Forward plans

APRIL is a planting time, so a time to think ahead. You can plan something that will attract insects and – at the insects’ expense, admittedly – help birds, too. The same plant might then produce berries, which birds will eat eagerly in late summer and autumn, perhaps as essential fuel for migration.

A tangle of creeping, climbing, twisting stems and foliage is always a likely spot for a bird or two to roost, or a pair of European Robins, Eurasian

Wrens or Blackbirds to nest in. Think of honeysuckle. It looks good, smells good and does a world of good as an ideal plant for covering posts, fences, arches and so on, mixed with roses and other climbers, and maybe some elder (if you have the room and don’t mind a bit of uncontrollable spread).

April is not the time to get the benefit, but to plant for the enjoyment to come, over many years. Late summer, when the berries are ripening, could see a nice lineup of warblers, which might otherwise be difficult to pull into a garden. Rob Hume

Planting a climbing plant such as honeysuckle over an archway will create excellent habitat for a range of garden birds – and provide you with enjoyment for years to come.