Our gardens can become refuges of resilience in the face of climate uncertainty, soil degradation, and declining wildlife.
With the growing awareness of sustainability and protecting biodiversity, there has been a growing movement in small local projects.
Pockets of biodiversity
Creating pockets of biodiverse-rich areas blended in with urban and rural areas can result in several biodiversity and sustainability wins.
If you have a garden or access to a local park or community space, you can help create biodiverse rich zones, such as a wildflower corridor, select plants that enhance biodiversity.
By growing native plants and embracing wild species often labelled as “weeds,” we support not just pollinators, but the entire web of life, including the soil beneath our feet.
These twenty plants—half grown intentionally, half protected from the strimmer—help build a healthier garden and a healthier planet.
Ten native plants you should grow
These are native or long-naturalised plants that actively support soil regeneration, attract beneficial wildlife, and offer edible or medicinal uses.
- Comfrey (Symphytum)
Use: Grown for mulch and compost tea.
Biodiversity role: Popular with bees; deep roots improve subsoil structure.
(Note: Bocking 14 is sterile and non-invasive.) - Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
Use: Nitrogen fixer, herbal tea.
Biodiversity role: Vital nectar source for bumblebees and moths. - Bird ’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
Use: Improves poor soils.
Biodiversity role: Supports butterflies like the common blue and dingy skipper. - Wild garlic (Allium ursinum)
Use: Edible leaves and flowers.
Biodiversity role: Grows in shade, supports early-season pollinators. - Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
Use: Medicinal, edible flowers.
Biodiversity role: Supports beetles and hoverflies; thrives in damp soils. - Greater knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa)
Use: Ornamental and meadow planting.
Biodiversity role: Excellent pollinator plant, especially for butterflies. - Field scabious (Knautia arvensis)
Use: Long-flowering native for sunny spots.
Biodiversity role: Supports a wide range of bees and hoverflies. - Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)
Use: Young shoots and seeds are edible (with caution).
Biodiversity role: One of the best native plants for pollinators and beetles. - Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Use: Soil tonic, herbal use.
Biodiversity role: Attracts predatory insects and improves soil structure. - Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Use: Nuts, coppicing for stakes and fencing.
Biodiversity role: Supports over 70 species of insects and birds; provides early pollen for bees.
Ten wild plants you should keep
Often called weeds, these native species play vital roles in garden ecosystems, especially when allowed to grow in marginal corners or hedgerows.
- Common nettle (Urtica dioica)
Use: Edible, compost tea, textile fibre.
Biodiversity role: Supports over 40 species of insects, including peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies. - Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Use: Leaves, roots, and flowers are edible.
Biodiversity role: Key early nectar plant; deep roots aerate compacted soil. - Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum and L. album)
Use: Edible leaves; good for ground cover.
Biodiversity role: Early-season pollinator support. - Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)
Use: Edible leaves, medicinal use.
Biodiversity role: Ground cover, pollinator magnet. - Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
Use: Edible young leaves; used in traditional herbal medicine.
Biodiversity role: Native species; food plant for butterfly larvae and stabilises compacted soil. - Greater celandine (Chelidonium majus)
Use: Traditional herbal applications (with caution).
Biodiversity role: Attracts hoverflies and other beneficial insects. - Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Use: Edible salad greens.
Biodiversity role: Early-season forage for insects. - Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)
Use: Historically used in brewing and as an edible herb.
Biodiversity role: Low-growing cover for pollinators. - Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Use: Ornamental, dried flower heads.
Biodiversity role: Seeds feed goldfinches; flowers support bees. - Cleavers (Galium aparine)
Use: Edible when young; herbal applications.
Biodiversity role: Host plant for moths and shelter for invertebrates.
Rewilding your garden mindset
This isn’t a call to let your garden run wild—it’s a call to see the wild differently. Native plants, even when unruly, are the backbone of local ecosystems.
If we choose to grow and protect species that support biodiversity and soil, we can turn every garden—balcony, allotment, verge, or window box—into part of a living network for change.
Anders Lorenzen is the founding Editor of A greener life, a greener world.
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