How to attract butterflies, bees

GET IT RIGHT: AND YOU'RE INVITED TO A GARDEN PARTY

- Alice Spenser-Higgs

The bee and butterfly season is upon us.

A good indicator of that is plumbago, a host plant of choice for butterfly larvae. The poor shrubs (in my garden) are a shadow of their former glory but all for a good cause because it won't be long before the butterflies appear and join the bees in their search for nectar.

To entice them into your garden, you will need a variety of pollen and nectar rich flowers. Here’s a list for starters; echinacea (cone flower), salvia, lavender, coreopsis, scabiosa, Russian sage (Perovskia), and rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan).

All are beautiful garden flowers and have the same growing requirements: plenty of sun and well drained but not rich garden soil. They are also heat and drought tolerant. Plant a few of these in a sunny part, then sit back and watch the show.

Echinacea - hostess of choice

Echinacea purpurea hybrids are the ideal anchor plant. Nominated as perennial of the year some years back, they offer the gardener an array of brightly coloured flowers from summer to autumn. Plants are also more compact and better branched than the original Echinacea purpurea.