Why Grow Wildflowers

Wildflowers are a wonderful addition to any garden, offering vibrant colours  to your garden as well as supporting vital pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other insects. In the UK, where native pollinators face increasing challenges due to habitat loss and pesticide use, so creating a wildflower haven in your garden can make a significant difference by providing essential natural spaces full of nectar and pollen. This guide will walk you through the steps to grow wildflowers in your garden, from sewing to growing, and helping you to encourage biodiversity in your garden.

Choose the Right Wildflower Species

It’s crucial to select wildflowers that are native to your area in order to support local wildlife. Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil, offering the best support for local pollinators and helping declining bee populations.

Popular Native Wildflowers for Pollinators:

• Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare): A classic native wildflower with large white petals and a yellow centre, attracting bees and butterflies.
• Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus): Cornflowers (though naturalised rather than native) have striking blue flowers that are a favourite of bumblebees and other pollinators.
• Red Clover (Trifolium pratense): Known for its pinkish-red flowers, red clover is a key nectar source for many bee species.
• Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum): A fragrant plant with yellow flowers that bees particularly love in late summer.

Consider visiting the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) or local wildflower nurseries for a list of species that thrive in your region.

Select the Right Location

Most wildflowers require a sunny spot in order to flourish. Aim for a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. UK weather can be unpredictable, so make sure the spot you choose has well-drained soil to avoid waterlogging, which can harm wildflower roots or cause root rot.

If you have clay-heavy soil, mixing in organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure can improve drainage, as well as adding grit. You might also want to check the pH of your soil—many wildflowers prefer neutral or slightly acidic soil, but different species may have varying requirements.

For a pollinator-friendly garden, consider planting a mix of wildflowers that bloom at different times throughout the year, by choosing plants that flower from spring through autumn, ensuring your pollinators always have something to forage on.

Prepare the Soil

Preparing the soil is a vital step, as it helps ensure that the seeds have good contact with the soil for successful germination. Start by removing any existing vegetation, especially aggressive weeds like nettles or brambles. You can do this manually or by covering the area with newspaper or cardboard for a few weeks to smother the weeds – this method avoids using chemicals that would be harmful to bees and pollinators.

Once the area is clear, rake the soil lightly to break it up. If your soil is too compacted, consider loosening it by adding a layer of compost or loose top soil. Many wildflowers prefer soil that’s not too rich in nutrients, as overly fertile soil can encourage grass growth, which competes with wildflowers.

Planting Wildflower Seeds

Autumn is typically the best time to plant wildflowers, as it allows the seeds to undergo a natural process to break seed dormancy through the winter, which encourages germination in spring. You can also plant seeds in early spring, though autumn planting tends to be more successful for most species.

Wildflower seed packets often contain a mix of species designed to create a natural look. If you’re sowing seeds directly into the soil, lightly scatter the seeds, then gently rake over them to cover them with a thin layer of soil. Press down lightly using your hands or a board to ensure good contact with the soil.

Keep in mind that wildflowers don’t need to be planted deeply—most should only be sown at a depth of 1/4 inch (about 6 mm). It’s best to avoid using any fertiliser as this can encourage grass to grow which will compete with the flowers.

Watering and Maintenance

After sowing, keep the soil lightly moist until the seeds germinate. Once the wildflowers are established, they require minimal watering, as they are adapted to UK conditions and often thrive in dry spells too. However, during particularly hot or dry periods, a deep watering can help encourage healthy growth.

Weed control is important in the early stages. While many wildflowers are hardy, they can be outcompeted by fast-growing weeds, particularly grasses. Regularly remove weeds by hand or use a hoe to keep them in check, but avoid disturbing the soil too much.

Tip: Wildflowers are fairly low-maintenance once they’ve established themselves, so don’t worry about over-mulching or frequent deadheading. Let them grow naturally, and you’ll soon start to see the beneficial insects flocking to your garden.

