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 can be bigger and better.

The Origanum provides some ground cover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. Ground cover plants can also help to reduce soil surface moisture evaporation and suppress weed growth. 

Until the plants have filled out, an organic mulch, preferably homemade compost, can help to improve soil moisture retention and weed suppression. Mulches should be spread when the soil is already moist to help trap some of that moisture before it dries out in summer. 

1 - Veronica x andersonii

2 - Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’

3 - Phlox paniculata ‘Blue Paradise’

4 - Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’

5 -   Lavandula × intermedia 'Heavenly Scent'

6 - Origanum vulgare ‘Compactum’

2 - Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’ has excellent autumn interest as the foliage takes on pink tints and the bright purple berries display in clusters, which often persist into winter. 

3 - Phlox paniculata ‘Blue Paradise’ is a herbaceous perennial with tall leafy stems holding rounded heads of fragrant, dark-eyed, light to violet-blue flowers in early summer.

4 - Echinops ritro 'Veitch's Blue' provides spherical, spiky blue flowerheads, which if left, provide good winter structure. The leaves are silver-green.

5 - Lavandula x intermedia 'Heavenly Scent' provides scented purple summer flowers above grey-green aromatic foliage, giving some structure at the front of the border. 

6 - Origanum vulgare ‘Compactum’ has small, aromatic leaves and loose sprays of tiny pale pink to purple flowers from summer to early autumn.