flowers are particularly easy to grow and they don’t necessarily have to be native as long as they are colourful and nectar-rich. Night-scented stocks, cornflowers, candytuft, snapdragons and sunflowers will attract insects and therefore increase the range of birds that visit the garden. Half-hardy annuals and biennial plants can also be raised from seed and incorporated in borders, where they will act as a magnet to summer bees and butterflies.
If space is a problem, hardy and half-hardy annual seeds can be sown directly into large pots, where they can be left to grow on to full size. The pots can then be moved around the patio to create instant colour.
FLOWER SEEDS
HALF-HARDY ANNUALS African marigold (Tagetes erecta) N, B French marigold (Tagetes patula) N, B Heliotrope (Heliotropium) N Petunia N Tobacco plant (Nicotiana) N
HARDY ANNUALS Candytuft (Iberis umbellata) N Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) B, H, Nat Corncockle (Agrostemma githago) N, Po, Nat Corn chamomile (Anthemis arvensis) N, Nat Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) N, B, Nat Larkspur (Delphinium consolida) B, Po, Nat Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) N Mignonette (Reseda odorata) N, C Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) H, C Night-scented stock (Matthiola bicornis) N, M Poached egg flower (Limnanthes douglasii) B, H Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) B, H Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) N, B, S Virginia stock (Malcolmia maritima) N, B
BIENNIALS Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) B, H, M Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica) N, B, Nat Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) B, Po, Nat Great mullein (Verbascum thapsus) B, Nat Sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis) N, Nat Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) N Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) N, B, S, Nat Wallflower (Cheiranthus cheiri) N, Nat
plants
OF THE
month
COMMON SNOWDROP
(Galanthus nivalis)
The common snowdrop, found widely in damp woodlands, on banks and in hedgerows, provides the first flowers of the year. A pretty plant which looks best planted in natural ‘drifts’.
| type | Bulb |
| flowers | White, inner petals tipped with green |
| height | 13–20cm (5–8in), mid-winter to early spring |
| planting | Plant bulbs in early autumn, 5cm (2in) deep and 8cm (3in) apart |
| site | Partly shaded. In grass, under trees, shrubs or hedges |
| soil | Any, but grows best in rich, moist soils |
| care | May take two to three years to get established but needs no attention |
| propagation | When the clumps outgrow their space, lift and divide the bulbs immediately after flowering |
| varieties | ‘S. Arnott’ is a larger, sweetly scented hybrid and ‘Viridapicis’ has green markings on the outer as well as inner petals |
| wildlife value | The scent acts as a signal to insects waking up prematurely from hibernation. On warm days, when there are more likely to be insects about, the petals open to their fullest |
COMMON SNOWDROP
HONEYSUCKLE
(Lonicera fragrantissima)
The winter-flowering honeysuckle is not native to Britain (unlike the wild honeysuckle or woodbine, L. periclymenum) but it is well worth growing for its fragrant flowers and foliage cover.
| type | Partly evergreen climbing shrub |
| flowers | Creamy white, early winter to early spring |
| height | 1.8m (6ft) |
| planting | Plant in mid- to late spring, against walls, fences or trellis, or in containers |
| site | Sun or light shade — ideally the roots should be in shade and the top in sun |
| soil | Any well-drained soil |
| care | Mulch around the plant with leaf mould or compost in spring. Regular pruning is not necessary, but straggly or overgrown plants should have old wood removed after flowering |
| propagation related species wildlife value | Stem cuttings in mid- to late summer L. standishii is similar but grows to a more compact 1.2m (4ft) The foliage may provide cover for birds and the flowers are welcoming to insects when the rest of the garden is bare |
VIBURNUM
(Viburnum x bodnantense)
Not a native shrub, but a very hardy species bearing clusters of flowers on bare wood even in the hardest winter.
| type |
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