Encouraging Pollinators to Visit

To really make your wildflower garden a haven for pollinators, think beyond just the flowers. Consider these additional tips to boost your garden’s appeal to bees, butterflies, and other insects:

• Diverse Flowering Times: Ensure you have a variety of flowers that bloom at different times to give bees a constant food supply. Early spring flowers like Primroses or Cowslips provide an early nectar source, while plants like Ragged Robin and Knapweed bloom later in the season.
• Avoid Pesticides: Pesticides can be toxic to pollinators, so avoid using them in your garden. Instead, opt for natural pest control methods such as attracting beneficial insects like ladybirds or using organic treatments.
• Water Sources: Provide a shallow birdbath or small puddle of water in your garden. Bees need water, especially on warm days, and a simple water source will encourage them to visit your garden more often. Find out how to add water sources to your garden here.
• Create Habitats: Consider adding a bee hotel or leaving a small section of your garden with undisturbed soil for ground-nesting bees. Many solitary bee species nest in dry soil or decaying wood. Find out how to create a bee hotel here.

Enjoy the Beauty and Buzz

Growing wildflowers in your garden isn’t just about planting seeds—it’s about creating a living, buzzing ecosystem that supports local wildlife. As your flowers bloom, you’ll witness bees, butterflies, and other pollinators visiting your garden. The sight of these pollinators are a rewarding sign that your garden is thriving and contributing to the health of local ecosystems, as well as helping your own garden to bloom.

Why Do Bees Like Campanula?

Campanula produce abundant flowers that are known for providing plentiful nectar and pollen, which is an essential food source for bees and other pollinators. Campanula’s small flowers make them suitable and accessible for many species of bees, including smaller and shorter tongued species. Campanula are also attractive to butterflies and other pollinators, which help increase the biodiversity of your garden.

What type of campanula is best for a bee garden?

There are several varieties of campanula that are particularly good for bees and pollinators. Campanula glomerata (clustered bellflower) and Campanula rotundifolia (common harebell) are native campanula’s that bees and pollinators enjoy. Both campanula glomerata and Campanula rotundifolia have blue-purple flowers, which helps them stand out well to a bees ultraviolet vision.

When and Where to Plant Campanula

It’s best to plant campanula in mid Spring, around April, after the threat of frost has passed. Campanula need free draining soil and won’t tolerate water logged areas. If your garden soil isn’t free draining, campanula can be grown in containers or pots with some grit in the bottom of the pot to help with drainage.

Campanula can grow in full sun or light shade, and most varieties can over-winter outdoors, provided that the soil isn’t too wet. As campanula are low lying plants, it’s best to place them at the front of borders, in pots, or alongside low walls or steps that they can cascade over.

How to Maintain Your Campanula

In their first year, campanula will need a little extra watering until they get settled in. The soil will need to be kept moist, particularly over the summer, but once they’re established they won’t need much watering.

Campanula are very low maintenance and don’t need to be pruned due to their small size, but you can deadhead spent flowers to encourage more growth throughout the summer.

Garden design styles that work for Campanulas

Campanula are low lying plants that can add floral ground over in your garden or cascade prettily out of pots on patios or in planters. They can work well with a variety of garden styles, particular cottage gardens, floral bee gardens or container gardens.

Cultivating Bee Gardens

Incorporating campanulas into your bee-friendly garden is not only a great way to support local pollinators but also a beautiful way to enhance your outdoor space. With their vibrant blooms and versatile growth habits, these charming flowers provide much-needed nectar for bees and other pollinators throughout the growing season. By choosing to cultivate campanulas, you’re helping to create a sustainable, thriving environment for the bees that are essential to our ecosystem. So, grab a trowel, plant some campanulas, and watch your garden bloom with life—while supporting the vital role of pollinators in our world and back yards. Find more bee friendly flowers here.

Happy gardening!

Why Do Bees Like Snapdragons

Snapdragons have an abundance of vibrantly coloured flowers provide an excellent source of nectar and pollen for bees. The bright array of colours, particularly those in shades of violet, purple and pinks, stand out clearly to a bees ultraviolet vision, making them easy to spot when foraging.

