Bees and Butterflies

60-90cm. Upright plant with sweetly aromatic foliage, and spikes of deep lavender-blue flowers in summer which are attractive to bees etc.. Enjoys full or part sun in fairly well-drained soil. Dead-head to prolong flowering. Good cut flower. Self seeds a little.

20cm. Fine foliage with heads of purple-pink flowers in summer. This bulb comes from Asia, and seems to flourish in well-drained soil in a sunny position.  Attracts bees & butterflies. Just a few bulbs available this year.

10 - 60cm. Dense heads of light purple-pink flowers, mid to late summer, attracting bees and butterflies. Fertile, well-drained soil, preferably in full sun. A well-behaved allium! For sunny well-drained areas.  Attracts bees & butterflies.  Bulb.

20cm. Rosettes of slightly twisted, glaucous leaves, with rounded heads of mauve pink flowers later in summer. Well-drained soil in sun. Good for the rockery or front of border. Very attractive to butterflies. For sunny well-drained areas.  Attracts bees, butterflies etc.  Bulb.

5 cms. Forms a neat, small dome of needle-like foliage, with deep pink buds, opening to light pink flowers on short stems, over a long period. Well-drained soil in sun. Good in a trough or raised bed.

60cm. White flowers with pink centres for a long period in summer, over an attractive mound of foliage. Attractive to bees, butterflies etc, and good cut flowers.  They prefer fertile, humus-rich soil in sun or part shade.

60-80cm. Sprays of single, rich mid-pink flowers are produced over several weeks from September onwards. Best in sun. A good cut flower. Attracts bees, butterflies etc.

5cm. Creeping stems with rounded, shiny green leaves, producing masses of lilac and white flowers, late spring to late summer. Sun or part shade. Attracts bees.

20cm. A beautifully scented pink, flowering prolifically in summer. The single flowers have a dark pinky-red ground, with 2 clear pink 'eyes' on each petal.

50cm. Felty grey leaves, with clusters of orange, tubular flowers through summer. Attracts bees etc. In its native home (Uruguay), it attracts humming birds, so maybe the Hummingbird Hawkmoth will like it? I live in hopes! Good in a container. Keep just frost-free in winter (although I've never tested its hardiness).

10-15cm. Forms a low tidy mat of foliage, with deep magenta flowers over a long period in summer. Enjoys a well-drained soil in sun. Chalk loving/tolerant For sunny well-drained areas Attracts bees, butterflies etc. Alpine/rock garden plant

30cm. Makes a neat mound of soft, blue-grey leaves, with large, bluish-purple, dark-veined flowers in summer. Well-drained soil in sun. For sunny well-drained areas.  Attracts bees, butterflies etc.

10-15cm. A low-growing plant, forming a neat mound covered with light pink flowers over a long period in summer. Grows in well-drained soil, in a sunny position. Attracts bees, etc. Chalk loving/tolerant For sunny well-drained areas Attracts bees, butterflies etc. Alpine/rock garden plant

10 x 30cm. This compact form flowers for months in summer, with pale pink, dark-veined flowers. It grows slowly, in well-drained, fertile soil in full sun.

90cm. Rich purple-blue flowers in summer. Fertile soil in sun or part-shade, not too dry. Cut back after flowering.

50-60cms. A continuous show of single and semi-double tangerine-orange flowers from early summer onwards. Dead-head for prolonged flowering, from April onwards, when it provides a good source of nectar for bees. Prefers a reasonably fertile soil, not too dry, probably best in part sun.

30-50cm. An evergreen shrublet with pure bright blue flowers in spring, and sporadically through summer. Very attractive to bees. Requires very well-drained soil, and full sun.

15-20cm. Apple-green bracts with small pink-purple flowers, mid-late summer. Needs very well-drained soil. Suitable for a rock garden, border or pot culture. One of my favourites!

Aromatic plant with trailing stems bearing heads of pale pink flowers in showy pink bracts. Very well-drained soil in sun. Good in a trough or container. Hardy in milder areas.

15-20cm. Aromatic golden foliage in spring and early summer, keeping its colour in sun or part shade. Pink flowers later in summer, when foliage becomes greener.  Attracts bees, butterflies etc.

30cm. Aromatic foliage with copious sprays of pink flowers mid-late summer, attracting bees etc. For sunny well-drained areas.

30 x 30cm. Crinkled, aromatic, golden foliage, with small pale pink or white flowers in summer. Best in part shade. Good culinary herb.

10-15cms. Fleshy rounded foliage forms an evergreen mat, with delightful sprays of starry pink-red flowers mid-late summer. Will trail over a wall or a pot too. Requires well-drained soil in a sunny spot. So far it has survived well with me, even being covered in snow for several days last year (2018).

15cm. Shrubby plant, making a small mound of silver-grey foliage. In summer, produces scented, pink-purple flowers in rounded clusters, over several weeks, often re-blooming later. Requires well-drained soil in a sunny position. Good in a trough, raised bed etc.

5-7cm. Forms a mat of small, softly-hairy, green leaves, with heads of purple-hooded and creamy-white-lipped flowers over a long period in summer.  Well-drained soil in a trough or raised bed. Attracts bees, etc.