from their dried flower heads that often last throughout winter. Smaller birds such as sparrows and finches enjoy them and take shelter in the leafy foliage. Stipa gigantea, is a favourite for its fountain-like appearance.
12. Poppy, Papaver rhoeas
Poppies produce their seed in attractive pods shaped like miniature pepper pots. The dispersed seeds are enjoyed by birds that feed on the ground such as sparrows.
13. Rudbeckia
Also known as Black-eyed Susan, have sturdy stems and tiny dark cones that stand up to the winter weather very well. Finches and nuthatches particularly enjoy snacking on them.
14. Sedum
There are lots of varieties but the hardy perennials such as the ice plant, sedum spectabile, offer attractive seed heads and plenty of insect hiding places which in turn provide a source of protein for birds such as the blue tit.
15. Scabiosa
Often referred to as the pincushion flower due to its rounded, spiky seed head, birds snack on its seeds during the autumn. The stems are not robust so these may need cutting back later in the season to avoid them turning to mush in the wet weather.
16. Sunflower
The large buffet table heads of the sunflower nod in the wind and offer plenty of high-energy seeds that are popular with birds, especially sparrows, finches and nuthatches.
17. Teasel, Dipsacus
Once popular, these are rarely grown in gardens now and are most often seen in the wild but where they are found they’re a big hit with finches and blue tits too although not for the seed but for the insects that hide within the seed head. Like Angelica and Allium this really makes a statement when there’s little else to see in the winter months so is well worth considering for the back of the border next year.
18. Traveller’s Joy, Clematis Vitalba
Not loved by everyone due to its ‘travelling’ habit but it does offer a food source for finches and like Eupatorium, has fluffy seed heads for nesting material.
19. Verbascum, Mullein
The large silvery leaves often survive the cold weather and its height adds interest while providing a perching opportunity, it offers a home to over-wintering insects and also provides a tasty treat for the birds.
20. Wild carrot, Daucus Carota
Similar to Angelica, this has great visual appeal when there’s not much else to see and can be home to a range of insects and spiders over the winter, which again attracts blue tits.
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