Our gardening expert Kirsty McLean gives us top tips for helping your border to thrive, whilst keeping pollinators happy
There’s something truly delightful about meeting friends for a coffee at the local garden centre. It’s not just the chat; it’s the leisurely stroll afterward. Drawn in by an array of stunning flowering plants looking fresh and inviting the temptation to buy is irresistible – until the plant thrives for a month and then fades away. Often, this happens because the plant was placed in the wrong spot in the garden, border, or sometimes even the wrong part of the country!
While the success of any new addition to the garden depends on the care it receives, getting the fundamentals right is a great way to start.
Here are my top three plant picks, tailored for different garden conditions and will help any border look great!
For Shade:
Shrub: Viburnum tinus ‘Spirit’ An evergreen beauty, it flowers for up to six months of the year, offers a lovely fragrance, and bee’s love it!
Perennial (dies back each year and returns the following, for best effect, plant in groups of 3 or more): Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ with its electric blue flower against silver leaf, lined with green, is early flowering which is great for bees.
For Full Sun:
Shrub: Ceanothus ‘Italian Skies’ has the most incredible blue flowers and is a great pollinator. Thrives in a sheltered spot away from frost in free-draining soil and blooms from late spring. For a hardier alternative shrub, try Pieris japonica – an evergreen that produces fragrant flowers (smells like ‘Lily-of-the-valley’) for months and attracts bees. Plant in acidic soil or use Ericaceous compost if your soil isn’t naturally acidic.
Perennial: Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’
With its free-flowering nature from late spring through autumn, this pollinating perennial is drought tolerant.
For Partial Shade:
Shrub: Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
This stunning Japanese maple needs protection from strong winds but rewards with vibrant leaf colour for seven months of the year, culminating in brilliant red autumn foliage. Prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil; adding a little Ericaceous compost when planting can help.
Perennial: Hylotelephium ‘Autumn Joy’ A striking, late flowering succulent – another favourite for bees and butterflies love them!