Pollinating insects are in decline, but there are plenty of flowering plants to help them. Increasing flowering plants in our gardens can also improve fruit and vegetables: with more pollinating insects around, harvests will be bigger and better.

The plants included below provide a succession of pollen and nectar for insects across the growing season.

The rose and geranium provide some groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. Groundcover can also help to reduce moisture evaporation from the soil surface and suppress weed growth. Additional organic mulching can further improve soil moisture retention and weed suppression.

1 - Osmanthus x burkwoodii

2 - Hydrangea paniculata ‘Big Ben’

3 - Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’

4 - Rosa Flower Carpet Amber

5 - Geranium macrorrhizum ‘White-Ness’

2 - Hydrangea paniculata ‘Big Ben’ is an upright, slightly spreading deciduous shrub with light green leaves and reddish-purple young stems that turn brown as they age. The summer flowers have a distinctive tapered conical shape, opening pale green, changing to greenish-white then maturing to deep pink. This cultivar is very floriferous and strongly scented.

3 - Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ is a medium-sized, mostly evergreen upright shrub with leathery green leaves. Clusters of highly fragrant pale purplish-pink and white flowers are produced in late winter, followed by black berries.

4 - Rosa Flower Carpet Amber is a low-growing rose with glossy green leaves and superb disease resistance. Clusters of semi-double, rich amber blooms are produced continuously through summer and autumn. This cultivar is probably the most upright of the Flower Carpet Series and is one of the best groundcover roses for the garden.

5 - Geranium macrorrhizum ‘White-Ness’ is a robust evergreen perennial with pale green lobed leaves and profusions of small, pure white flowers in summer.