Bats come to a garden for one reason: food. Every British bat eats insects, so the way to attract bats is to grow plants that feed moths, midges and other night-flying insects, then give bats dark, sheltered routes to reach them. I'm a horticulturist, not a bat ecologist, so this guide sticks to the gardening side: which plants work, which are native, and what will cope with a North East garden.
Why bats visit gardens: it's all about insects
The Bat Conservation Trust records 18 species of bats in the UK, 17 of them known to breed here. The common species you're most likely to see over a garden are the common and soprano pipistrelle, the brown long-eared bat, the noctule and Daubenton's bat, according to the RHS. All of them are nocturnal insectivores, and the RHS lists their prey as moths, midges, mosquitoes and other flies, mayflies, some beetles, caddis flies and lacewings. The RHS also notes that bat populations have declined over the last 50 years.
They need a lot of them. The Wild About Gardens guide from The Wildlife Trusts and the RHS says a pipistrelle can eat more than 500 tiny insects in an hour. Moths are a big part of that diet, and they're in trouble: Butterfly Conservation found Britain's larger moths fell by 33% between 1968 and 2017, and points out that they provide essential food for bats and many birds.
Gardens make a real difference. The Bat Conservation Trust calls them an important source of food, water and shelter for bats, and it cites a Paris study in which private green spaces made up 36% of the city's green space but up to 47.9% of the habitat available to bats. The RHS says you're most likely to see bats from March to October, so a bat-friendly garden needs insects from early spring, when bats leave hibernation, to late autumn, when they're building up fat before they hibernate.
Night-scented and pale flowers that feed moths
All British bats eat insects, so none of them feed from flowers. When people talk about plants that attract bats, they mean plants that attract the insects bats eat. That's why night-scented flowers are so useful: Butterfly Conservation explains that their scent evolved to attract moths as pollinators. Pale and white flowers help too, because moths can see them at dusk, and the RHS recommends growing flowers that attract moths, preferably white or pale ones.
A few details make a big difference to how much nectar a moth can actually reach:
| Choose single flowers | Double flowers have little or no nectar, so pick single-flowered dahlias, hollyhocks and cosmos. |
|---|---|
| Pick the right tobacco plant | Butterfly Conservation recommends the original Nicotiana alata, because modern varieties have lost much of their scent. Nicotiana sylvestris attracts moths, but its flower tubes are too long for British moths to reach the nectar. |
| Spread the season | The Bat Conservation Trust suggests flowers from early spring to late autumn. Ivy is especially valuable for autumn-flying moths because it flowers in October and November. |
| Mix heights and shapes | Herbs, tall perennials, shrubs and climbers together support a wider range of insects than one long border of the same plant. |
Bat-friendly plants for UK gardens: what to grow and when it flowers
These plants all appear on lists from the Bat Conservation Trust, the RHS, Wild About Gardens or Butterfly Conservation. Hardiness comes from each plant's RHS rating: H5 and above is hardy in most of the UK, including County Durham, while H3 only survives winter in mild, coastal spots.
| Plant | Type | Flowers | Why it helps bats | Hardy in the North East? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) | Native climber | Mid to late summer | Very fragrant pale flowers, listed by Butterfly Conservation as a night-scented moth plant | Yes (H6), copes with clay and exposed sites |
| Common jasmine (Jasminum officinale) | Non-native climber | Summer to early autumn | White, very fragrant flowers for night-flying moths | Yes (H5), but give it a sheltered south or west wall |
| Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) | Non-native biennial | Summer to autumn | Fragrant yellow flowers that open in the evening | Yes (H7), likes poor, well-drained soil |
| Sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis) | Non-native biennial or short-lived perennial | Late spring to early summer | Scented white or lilac flowers early in the season, on Butterfly Conservation's night-scented list | Yes (H6) |
| Night-scented stock (Matthiola longipetala) | Non-native annual | From spring sowings outdoors | Strongly scented at night; sow again later for a longer show | Yes (H5), in a sunny, sheltered spot |
| Tobacco plant (Nicotiana alata) | Non-native, grown as an annual | Summer into autumn | Strongly scented at night | No (H3): treat it as a summer annual |
| Hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) | Native perennial | Late summer to early autumn | Tall flowers that Wild About Gardens recommends for moths; suits a damp spot by a pond | Yes (H7), likes moist soil |
| Wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare) | Native perennial herb | Summer to early autumn | A moth nectar plant that suits a sunny border or pot | Yes (H6) |
| Ivy (Hedera helix) | Native climber | Autumn | Small, nectar-rich flowers for autumn-flying moths | Yes (H5) |
| Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) | Native hedge or small tree | Late spring | Creamy, fragrant flowers and a wildlife hedge that bats can follow | Yes (H7), recommended for exposed coastal gardens |
If you only have room for one plant for bats, honeysuckle is a strong choice: it's native, scented at night, happy on heavy soil and tough enough for a windy garden near the coast. The tobacco plant is the one to be careful with in the North East, so wait until your last frost has passed before you plant it out, and check the North East frost dates for your town.
