Pots and Planters
What?
Even the smallest spaces can host nature. Pots, planters and troughs can turn doorways, shopfronts and courtyards into thriving micro-habitats. With the right mix of plants and a bit of imagination, these container gardens can provide food, shelter and even water for a surprising range of wildlife.
Where?
Everywhere — from high-street doorways and balconies to hardstanding yards and forecourts. On the Isle of Wight, pots can brighten urban areas such as Newport, Ryde or Cowes, or add interest to business parks, school entrances and village greens. Containers are especially useful in exposed or paved coastal settings where planting into the ground isn’t possible.
How?
Vary shape, size and height. Group pots of different dimensions and place them at multiple levels to create shelter and structure.
Choose plants that feed and host wildlife through their life cycles. Combine flowers for nectar and pollen, fruiting plants for birds, and leafy species for caterpillars.
Good examples: Lady’s Bedstraw, Strawberries, Mints, Bramble, Dandelions (and related Cat’s-ear species), and traditional salad or vegetable crops.
Add habitat materials. Fill some pots with woodchip, bundles of sticks or pieces of bark to support deadwood-feeding species.
Create micro-wetlands. Seal a few pots to hold rainwater or add damp compost and bog plants — hoverflies will use them for laying eggs and amphibians for drinking.
Use recycled or locally made containers such as reclaimed tubs, barrels or ceramic planters from local potteries — keeping your project circular and island-based.
Group pots together so they form connected habitat clusters rather than isolated features.
When?
You can add or refresh pots throughout the year, but spring and early autumn are the best times to establish new plants. Leave seed heads and dead stems over winter to provide food and shelter for insects and birds.
Why?
Container habitats support biodiversity even in the most built-up environments. They cool paved areas, absorb rainwater, and create attractive, restorative spaces for people. On the Isle of Wight, where many workplaces and schools have limited outdoor ground, planters can connect isolated green spaces into a wider island-wide network of “stepping-stone” habitats.
Actions for Isle of Wight Species
Hoverflies and solitary bees use potted herbs and flowering plants for nectar and nesting sites.
Red admirals and small tortoiseshell butterflies feed on mints and nettle relatives.
House sparrows pick seeds from pots left to go to seed.
Bats benefit indirectly from increased insect activity around flowering planters.
Frogs and toads can drink or shelter near small, damp pots and micro-ponds.
Resources
RHS – Gardening in Pots for Pollinators
Garden Organic – Container Gardening for Wildlife
Buglife – Pollinator-Friendly Plant List
Grow Wild – Small Space Gardening