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 Bergenia 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.

Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’

Viburnum opulus

Digitalis grandiflora

Sarcococca hookeriana var. digma ‘Purple Stem’

Geranium phaeum ‘Album’

Bergenia ‘Harzkristall’

2 - Viburnum opulus, a deciduous shrub, forms the rear centrepiece. Flattened clusters of white flowers, borne in late spring and early summer, are followed by long-lasting, translucent red berries. The deeply-lobed green leaves turn shades of orange and red in autumn. 

3 - Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyma ‘Purple Stem’ is an evergreen shrub that gives some solidity to the centre of the scheme. Small, glossy green leaves are joined by beautifully fragrant white flowers in winter.

4 - Digitalis grandiflora is a clump-forming perennial to 80cm tall, with dark evergreen foliage and upright spires of creamy-yellow tubular flowers in summer.

5 - Geranium phaeum ‘Album’ is a herbaceous perennial with relatively large, pure white flowers with golden anthers. The lobed leaves are mid-green.

6 - Bergenia ‘Harzkristall’ is a compact, clump-forming evergreen perennial with rounded, shiny dark green leaves and clusters of bell-shaped, pink-flushed white flowers on upright, reddish brown stems in spring.