Plant a floral feast

Good plant choice is key to a pollinator-friendly garden, but how you plant them has impact too

Plant in blocks and drifts.

Many pollinators like to visit the same type of flower again and again – it’s called ‘constancy’ and is more efficient than having to work out how to extract nectar and pollen from different plants each time.

Plant them in a sheltered sunny spot.

Pollinators like to forage in sunny, sheltered locations where the warmth of the sun keeps them active and alert and where they’re not buffeted by the wind. The sun also stimulates the plants to produce nectar. Think about trees and shrubs too. It’s easy to focus on border perennials, but extend your pollinator plant choice to trees and shrubs; lots of pollinator activity often goes on above your head. Trees are like a high-rise superstore for pollinators.

Plant a wide range.

Some pollinators have long tongues and like to feed at deep, bell-shaped flowers such as foxgloves, whereas others have stubby tongues and rely on open flowers, such as helianthus and achillea.

Make them welcome.

Don’t forget that pollinators have other ‘home needs’ apart from food. They require somewhere to shelter when they’re not feeding, and a place to construct their nests and raise their young. For solitary bees and wasps, for example, rotting wood and sandy banks of earth, particularly in sunny locations, will offer them a vital home.