Everyone can give bees a hand
You don't need a meadow to make a difference. A window box, a balcony, a garden corner, or a community verge — every square metre of nectar-rich planting adds another link in the chain.
Plant for the seasons
Aim for something in flower from late winter (crocus, mahonia) through to autumn (ivy, sedum). Bees starve in the 'June gap' and late summer.
Go peat- & pesticide-free
Avoid insecticides and herbicides, and buy peat-free compost — peat extraction destroys the wild habitats bees evolved with.
Build a bee hotel
A bundle of hollow stems or drilled hardwood blocks, fixed facing south-east, gives solitary mason and leafcutter bees a place to nest.
Leave the wild bits
A patch of long grass, an unmown verge, a bare bank — all become nesting and overwintering habitat. Tidiness is the enemy of pollinators.
Flowers for nectar & pollen
Choose single, open flowers — doubles are often inaccessible to bees. Mix early and late species so forage never runs out.
| Plant | Flowers | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crocus | Feb–Mar | Bulb | Honey, bumble |
| Lungwort (Pulmonaria) | Mar–May | Perennial | Honey, bumble, solitary |
| Lavender | Jun–Aug | Shrub | Honey, bumble, solitary |
| Borage | May–Sep | Annual | Honey, bumble |
| Foxglove | Jun–Jul | Biennial | Bumble |
| Hellebore | Jan–Mar | Perennial | Honey, bumble |
| Echinacea | Jul–Sep | Perennial | Honey, bumble, solitary |
| Sedum (Ice plant) | Aug–Oct | Perennial | Honey, bumble |
| Ivy | Sep–Nov | Climber | Honey, bumble, solitary |
| Viper's bugloss | Jun–Sep | Biennial | Honey, bumble, solitary |
Trees that feed the swarm
A single tree can out-feed a whole flowerbed. Plant for the gap months — early spring and late autumn are when bees starve.
Willow (Salix)
Mar–AprOne of the earliest, richest nectar sources for queens emerging from hibernation.
Apple & Crab apple
Apr–MayEssential for fruit set; a single tree feeds thousands of bees.
Hawthorn (May)
MayHedgerow favourite — nectar and pollen for bumble and solitary bees.
Lime / Linden (Tilia)
Jun–JulAromatic, high-nectar summer tree beloved by honeybees.
Horse chestnut
MayEarly-summer forage; large nectar-rich flower spikes.
Ivy (mature)
Sep–NovOften the last reliable nectar of the year — vital for overwintering.
Shrubs for shelter & forage
Shrubs fill the gaps between trees and flowers — and many suit the South West's mild, windy climate.
Mahonia
Nov–MarWinter-flowering lifeline for early bumblebees.
Heather (Calluna)
Aug–SepLate-season forage, especially for heather honey bees.
Buddleja ( buddleia)
Jul–SepButterfly and bee magnet; best the sterile cultivars.
Rosemary
Apr–JunEvergreen herb; flowers early and long for solitary bees.
Cotoneaster
May–JunHedge and wall shrub; abundant pollen for bumblebees.
Escallonia
Jun–SepCoastal-tolerant, long-flowering hedge for the South West.