A small garden is no obstacle when it comes to feeding bees. What matters is not the size of the plot but how much nectar sits within easy reach of a nest. A modest border, a patio of pots and a sunny wall can keep bumblebees, honeybees and solitary bees busy from early spring until the first frosts — provided you plant in generous, sunny clumps rather than scattering single specimens about the place.

Start With Sunlight, Not Square Metres

Before you buy a single plant, watch your garden for a day and note where the sun lingers. Most bee-friendly flowers need at least six hours of direct light to produce good nectar, and bees are cold-blooded foragers: they work warm, sheltered spots and ignore chilly, wind-scoured corners. A south- or west-facing border backed by a fence or wall is ideal, because the masonry holds heat into the evening and extends foraging time.

If your only bright space is a patio or balcony, that is fine. Paving and brick radiate warmth, and bees will happily work a row of pots at waist height. What they will not do is brave a gale, so a trellis, a hedge or a few tall stems makes a real difference.

Four Plants Worth Building a Border Around

You can fill a small garden with dozens of pretty things and still feed very few bees. These four earn their space.

Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) are biennials: plant them one year and they flower the next, in June and July, sending up spires of purple-pink bells that long-tongued bumblebees have evolved to reach. They tolerate a little shade and look superb at the back of a border. If you would rather not wait, try the short-lived perennial Digitalis x mertonensis. All parts are toxic if eaten, so wear gloves and keep them away from toddlers and grazing pets.

Lavender is the classic. Lavandula angustifolia varieties such as 'Hidcote' and 'Munstead' flower in June and July and stay compact enough for a small plot; lavandins flower a few weeks later and grow larger. Give lavender full sun and sharp drainage, and go easy on feeding, as rich soil makes floppy, short-lived plants. Trim lightly after flowering, but never cut into the old, leafless wood.

Salvia carries the season further than almost anything else. Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' produces deep violet spikes in early summer and repeats if you cut the faded stems back to the base, while Salvia 'Hot Lips' often flowers into October in a mild year. Leave the old growth over winter for shelter and cut back hard in spring.

Catmint (Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low') is the hardest-working plant here. It blooms from June to September, its soft grey-green foliage hides the dying leaves of spring bulbs, and it shrugs off drought. Shear it back by half in late May — the old 'Chelsea chop' — and again after the first flush for a second, fresher display.

Plant in Clumps, Not Singles

Bees are creatures of habit. They learn the look and location of a rewarding flower and return to it again and again, a behaviour called flower constancy. A bee that finds one lavender plant will search for more of the same nearby; a bee confronted with a single foxglove among unfamiliar blooms wastes energy working out whether each one is worth visiting.

So group your plants. Aim for patches of at least three to five of the same variety, roughly 45cm to 60cm across, and repeat those patches around the garden rather than mixing everything into a pick-and-mix. If space is tight, choose one variety and plant it generously: a metre of catmint feeds far more bees than a metre of ten different things planted singly.

Keep the Table Laid From March to October

A single glorious flush in July is lovely, but bees need food all season — queens emerging in spring, colonies building in summer, new queens fattening up before winter. Spread your planting like this:

• Early spring: crocus, grape hyacinth, pulmonaria, rosemary and flowering currant.
• Late spring: alliums, comfrey, chives and the first catmint.
• Early summer: foxgloves, lavender and salvia in full flow.
• High summer: oregano, thyme, marjoram and a second flush of catmint.
• Late season: Salvia 'Hot Lips', hylotelephium, asters and ivy, a surprisingly valuable autumn nectar source.

Small Habits That Make a Big Difference

Once the planting is right, a few changes to how you garden will multiply its value.

• Skip the insecticides. Even one spray for aphids can take out hoverfly and solitary bee larvae, and residues linger on leaves.
• Leave the seedheads. Faded foxglove and salvia stems stand over winter, and their hollow stems shelter overwintering insects.
• Hold off on the spring tidy. Wait until temperatures reach about 10°C before cutting back, so queen bumblebees emerging from hibernation still find cover.
• Let a corner go wild. A patch of clover and dandelions, or a metre of lawn left uncut, is free forage.

None of this requires a large garden, a big budget or much skill. A sunny wall, a handful of tough plants and a little restraint in autumn are all it takes to turn a small plot into a reliable all-day larder for the bees that share it with you.