The January-to-December succession

The hungriest moment for pollinators is not high summer — it is early spring, when queen bumblebees emerge from hibernation and need instant fuel, and again in autumn when the last butterflies are trying to fatten before migration or dormancy. Your garden must deliver in those gaps.

February and March belong to early bulbs and shrubs. Snowdrops, winter aconites and crocuses provide the first pollen. Mahonia x media 'Charity' flowers through January and February with sprays of yellow that smell of lily-of-the-valley and drip with nectar. Sarcococca confusa is another winter hero — insignificant white flowers, astonishing scent, beloved by early bees. Pussy willow catkins are a bumblebee magnet by late February.

April through June is easier — this is when most gardeners plant for themselves and pollinators benefit. The crisis comes in July and August, when many cottage-garden perennials finish. You need plants that flower late or flower twice. Nepeta, hardy geraniums and salvia will all rebloom if sheared back after the first flush. Verbena bonariensis, Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', Persicaria amplexicaulis and single dahlias will flower from July until hard frost.

September, October and November demand deliberate planting. Asters are essential — Symphyotrichum novi-belgii and S. novae-angliae cultivars flower into November and are the single best late-season food source for bees and butterflies. Sedums, particularly Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude', are covered in red admirals and peacock butterflies every autumn. Ivy flowers in October and is one of the last major nectar sources before winter; let a patch of it mature and bloom.