Bountiful SMALL IS

No matter how large or small your garden, you can still help to boost our bee population, says the British Ecological Society (BES). Tracking the nectar production of 59 city gardens, researchers at Bristol University found that modest residential plots can offer a more reliable food supply than farmland. The key is to stock up on pollinator-friendly plants: the BES recommends open or ‘snout-shaped’ blooms whose nectar is easy to access, and purple flowers that can be seen easily by bees. Also look out for the RHS ‘plants for pollinators’ tag in garden centres.