We know that red falls outside the spectrum of colour that can be detected by bees, so you may be wondering why I have included a plan for a hot, red, orange and yellow border. It is really because bees can detect yellow that makes this colour combination possible. Also, despite its colour, bees are attracted to the Monarda (or to give it its common name, bee balm) for the abundant nectar, and the red rose has bright yellow stamens which the bee identifies.
The plan is for a smallish space, some 2.5 metres by 2.5 metres, but it can be extended if you have a larger area to fill.
Focus and framework
I have not included a focus plant in this quite small area, although you could argue that the framework plant – a rose – is rather special in its own right. Rosa ‘Rose of Picardy’ is a single, red-flowered rose from David Austin which has beautiful hips in the autumn.
Flowers and fillers
Flowers form the major part of the design, and as usual I have tried to include plants to cover the foraging season of the bees. In this part of the colour wheel spring flowering plants that are good for bees are a bit thin on the ground, but we can rely on wallflowers to provide a valuable source of early food.
Plant families
The majority of the flowers come from the Primary families; the others, and the framework plant, can be found in the Secondary families; only the tulips fall into the Other category.