Sad Little Corner

Coincidentally, just read a report about plants for bees....heleniums are one of the top listed for bees.
Many popular annuals....begonias, impatiens, etc. rated as not being good for bees.
Plus, most recently purchased plants, according to the report, from the garden centres are drenched in insecticides....prob why your helenium luciusmaximus has not attracted bees.

 

I moved the pot close to other plants that are popular with the Bees, two different Fucshias and Scabious. I thought if the Bees were already there they would find the Helenium. But no they completely ignored it, not even the flies gave it a sniff. It only had 5 flowers to begin with but I have deadheaded. If it survives the winter I will have to decide where to put it for its permanent position ( currently living with a Jasmine in a large pot ). Will I need to fleece it do you think? Some of my other 'hardy ' plants will not survive without it even though we don't get much frost. I think its the winds and the salt

 

I didn't know about the insecticide . Might explain the why then. I don't buy from that particular garden centre very often as too expensive but as I mentioned before I couldn't get one anywhere else.

I don't usually have annuals, except for last and this year I had trailing Surfina - impulse buys as I liked the colours.

 

whatever the reason lucius heleniums are attractive to bees. I can testify to that when I deadhead them.
I dont buy veg plants from garden centres either because I think they will have been sprayed too.

 

Hi Luciusmaximus, just to let you know Surfinias are tender perennials not annuals, So you can take cuttings off them later this month to keep over Winter ready for an early start next year.

 

For a patio where you will sit out (weather permitting!) I would definitely want loads of scent. If you go the climbing roses route then Falstaff or Benjamin Britten are both fab. Trachylospermum jasminoides has much more scent than winter jasmine (though in summer) and is truly evergreen whereas winter jasmine isn't. If you go for smaller pots then scented leaf pelargoniums are my favourites, rub the leaves to get a smell of oranges, lemons, roses, pine, apples, mint etc - weird and wonderful! And Night Scented Phlox smells of sherbet sweets in the evening, absolutely amazing!
With the cover, just be careful of shading whatever plants there are as they may tend to grow out horizontally seeking the light and become a peculiar shape like they are leaning over.

 

Thank you green-fingered blogger, that is good advice. I would really like scented plants around the patio so your advice will be useful. Interestingly I took a photo of some pelargoniums at a garden centre recently to go on my hit list! Great point about the cover..... don't want my patio to end up looking like Dante's Inferno