Spread the word, Bretby is butterfly heaven

11 June 2009

It’s a sad fact but our butterfly population is declining due to the effects of intensive farming, pesticides, and the loss of natural habitat.

To help arrest this decline, a local garden centre manager has set his staff an exciting challenge; to convert 2 square metres of ground into a butterfly friendly display.

“We’re not only hoping to attract the Peacock, Red Admiral, Tortoiseshell and Common White butterflies but also Orange tips, Blue tips, Speckled Wood and Brimstone varieties” said Planters at Bretby Garden centre Manager Nick Fairbrother. “I want my staff to use plants that we currently sell but also I’m encouraging them to look for butterfly friendly plants that we can sell in the future. It is really important that we take as much care of our diverse garden wildlife as we do of our plants and the response from my team has been fantastic, they’re well up for it.”

“What we hope is that our butterfly garden will help to inspire our customers to create their own displays and encourage butterflies into their gardens. It really is a case of just picking the right plants and flowers which butterflies are attracted to. There are plenty to choose from and Lee our plant supervisor is more than happy to advise on the best ones for your garden. When I think how many more butterflies I used to see about as a kid, it worries me how few you see about now. It really isn’t that hard to do your bit and help attract them to your gardens, besides you get a stunning display of colour in the process”.

For help and advice on how to create your own butterfly haven pop down to Planters at Bretby and pick their butterfly friendly brains.

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