Abingdon Town Council have invited residents to submit photographs of active biodiversity within the community. As protecting biodiversity is important to the gardeners at St Ethelwold’s one of them has submitted the entry here. Many thanks to Victoria for ‘Rose Summer Wine’.

Rose Summer Wine

At St Ethelwold’s House we are protecting biodiversity with our bee-friendly planting. We aim to have plants flowering from March to September to give bees and other pollinators a continuous supply of pollen and nectar. We grow lots of single flowers that make pollen and nectar easily accessible, such as this rose, Summer Wine. We also grow woolly plants such as Lamb’s Ears that encourage wool carder bees. We have a bee hotel with bees in residence! We keep some areas of the garden unmown and unweeded, as weeds provide pollen and nectar.