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 Geranium provides some ground cover and will help prevent the erosion of bare soil. Ground cover plants can also help to reduce moisture evaporation from the soil surface 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- Malus ‘Aros’

2 - Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’

3 - Phlox paniculata ‘Eva Cullum’

1 - Lavandula angustifolia ‘Miss Katherine’

2 - Veronica ‘Great Orme’

3 - Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Velebit’

2 - Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’ is a deciduous shrub with zig-zag branches bearing mid-green leaves and single flowers opening before the leaves in early spring. The blossom is white or palest pink, becoming deeper pink in the centre of each flower.

3 - Phlox paniculata ‘Eva Cullum’ is a free-flowering upright perennial with mid-green leaves. The deep pink flowers with darker centres appear from summer to early or mid-autumn. 

4 - Lavandula angustifolia ‘Miss Katherine’ is a bushy evergreen shrub with narrow, aromatic grey-green leaves and highly fragrant spikes of light pink flowers.

5 - Veronica ‘Great Orme’ is a rounded evergreen shrub with narrow, dark green leaves and dense spikes of bright pink flowers fading to white. 

6 - Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Velebit’ is a semi-evergreen perennial with lobed green leaves, which turn red in autumn. Magenta-pink flowers are held well above the leaves on long stems from late spring to midsummer.