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One very direct way that everyone with a garden, large or small, can help the honeybees is to grow a selection of some of the plants that honeybees are particularly fond of as sources of nectar or pollen or both.

By selection of plants that flower at different times during the year, it is possible to provide the food the bees need throughout the time that they are foraging, as well as providing ever changing colourful displays to please your eye.

We are presenting here a selection of plants, based upon the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) list that is published on their website.

The plants here are categorised as Large Shrubs; Medium to Small Shrubs; Climbers & Annuals; Perennials; and Bulbs.

Our selection, provides visual guides (in the rolling gallery below) to flowering and planting seasons.

In addition, a set of 6 posters includes representative pictures of the plants listed below to help you consider what you might choose on the basis of style, appearance and colour. Reigate Beekeepers gratefully acknowledge the permission granted by the RHS for our use of photographs that are the copyright of RHS.         To view the posters, click on the image right.

Place your mouse pointer over the gallery below to reveal the control buttons to pause on an individual category.

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In addition, but not yet included in this guide, are many trees that are very useful to our bees as food sources. But they may require a little more planning, space and commitment on your part to provide! Do check out the BBKA list for details if you are up for planting a tree or two or more.

For further information on individual plants – and in particular to check for suitability for your garden location, aspect and soil type – we would recommend that you visit the RHS website. Or why not pop along to visit RHS Wisley Gardens, just off the A3.