Plant flowers for bats and win some fantastic wildlife gardening prizes

Plant flowers for bats and win some fantastic wildlife gardening prizes in a new competition launched by the RHS in partnership with the Bat Conservation Trust and the Wildlife Trusts.

Create a Bat-Friendly Garden

All you have to do is plant a bat feast of insect-friendly flowers to give your local colony of bats plenty of food to enjoy, then take a photo and send it in. Among bat-attracting flowers you can plant in your garden are oxeye daisies, Verbena bonariensis, Ammi majus, lavenders and hebes – you’ll find plants and seeds for your batty project on sale here at the garden centre in Pickering.

There’s also free booklet and online guide to download, ‘Stars of the Night’, with loads of great ideas for laying on a bat banquet in your garden, balcony or window box, as well as details of which bats are most likely to visit your garden and how to listen for them, and a seasonal guide to what bats are doing throughout the year.

Remember to send in your photos

You have until 6 November to send in your photos. Prizes include a bat detector, bat box and a visit from a bat enthusiast, with winners announced during Wild About Gardens week at the end of October. For more details visit www.wildaboutgardensweek.org.uk.