My garden design schemes include planting for pollinators. It is important to provide enough variety of nectar in a garden planting scheme throughout the year.
Planting for pollinators will attract a wider selection of insects to a garden and in turn make it a healthier plot and attract more birdlife too. The plant forage provides more habitat for insects to lay eggs, pupate and hibernate.
As a garden designer my clients often ask for low maintenance plant schemes. The planting decisions will consider the tall tree canopy and the lower understory of shrubs for structure. A dense perennial ground cover will protect the soil surface. Lots of planting for pollinators with these schemes. However it is well worth introducing more annual flowering plants that have different nectar and will benefit even more pollinators.
Including one well chosen annual flower type through part of a planting scheme can add some temporary colour and style during the ‘summer into autumn’ period. And because these flowers are annual, meaning just for the one season, different annuals can be selected each year. So a planting scheme gets a visual boost and the gardens wildlife health also benefits. There is a little effort involved but well worth the impact!
Many annual flowers can be raised easily by seed such as Cosmos ( featured above ).
Tithonia, a tall orange composite flower form seen in this photo is from Mexico and adds height and colour to a border of tall grasses. It is a member of the Asteraceae flower family which have open ‘daisy’ like flowers and has an open form for butterflies and bees to land on.
Borage is another excellent foraging annual flower and will self seed rapidly, useful in more relaxed planting schemes or in the allotment or kitchen garden.