6 OF THE BEST... bee-friendly herbs

1 BORAGE Sow borage (right) from seed and it will bloom from late spring through until autumn. The leaves and flowers taste of cucumber and make the perfect ingredient for salads and cocktails.

2 CHIVES An easy-to-grow, onion-tasting perennial that flowers throughout summer. You often get a second flowering if you cut them back after the first flowers have finished in early summer.

3 MINT A perennial herb so vigorous it’s best kept corralled in a pot, mint (above left) provides white or pinkish blooms in mid-summer that bees find hard to resist. 4 ROSEMARY A plant that keeps going all year round, this hardy, fragrant herb has a long flowering season that can start as early as spring.

5 SAGE A great companion to meat, bean and root vegetable dishes, sage also produces exquisite spikes of light blue, pink or purple flowers in summer that can be used in salads or as a garnish.

6 THYME Perfect in a pot, a border or as a low-growing ‘carpet’, thyme is resilient and wonderfully aromatic. Some varieties flower twice, in late spring and summer, making them perfect for pollinators.