Without pollination there would be no new seed, no new crops for animals and no food in our supermarkets. (No supermarkets may be good news for several reasons but I will put up with them to keep being fed).

Wind pollination may work for some plants particularly those with catkins that shed pollen in copious quantities. The main pollinators in a garden are insects and they deserve our respect. There have been scare stories about the declining population of Bees so I was pleased to capture (in photos ) these bees hard at work on my Crocus crop last week.

Tips to Aid Pollination

• Avoid using pesticides.
• Grow plants that attract and feed butterflies, birds and insects.
• Make insects safe and at home in your garden.
• Do not expect F1 plants to pollinate.
• Hand pollinate your curcurbits (courgettes, marrows and cucumbers).
• Tap flowering greenhouse tomato plants to get the pollen into the air and thus other flowers.