Sunshine is well and truly on trend this week. With highs of up to 33°C and temperatures already soaring, it is the perfect moment to tackle some little garden upgrades – perhaps those ones you have been meaning to do since last summer.
Affordable Garden Upgrades for Pollinators
A garden glow-up does not have to be purely cosmetic. Small, affordable updates can help wildlife – especially bees and other pollinators – by making outdoor spaces brighter, more inviting and easier to navigate. Planting bee-friendly plants, whether that is wildflowers in the grass or pots of lavender, heather or sunflowers, will provide insects with good food sources. However, if you want to attract them to your garden in the first place, one of the simplest tricks starts with colour.
The Power of Colour in Attracting Bees
According to gardening experts, adding colour to the garden can help highlight food sources for bees and butterflies, especially when paint is used alongside bright, bee-friendly flowers. Mark Douglas, beekeeper and founder of Bee1 (an initiative to address the decline in bee populations), explains: “Colour is the first thing pollinators notice, and they can spot it from a distance, so it helps attract them to a space. It is then followed by the scent of flowers, so to truly support them, those colour choices should be paired with pollen- and nectar-rich plants, water sources and undisturbed nesting spots.”
The easiest place to start is with pots and planters. Cuprinol Garden Shades, available from £17.98, can be used on garden wood, terracotta, brick and stone, making it a quick way to refresh old containers, tired wooden garden furniture, fences or sheds. Shades such as Cornflower, Pansy and Dazzling Yellow are especially good partners for bee-friendly flowers, as bees are naturally drawn to blue, purple and yellow tones.
Additional Tips for a Pollinator-Friendly Garden
As well as attracting their attention and providing food sources, you can encourage a healthy garden for pollinators by providing a good water source and shelter for bugs. It is not difficult to make your own bug hotel with an old wooden box packed with twigs and seed pods, or paint one to match your pots, like this Wooden Insect House, £9.99.
To ensure they have somewhere to drink, add a colourful Bee and Butterfly Bath, £24.99, or simply fill a shallow bowl with water and add some pebbles for insects to crawl in and out on. The Royal Horticultural Society also recommends mowing lawns less often to allow dandelions, daisies and clover to flower – which we think is a great excuse not to mow.