Native or non-native: an honest answer
Many of the best night-scented flowers aren't native. Evening primrose is a neophyte of North American origin, cultivated in Britain by 1629. Sweet rocket comes from southern Europe and western Asia and has been grown here since medieval times. Jasmine, night-scented stock and the tobacco plant aren't native either.
That doesn't make them useless. Adult moths take nectar from a wide range of flowers, native and garden plants alike. The difference comes with caterpillars, which usually eat a narrow range of leaves. Butterfly Conservation says native plants are most likely to feed them, and that the plants already growing in nearby hedgerows, fields and verges are the best guide to what to try.
A good rule of thumb is a backbone of native trees and shrubs, climbers and wildflowers, such as hawthorn, honeysuckle, ivy, hemp agrimony and wild marjoram, with the scented non-natives as the evening show around a seating area or doorway, where you'll enjoy the fragrance too.
Planning a wildlife-friendly garden for bats
Flowers are only part of it. Bats need routes, shelter and water, and the best gardens for bats are layered, connected and a little untidy. Trees, hedges, climbers, long grass and a pond are the layers of any wildlife-friendly garden, and they're the same ones bats rely on.
Trees and hedges as commuting routes
Bats follow linear features such as hedgerows, woodland edges, rivers and tree-lined paths to travel between roosts and feeding areas, and the Bat Conservation Trust warns that habitat loss and fragmentation are a real threat to them. A hedge, or a shelter belt of walls and fences, also concentrates flying insects in its lee. Climbers on walls and fences add another layer. Keep old trees with holes, crevices or loose bark where it's safe to, as they can hold roosts.
Add a pond
A pond gives bats a water source as well as food. Daubenton's bats feed by swooping low over water, and pipistrelles favour the aquatic insect larvae a pond produces. Wild About Gardens suggests a sunny spot with some afternoon shade, away from trees whose fallen leaves would pollute the water, and recommends water mint, purple loosestrife and cuckooflower for the edges.
Leave long grass, stems and a compost heap
Let a patch of lawn grow long, as it's important habitat for insect larvae. Leave hollow stems standing through the winter months, delay cutting back until spring, and keep a compost heap: all of them give insects somewhere to live and breed.
Avoid pesticides
Chemicals harm moths and the plants their caterpillars eat, and fewer insects means less food for bats. The RHS recommends non-chemical controls and tolerating some caterpillars. Natural predators such as ladybirds, hoverflies, lacewings and ground beetles will handle many pests for you.
Keep it dark
Bats have adapted to a life in darkness, and Butterfly Conservation notes that artificial light at night harms moths too. Turn garden lighting down or off, and keep it away from hedges, trees and the routes bats fly along. If you need a security light, use a dimmer setting or fit a hood or cowl.
Keep cats in at night
Cats don't eat bats, but they catch them, and a bitten bat is unlikely to survive. Keeping cats in from an hour before sunset helps.
Extra shelter: a word on bat boxes
A bat box can give bats somewhere to roost, but it works best in a garden that already feeds them. The RHS suggests boxes made of unplaned, untreated wood, fixed on a tree trunk or wall where it gets sun for part of the day, and not above doors or windows or anywhere people and pets will disturb them. Wild About Gardens suggests putting boxes up in autumn, ready for the following year, then leaving them alone.
Bats in and around your home: how bats are protected by law
Bats don't build nests. They roost in houses old and new, often behind hanging tiles or boarding or in roof spaces, as well as in hollow trees. The Bat Conservation Trust says having a bat roost should not present any problems, and many people share their homes with bats without knowing it. If you find bats roosting, leave them where they are.
All British bats and their roosts are protected by law, and GOV.UK lists the offences:
- deliberately capturing, injuring or killing a bat
- damaging or destroying a breeding or resting place
- blocking access to a roost
- disturbing a bat while it's in a roost
- possessing, selling or transporting bats
The penalty can be up to six months in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. The Bat Conservation Trust adds that artificial lighting near a roost or its entrance is an offence, so be careful where new outdoor lights go.
Gardening rarely touches a roost, but some jobs around the house can. Roof repairs, repointing, insulating or converting a loft, taking branches off a mature tree, removing a hedge, changing foraging areas and treating timber are all on GOV.UK's list of work that can affect bats. Before you start, it's worth understanding how bats are protected and when a survey is likely to be needed.
For a house or a place of worship, the National Bat Helpline (0345 1300 228, Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.30pm) gives free advice on behalf of Natural England, and can arrange a visit from a volunteer bat roost visitor if needed. It can't advise on building work that needs planning permission: for that, your council may ask for a bat survey by a qualified ecologist before it decides the application.
Bat-friendly garden checklist
Six ways to support bats in your garden:
| Plant for moths | Pale, night-scented, single flowers from spring to autumn. |
|---|---|
| Go native for structure | Hawthorn, honeysuckle, ivy and native wildflowers. |
| Connect it up | Hedges, trees and climbers that bats can follow. |
| Add water | Even a small pond produces insects. |
| Be a bit messy | Long grass, hollow stems and a compost heap. |
| No pesticides, little light | Keep the garden insect-rich and dark. |