early bumblebee and the four carder bumblebee species have medium-length tongues and feed from thistles, comfrey, flowering currants and alliums. Meanwhile, the short-tongued bees, such as the solitar

Erysimum Rysi Copper One of the definitions of a wallflower is that of a shy and awkward person with whom nobody wants to dance: I am sure we have all felt like that at some point in our adolescence.

In the garden, hellebores and snowdrop bulbs are emerging through the wintry ground, while beyond, in borrowed views, dangling catkins and blossom-laden blackthorn branches sway in the hedgerows. Thes

Now spring is in sight, gorgeous plants herald a new season

Formerly known as Dicentra spectabilis, bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis), is a Chinese plant bearing pink-red, heart-shaped flowers with white tips that hang from arching flower stems in late

Stephanie Hafferty lists her favourite edible blooms and shares her top tips for using them