The tubular shape of the snapdragon flowers creates a well of nectar for the bees to enjoy, and the abundance of flowers on each plant provides a wealth of food and pollen for them throughout the flowering season. The unique shape of the snapdragon flower means that the petal ‘lips’ open and close. Some species of bees, particularly larger ones like bumblebees, have learned to pry open the flower to access the nectar inside. This makes snapdragons great for larger bee species, as they have the strength and size to access the nectar, even when the flower is closed.

What Type of Snapdragons Are Best For Bees

When choosing snapdragons that are best for bees and other pollinators, it’s important to focus on varieties that offer easy access to nectar and pollen, as well as those that are rich in these essential resources with larger and more abundant flowers.

All varieties of snapdragons are popular with pollinators, but by focusing on choosing snapdragons in shades of violet or other bright shades will make them easy for bees to find. Looking for snapdragons with a more open flower structure will also ensure that smaller bees and other pollinators can get access tot he nectar, as very densely flowered snapdragons can have a closed flower structure that smaller bees will struggle to open.

When & Where To Plant Snapdragons

It’s best to plant snapdragons on the late spring to early summer, when the soil is warmer. Once planted, snapdragons have a long flowering period, and will typically flower from Spring to Autumn, only losing their flowers over the winter months.

Snapdragons like moist but well drained soil, so plant them in areas where the soil is relatively free-draining and not too wet.

Snapdragons need full sun in order to grow and like warm sunny spots, ideally in south-facing gardens where they can get sun for most of the day. It’s best to plant snapdragons in sheltered areas where the wind won’t be too strong, as at their full height of up to two meters they could be damaged or snap in the wind.

Growing From Seed

To propagate snapdragons from seeds, the seeds will need to be sown in Autumn and kept warm in a greenhouse or warm conservatory over the winter. Use a propagator or cover with clear plastic to keep the warmth in. Once the plants have grown large enough they can be moved outside in the spring once the danger of frost is gone.

Snapdragons are a great addition to borders to add height and structure, but can also be grown in containers and pots on patios too.

Maintaining Snapdragons

Snapdragons are easy plants to maintain and will take of of themselves throughout the year. They don’t need to be pruned, though the flowering season can be extended by deadheading spent flowers to encourage more growth.

Snapdragons don’t self seed too well, and the small and vulnerable seedlings can’t survive the winter outside, but you may get some self-seeded flowers in the Autumn by leaving the spent flowers on the plant in spring and summer.

Garden Design Styles For Snapdragons

Snapdragons are excellent additions to bright, colourful and floral gardens. They look wonderful when incorporated into cottage-style gardens and borders, but can also add color and structure to more formal and structured garden designs. Snapdragons will grow well in containers so will work well as patio plants, provided that they’re in a sheltered spot.

Snapdragons can be used as cut flowers to included in arrangements and bouquets inside your home too, and their long flowering period provides you with cut flowers throughout most of the year.

Bountiful Bee-Friendly Flowers

Snapdragons are great additions to pollinator friendly-gardens and their abundant displays and long flowering period adds a lovely pop of colour to your garden through most of the year too. They’re low maintenance plants that don’t typically get targeted by pests, making the easy to care for once they’re past the seedling stage. We recommend including them alongside other bee-friendly flowers so that smaller bees also have access to pollen and nectar in your garden.

Why are foxgloves good for bees?

Foxgloves are a great source of both pollen and nectar for bees. The foxgloves’ bright shades of pinks and purple stand out vividly to bees, as they see violets shades more clearly than others, and the abundance of flowers on each plant provides s large food supply. The foxgloves bell shaped flowers are also attractive to bumblebees, as they have long tongues and can easily reach the nectar from inside the flowers.

What type of foxglove is best for bees?

