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Bees obtain their food from nectar and pollen produced by flowers. Some plants produce a lot of this, whilst others produce nothing at all. The greater the number of suitable flowering plants in your garden the better. If space allows, try to grow several of the same type of plant, as planting in drifts helps the bees find their food. A range of flower shapes is important too. Shallow, open flowers enable short-tongued bees to access their food, while tubular flowers are better for those with longer tongues.

Here are our top 10 nectar-rich plants that flower at this time of year:

• Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
• Annual lavatera (Lavatera trimestris)
• Borage (Borago officinalis)
• Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)
• Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii)
• Large blue alkanet (Anchusa azurea)
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• Thyme (Thymus species)
• Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare)

(www.rhs.org.uk)

Slack Top Nursery
Alpine House
22A Slack Top
Hebden Bridge
West Yorkshire
HX7 7HA
Tel. 01422 845348

(www.slacktopnurseries.co.uk)

Craigieburn Garden 
Moffat
Dumfries & Galloway
DG10 9LF

(craigieburngardens.co.uk)

In early summer, many trees will naturally shed their fruit, a phenomenon known as the ‘June drop’. Despite this, in a good growing year, a fruit tree may still carry too many fruitlets which, if left, will develop into small fruit. With apples, thinning these fruitlets to two per spur will help to improve their final size.

(www.rhs.org.uk)

Garlic is ready to lift as soon as the foliage starts to turn yellow. Using a fork, gently lever the plants out of the ground and allow them to dry thoroughly until the leaves start to rustle. Thereafter, store somewhere cool and dry.

(www.rhs.org.uk)

Stone fruits like cherries and plums should only be pruned in June, July or August. Pruning at any other time of the year increases the risk of infection from bacterial canker and silver leaf. Fan-training is a good way of growing vigorous fruit trees in a small space. For more details on how to prune them, click on the link below. 

(www.rhs.org.uk)