Roses for attracting wildlife
Roses are invaluable plants for attracting wildlife into the garden. Their nectar-rich flowers are well-loved by bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other beneficial insects. Bees in particular are helpful for pollinating a wide range of plants in your garden and beneficial insects will help keep your roses healthy by eating aphids and other pests. With very little extra effort, a wildlife friendly garden will provide you with the opportunity to watch native wildlife up close at your leisure, whilst also keeping unwanted pests at bay. Roses with single ‘open’ flowers in a variety of colours spanning reds, oranges, purples, pinks and yellows are best for bees and butterflies. Bees love plants with striking colours and fragrances, elaborately shaped petals and ample nectar, preferably with different flowers close together. Sadly, there has been a steep decline in bee numbers over recent years. Creating gardens that are friendly to honeybees and bumblebees can certainly be part of the solution. The roses in this section make good choices for attracting wildlife because their single or semi-double blooms allow for easy access to their pollen-rich stamens.