Common foxgloves (digitalis purpurea) are ideal plants for bees, and bumblebees in particular. Common foxgloves come in a variety of colours, but the pink and purple varieties are best for attracting bees and they can see these colours best.

Other varieties of foxgloves, like digitalis parviflora, have much smaller flowers that have less accessible nectar and pollen, and they grow in less bright shades of whites or orange, so don’t provide the same attraction or sustenance as digitalis purpurea.

When & where to plant foxgloves

It’s best to plant foxgloves in the early spring, around March or April, or in Autumn in August or September. Foxgloves are very tolerant plants and can grow in a variety of soils, but will grow at their best in free draining moist soil. Provided your foxgloves don’t get too wet or too dry they can tolerate any soil type.

Common foxgloves are also very tolerant of different light levels and can grow in full sun or full shade, so you can plant them anywhere in the garden and they will take well, but for optimum results, we recommend partial or dappled shade as this mimics the natural light levels they get when growing wild in forested areas.

Biennials

Common foxgloves are biennials, meaning they flower every other year, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get flowers in the first year you plant them. After their first year they are very regular bloomers and will also self-seed, so you may develop clusters of foxgloves growing together in the same area, which will ensure you see flowers every year.

Any self seeded plants can be safely moved to other areas of the garden or can be put into pots as foxgloves will also grow well in containers with regular watering.

Foxgloves can grow up to 2 meters tall, therefore it’s recommended to place them towards the back of borders or in sheltered spaces out of the wind.

How to maintain your foxgloves

Foxgloves are low maintenance plants and will flower and self seed without any extra help.

To encourage further flowering, deadhead any spent flowers in the summer and you may get a second wave of flowers.

You can also leave the spent flowers on the plant if you want them to self seed to encourage the seeds to drop freely.

Garden design styles that work for foxgloves

Foxgloves are very tall and vibrant plants that can work with a number of different garden styles. As a woodland plant, they work well in cottage style gardens with abundant planting, as their height lets them grow well in full flower beds. They can also be used in modern garden styles to add height and structure to borders or to divide up spaces in your garden.

Do note that foxgloves are toxic to humans if ingested, therefore they’re not recommended in gardens with small children or pets.

Beautiful bee-friendly blooms

Foxgloves are easy plants to work with for novice gardeners as they will grow in most conditions and light levels, you just need a little patience if you don’t get flowers in the first year of planting and you’ll be rewarded with abundant and colourful flowers the next year!

Why do bees like Alliums?

Alliums help attract bees into your garden with their beautiful violet colour. Bees see violet colours better than humans do, making them appear more vibrant and attractive to a bees eyes. Alliums also have large clusters of star shaped flowers, providing an ample food supply for bees, butterflies and other pollinators to enjoy throughout the summer.

What type of allium is best for bees and your garden?

There are many varieties of alliums to choose from, but those with the biggest circular heads can attract the most bees, as well as adding the most interest to your borders. Look for types such as Allium globemasters, purple sensation, gladiator and hollandicum. They all boast broad blooms of violet flowers, which span around 20cm across. They will grow to around one meter tall when grown to their full height. They can take 2-4 years to reach their full height after being newly planted, but they are hardy plants that that take little maintenance – making them good for the bees as well as you garden.

When & where to plant Alliums

When planting allium bulbs, aim for early autumn to get them in the ground. They need full sun, so make sure to find a sunny spot in the middle or back of your border. As the alliums grow quite tall, having a sheltered spot near the fence line will help protect the slender stems from getting broken in the wind.

Alliums need free draining soil, and if planted in wet conditions, the bulbs can rot. Adding some grit to denser soils can help with drainage, but if the soil in your garden is too damp or clay like, alliums will take well to being grown in large pots too. Ensure there’s drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, and add some pebbles or grit to the bottom of large pots to help the soil drain better.

Planting in Containers

When planting in containers, we recommend using large pots with a mixture of flowers of different heights. This is so when the alliums have finished blooming, you can keep some interest in the pots, which will also help cover the allium foliage when they lose their colour.

