Why a nectar-rich border matters

There is a particular sound a garden makes in high summer: a low, contented hum that rises as the sun warms the border. That hum is a sign that you have got something right. Bees need two things from your plot — nectar for energy and pollen for protein — and they need both from early spring until the last flowers fade in autumn. In much of the British countryside, wildflower meadows have dwindled, so gardens have quietly become part of a patchwork of feeding stations threading through our towns and villages.

The good news is that you do not need an acre. A modest border, a few pots by the back door, or a strip alongside the vegetable patch can make a real difference, provided the flowers actually give up their nectar. Choose single, open blooms rather than elaborate doubles: many doubles have been bred for show at the expense of nectar, and their tightly packed petals make a bee's work almost impossible. Plant in generous drifts of three or more of the same variety, because bees learn a route and return to it again and again.

Foxgloves: early summer towers

Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) are the classic cottage-garden spire and one of our finest native nectar plants. They flower from June into July, a little earlier in the mild south west, and their long tubular bells are built for long-tongued bumblebees, particularly the garden bumblebee, which can reach the nectar at the back of each flower. Watch closely and you will see bees working steadily upwards from the lowest bell to the top, leaving pollen behind as they go.

Foxgloves are usually biennial: sow seed in one year and they flower the next, then scatter their own seed into any nearby gap. They are happiest in dappled shade or at a woodland edge, though they will tolerate sun if the soil stays reasonably moist. Leave a few seedheads standing after flowering and you will rarely need to sow again. Do handle them with care — every part of the plant is toxic if eaten, so wash your hands afterwards and keep them away from pets and small children who like to chew.

Lavender: the midsummer workhorse

If foxgloves open the season, lavender carries it through the hot, quiet weeks. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is the one to choose for a British garden, and the older cultivars 'Hidcote' and 'Munstead' remain hard to beat: compact, hardy and free-flowering from late June into August.

Give lavender full sun and sharp drainage. On clay, fork in plenty of horticultural grit or plant it in a raised bed; soggy winter roots will finish it faster than any frost. Trim it lightly after flowering, in late August, cutting back to just above the new growth — never into the old, leafless wood, which rarely reshoots. Leave a few flower spikes to darken and set seed for the birds. In full sun, a single mature bush will be busy with honeybees, bumblebees and solitary bees from morning until dusk.

Borage: refuelling through late summer

Borage (Borago officinalis) is the generous one. This cheerful annual, with its nodding, star-shaped blue flowers, refills with nectar remarkably quickly, so bees return to the same plant again and again throughout the day. Common carder bees and honeybees adore it.

Sow seed directly where it is to grow from April to June, or simply let it self-seed — once you have borage, you tend to have it for good. It can reach 60 to 90cm and flops about a bit, so plant it among courgettes, behind a low hedge or at the back of a border where its sprawling habit does no harm. The leaves taste faintly of cucumber and the flowers are lovely floated in a jug of cold water. Sow a few seeds every three weeks for a succession of flowers right through to the first frosts.

Filling the spring and autumn gaps

Foxgloves, lavender and borage will cover roughly June to September. The hungry months are either side of that, when queens are emerging or colonies are stocking up for winter. Aim to have something in flower in every month from March to October.

• Early spring: rosemary, lungwort, wallflower, flowering currant, crocus and willow — the last two are vital for queen bumblebees waking from hibernation.
• Late spring: comfrey, chives, alliums, honesty and thyme, all easy and undemanding.
• Late summer: nasturtium, marjoram, globe thistle and single-flowered dahlias keep the momentum going.
• Autumn: sedum, asters, goldenrod and ivy. Ivy is underrated and feeds bees well into November, just when little else is left.

Getting the planting right

Most nectar-rich flowers want the same conditions: sun, shelter and soil that drains. A south- or west-facing border with a hedge or fence behind it traps warmth and gives bees a calm place to work. Beyond that, a few simple habits will multiply your results.

• Group plants in clumps of at least three, rather than dotting single specimens about.
• Deadhead some flowers to prolong the display, but leave others to set seed and self-sow.
• Avoid insecticides entirely, and be relaxed about a few aphids — the predators will arrive.
• Leave seedheads and hollow stems standing over winter for shelter and for the birds.
• Keep a shallow dish of water with pebbles in it so bees can drink without drowning.
• Leave a small patch of bare, sunny earth for ground-nesting solitary bees.

None of this demands much time or money, and the rewards arrive quickly. A border built around foxgloves, lavender and borage will hum from June to September, and with a little planning either side of it, from the first crocus to the last ivy flower. Sit out with a cup of tea and let the garden get on with it — the bees will do the rest.