I planted a cottage garden a few years ago, and the nepeta, lavender, herbs and roses really attracted the bees, What’s more they matched my Cotoneaster Splendens growing up the wall for the equivalent of bee heaven. Round the corner of the house is another garden where I planted buddleias, just two, a couple of years ago, but there was something missing…

That’s it, easy care wild flowers specific to pollinating insects to balance the butterflies flicking around the buddleia was the answer.

In a bed,which in the past had housed runner beans, I set about instructing (!) Dick to dig while I pontificated about which to buy, and how many. So in I went, straight onto https://www.rootsplants.co.uk/ and there they were, such gorgeous little rascals – wild flower seedlings. I read on: they grow best in full sun but tolerate part shade. Tick. They flower from May to October.Tick. I knew that all one had to do at the end of the season, was that Dick would strim. Tick. The cycle would begin again in the spring. Simples.

They arrived in good packaging, in trays. (We had measured the patch and bought accordingly with the help of Roots advice writ clear on the page.)Then it was time to plant out the clutch of seedlings.

We already had existing poppies, so left these adults in place to keep the newbies in order. Wildflower seedlings need little care, because let’s face it, they don’t have that in the wild. Just a bit of water (pre-heatwave) and sun, then lots of sun and …. Just look.

I am thrilled. The bees are thrilled, and frankly, if I need more plants of any description, I will head straight for https://www.rootsplants.co.uk . I just get the feeling they love their plants as much as I love mine.

Margaret Graham (who also writes under Milly Adams and Annie Clarke) is the author of over twenty novels. The Waterway Girls series has recently been published in kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H46FX35L/