Why Native Flowers Pull Their Weight

British bees and butterflies evolved alongside our native flora, and that shared history matters. Many of our solitary bees and bumblebees have tongues matched to particular flower shapes, and our caterpillars are often remarkably fussy about which leaves they will eat at all. A native wildflower border isn't just prettier in a meadow-ish sort of way — it's a larder and a nursery in one.

That doesn't mean you must banish garden favourites. It means giving the natives the best spot in the border, so pollinators get a reliable supply from March right through to October.

Pick a Sunny, Sheltered Spot

Most nectar-rich wildflowers want the same conditions: full sun for at least six hours a day and protection from the wind. A south- or south-west-facing border backed by a hedge, fence or wall is ideal. Warm, still air lets bees work efficiently and butterflies bask between flights.

If your only open spot is windy, a low barrier works wonders — a lavender hedge, a woven hurdle, or even a few sturdy grasses planted a metre or two back from the flowers. And don't worry about soil fertility: most wildflowers flower best on poor, lean ground. Rich, heavily manured beds encourage leafy growth at the expense of blooms.

• Aim for at least six hours of direct sun
• Shelter from the prevailing wind, especially from the west
• Skip the mulch and the feed — lean soil suits wildflowers
• Leave a patch of bare earth for ground-nesting solitary bees

The Plants That Earn Their Keep

Three plants will carry a great deal of the load, and they look good together too.

Foxgloves are the classic cottage-garden choice, and they're a magnet for long-tongued bumblebees, which crawl right inside the bell to reach the nectar. Sow seed thinly in late spring, or simply let existing plants self-seed — they'll colonise a border happily if you leave the flower spikes standing until the seed has shed. They're biennial, so keep a few self-sown rosettes each year for continuity. All parts are toxic, so wear gloves and keep them away from small children and pets.

Common knapweed is the one to plant if you want butterflies. Its thistle-like purple heads are a favourite of marbled whites, meadow browns, ringlets and skippers, and it flowers from June to September on stiff, wiry stems that stand up without staking. It makes a superb cut flower, too. Plant it in a drift of five or more for the best effect.

Lavender is not strictly native, but it suits our summers beautifully and it earns its place. Bees of every size work the flowers, and a lavender hedge along a sunny path means you'll hear the hum before you see it. Choose a hardy English lavender such as Lavandula angustifolia, plant it in gritty, free-draining soil, and clip it lightly after flowering in late August — never cut back into the old, leafless wood, as it rarely regrows.

Widen the Menu Through the Seasons

Foxgloves, knapweed and lavender will cover late spring to late summer. Fill the gaps either side with these:

• Spring: cowslip, primrose, lungwort and native bluebell for early queen bumblebees
• Early summer: ox-eye daisy, red clover and birds-foot trefoil — the latter is the larval food plant of the common blue butterfly
• High summer: field scabious, wild marjoram, betony and viper's bugloss
• Late season: teasel, purple loosestrife and devil's-bit scabious, which butterflies use to fuel up before hibernation

Plant in generous groups rather than scattering single specimens about. A clump of five knapweeds will attract far more insects than five lone plants dotted around the garden, because pollinators follow visual cues and a mass of colour is much easier to find.

Care Through the Year

Wildflower borders need less work than a traditional herbaceous bed, but timing is everything. Leave seedheads and hollow stems standing over winter — they shelter overwintering insects and feed the birds — and delay cutting back until late February or March, once the worst of the frost has passed. When you do cut, take stems down to about 10cm and leave the cuttings on the ground for a day or two so anything hiding inside can escape.

Water new plantings through their first summer, then leave them to it. Avoid insecticides entirely, and think twice about weedkillers near the border. If aphids appear on the knapweed, don't panic — they're food for ladybirds and hoverflies, and the plants will shrug them off.

Finally, don't forget the caterpillars. Nectar feeds adults, but butterflies need leaves to breed on. A small, managed patch of stinging nettle in a sunny corner will bring small tortoiseshells, peacocks and red admirals into the garden, and a bit of ivy or holly nearby gives them somewhere to shelter. Get that balance right and your border will be busy from the first warm day of spring until the last butterfly drifts away in autumn.