encouraging bs & bs

Hi Ruth and welcome to GoY. How small is 'very small', which way does the border face and what are your soil conditions - we need to know all of this before we can answer. If you can add a photo to your question that would be great.

lavenders are bee friendly and there is a dwarf variety if you are pushed for space?There are lots of different honeysuckles to climb [choose a non prolific one.]Patio roses are good too.If there is some sun in your border, these will do well.If there is room for a pot, plant stachys in it [lambs ears] it's a bit of a thug plant but good in a pot.

Catmint (nepeta) and scabious attract them. And if you have room there is now a miniature buddleja that you can even grow in a tub. If you like cabbage white butterflies plant nasturtiums but make sure you get the dwarf ones - most are trailers that take up a lot of room. And you can save the seeds for next year too - if you live in a mild climate they will seed themselves.They do best in poor soil - in good soils the leaves grow up and hide the flowers.

I would say
Salvia
Scabious
Nepeta
Marjoram (a real winner)
Lavender
Rosemary (early flower)
Monarda

My marjoram has had no winged visitors this year so far except for one buff tailed bumble bee and something so small I couldn't see what it was. (While I've been looking that is) Its normally heaving with lots of different ones. Its scary. It might have helped a bit if Ruth had put where she lives on her profile - our rosemary flowers while its still too cold for insects.

I hope I've got the right place to say thanks. It's all a bit confusing. But to those who asked for further info., my border is about 6ft long, and, at its widest, 2 ft wide. It faces North West, and gets sun for part of the day. As for the soil, I don't know, but topsoil is shallow, and I can add to it. And uploading photos is still a technological mystery to me! However, I am so grateful for all your suggestions.

Yes you got it right. Uploading photos - when you ask a question there is a little box that says Add a photo. If you click on that boxes appear where you can browse your computer for the photo(s) you want and just select it (them), as you would if you were adding to an email. Hope this helps.Ask again if you get stuck.

Someone said that it would help to know where I lived. The answer os Monmouthshire, but I think now I have enough recommendations. Thanks again.

Hi Ruth, If you are intending to stay with Goy (and we hope you are) perhaps you would like to add Monmouthshire to your profile so people will know when you ask another question?

Thanks to the last contributor, but HOW?? None of the buttons seems to show me how to update myprofile.

Go to your Profile page and on the left is the option to Edit My Profile. If you click on that and scroll down quite a long way you should see two boxes where you put your location - you can just type into the appropriate one. If you need any more help send me a Private Message, which you do by clicking on my avatar to get my home page and you'll see the option to send a private message near the top.