Leave spent stems FOR WILDLIFE
Finches and wrens love to hunt for hidden seed supplies, while insects shelter in seedhead nooks and crannies
Seedheads sustain seed-eating birds, principally finches, and shelter insect life too. Tiny spiders and insects tuck themselves away in their nooks and crannies, and birds will work over your garden in search of them. Having a dedicated area of stiff-stemmed, later flowering perennials in a sunny corner of your garden, positioned so they pick up the sun, will benefit you and your wildlife. If frost descends, the whole area will look magical and one of my daily winter highlights is watching the wrens frisk the stems. Some woody seedheads contain vertical chambers and many years ago I collected several phlomis heads and brought them inside in order to describe them for a book I was writing. Within a few moments lots of tiny spiders and insects began to emerge so I had to rush outside with them! The one to use in late herbaceous planting is Phlomis tuberosa ‘Amazone’. This has whorls of purple-pink flowers in June, so it’s a forerunner to later planting, but the wiry black seedheads form by late summer. It does run about, though not invasively for me. Or you could grow the sun-loving grey-leaved Jerusalem sage, P. fruticosa for its yellow f lowers. This one enjoys a warm position. Try to incorporate some teasels on the outer edges; their architectural heads are goldfinch favourites. The cupped foliage against the stems forms mini birdbaths every time it rains. You could also use seed-setting geraniums: early-f lowering G. phaeum and summer-blooming G. pratense have hooked seeds designed to be carried by animals. Greenfinches love them.
Teasels’ architectural heads are goldfinch favourites