How to maintain your Alliums

Alliums planted in the ground typically won’t need any extra watering, as the rain will provide more than enough. If planted in pots, they will need to be kept moist so that the soil doesn’t get too dry.

Alliums are very low maintenance plants and don’t need to be pruned or deadheaded. The spent flowers will still add interest to your borders even after their colour has gone, due to their unusual pom pom like shaped heads.

Alliums are hardy plants and will survive the winter in the ground without needing any extra care. Alliums in pots could get too cold over winter however, so it’s best to move these into a greenhouse during the coldest part of winter.

Garden design styles

Alliums are a great addition to any garden style. Their unique large pom pom flower heads add a pop of colour as well as structure.

Alliums can work really well in modern structural gardens when mixed with tall and feathered grasses, as they have a very architectural quality and add height to borders and grassy areas.

Pests & Pets

Overall, you can’t really go wrong with alliums, they’re low maintenance and hardy plants that need little extra attention and can overwinter no problem.

Do note that some varieties of alliums can be toxic to dogs and cats, so are best avoided in gardens with pets!

Alliums can be susceptible to slugs and snails, and allium leaf miner flies. To help protect alliums from leave miner flies, you can put netting over the alliums when the flies are active.

Find more bee-friendly plant care guides here.

Why do bees like Buddleia?

Buddleia is a very attractive plant to bees and butterflies, it’s sometimes called ‘butterfly bush’ for this reason. This is due to its clusters of nectar rich flowers that have a strong and pleasant smell. The scent of buddleia is honey like and sweet smelling, and it blooms in shades of pinks and purples that stand out to a bee’s eye due to their violet tones. The sweet smell attracts many pollinators, so if you have room in your garden for this large flowering shrub, they can be very beneficial.

Types of Buddleia

There are many types of buddleia, all of which can add colour and much needed nectar for pollinators in your garden. Our favourites include Buddleja davidii ‘Ile de France’, and they have a dark purple shade of flower that the bees particularly enjoy, and also Buddleja davidii ‘Buzz Sky Blue’, which grow in a lovely blue shade and are typically more compact that other varieties, so won’t need as much harsh pruning.

When & where to plant Buddleia

Buddleia are best plant in the late spring to early summer, between May and September. They will flower well throughout the mid to late summer, so June is often a good month for plating so they have time to settle in just before they flower.

Buddleia loves the sun and need a spot in full sun to take hold. They require free draining soil, but need some moisture, so make sure the soil doesn’t dry out too much during spells of hot weather. If you have clay soil in your garden, add some grit to the bottom of the hole when planting to help it drain a little better.

Summer Deadheading

You can deadhead the buddleia throughout the summer when the flowers turn brown as needed to encourage more flowers to grow – snip the brown flowers about an inch or two below the base of the flower, so that that stem can grow new flowers.

How to maintain your Buddleia

Buddleia grows quickly and needs little maintenance – however they can also grow very large, and out-compete other plants for space, so ensure they have enough room to grow around them and they may need pruning and cutting back once a year to stop them getting too large. It is best to prune the buddleia between February and April, and a harsh prune is best in order to control the size of the plant for the coming summer. Cut all the dead woody branches and shape the bush as needed. Buddleia are tough plants and will grow back well even after a harsh pruning.

This is why we recommend buddleia be grown at the back of the garden, or along the fence line of your garden, so that they don’t take up too much room in your borders. They can also make a great addition to a bee friendly hedge, or to provide a little garden privacy, as they can grow tall enough to obscure the view into your garden where needed.

Buddleia are best for larger gardens due to their size, but hey can also work well in medium gardens when pruned back to control their growth.

Are Buddleia an Invasive Species?

Buddleia are classed as an invasive species in the UK, and though harmless, it does spread incredibly easily, which is why it can often be spotted growing on train tracks or on vacant properties. They are low maintenance as they will grow well in any sunny spot that isn’t water-logged. But it is worth thoroughly cutting back the buddleia to control its size and checking if it hasn’t seeded anywhere else in the garden.

