An interesting article from Alice Bowe giving details of some of the best plants to grow to help bees during the winter months. See the Times article here
Her suggested plants include:
Winter clematis –Clematis cirrhosa**
Mahonia – Mahonia x media
Winter heather – Erica carnea
Cornus mas – Cornelian cherry
Winter honeysuckle – Lonicera x purpusii
Goat willow – Salix carea ‘Kilmarnock’
Lungwort – Pulmonaria
Common primrose – Primula vulgaris”
The clematis cirrhosa** has also been nominated by Alan Titchmarsh as his plant of the week on 4th Feb in the Waitrose Magazine. He writes: “It is an evergreen climber with lightly fragrant creamy-white speckled inside with maroon freckles. It’s a lovely way to bring a fence or pergola to life at this time of year. It’s common name is Fern-leaved clematis, and its prettily dissected, bronze-tinted foliage is daintier than the rather course leaves of another better-known winter-flowering evergreen clematis, C. armandii. As it’s originally from Majorca it will be happiest in full sun.