Summary

Large floral and sweet smelling, Buddleia are wonderful fragrant additions to large gardens. They’re tough and low maintenance and can grow extremely well provided they get enough sun, and hopefully throughout the summer you will notice more and more bees and butterflies frequenting your Buddleia and enjoying the nectar rich flowers.

Find more bee-friendly plant care guides here.

Why do bees like lavender?

Lavender is an excellent plant for encouraging bees, butterflies and other beneficial pollinators into your garden. It is a rich food source with plenty of nectar and pollen, helping sustain bees throughout the summer when it flowers. Bees are attracted to lavender in particular because of its colour and smell. Bees can see violet colours better than humans can, and the lavender colour stands out to them very well. This combined with lavender’s strong and pleasant scent, helps attract bees to it. Bees that feed on lavender can use its nectar to make lavender honey too!

What type of lavender is best for bees?

There are many varieties of lavender to choose from, but English Lavender is one of the best types for attracting bees. English lavender has a long flowering period, so it will provide more food for bees over a longer period than other varieties. English lavender is also a hardier plant than French lavender, so will handle the cold and bad weather much better.

When & where to plant lavender

Lavender plants like the sun, so find a sunny spot in your garden for planting. English lavender can survive in partial shade, but will grow flower much better with full sun.

Lavender doesn’t like to stay wet for too long, so make sure your soil is well draining. If you think your garden won’t have enough drainage, you can put your lavender into plant pots, so that the water will drain out of the pot and help keep the soil drained and the roots not too wet – just make sure your pots have drainage holes in the bottom. This also makes lavender very drought tolerant during hotter parts of the year, and it doesn’t need too much watering.

It’s best to plant your lavender in the spring time, around April or May, as the soil is a little warmer. Always avoid planting lavender in the winter, as young plants can be killed off by the cold and damp soil as their roots will rot.

If planting your lavender in pots, use a large pot at least 30cm wide, to allow the lavender room to grow, and add some pebbles or perlite to the bottom of the pot to help the soil to drain.

If planting in the ground, find a sunny spot and leave a gap of at least 30cm between other plants, to allow the lavender room to grow. Water the lavender well at first to help it take to the soil.

How to maintain your lavender

English lavender is hardy enough to survive winter, provided that the soil is well drained. New lavender plants will need more watering in the first year, so make sure their soil doesn’t dry out over the summer as the plant matures. After the first year, the lavender will have matured and become more hardy, so takes little watering or maintenance from that point. Provided their soil gets some water during the hottest part of the year, the lavender will thrive.

Lavender is tolerant of low nutrient soil, so doesn’t require and feeding or extra nutrients added to its soil. You can lightly prune your lavender in the summer to encourage more growth, but lavender doesn’t like to be too heavily pruned, and wooden stems may struggle to produce flowers again if cut back too harshly. Simply prune any spent flowers at the end of summer, avoiding cutting into woody stems, and your lavender will be ready to come back again next summer.

Garden design styles

Lavender is a beautiful plant for cottage style gardens, adding colour and softness to your borders. They can be planted in rows to make a border on their own for a more formal style, or mixed with other flowers and shrubs too to create texture and vibrancy for a more country feel.

Lavender grows well in pots too, making them a good addition to patios and balconies, while adding a beautiful scent to your space too.

Overall, lavender is a great all-rounder that can fit into most garden styles and types, and particularly suits cottage and country style designs.

Summary

Lavender is a low maintenance plant, requiring little watering or nutrients. There for few pests that feed on lavender, so they don’t need any pesticide treatments – another reason they are very bee friendly!

Provided lavender has adequate sun and free draining soil, it will grow well and look after its self. If the soil becomes too wet however, lavender is prone to root rot and the whole plant will begin to perish. So the main focus for lavender is its free draining soil.

Find more bee-friendly plant care guides here.