Flower to plant

[new gardener 1052]

Good morning...& happy farthers day to all the dads......
I hope you guys can help me I'm trying to get my garden established after moving house last year I finally have a decent size garden. But it has never had much done to it. I have planted some fruit trees now I'm looking to get some flowers in my garden.

I want something that it going to attract bees and other insects for pollination of my trees. But don't know where to start or what I should be looking to plant.

I live in aberdeen NE Scotland so need to be hardy, would also like some thing quite low maintainable as I have a young family and don't get to spend loads of time in my garden.

I would like flowers that come back year after year, some will be going in the ground and some in containers. What's the differance between bedding plants and hanging plants?

Sorry for all the question and thanks in advance ng.

[veggiechicken]

I'll just answer the simple questions!
Bedding plants are planted in beds, hanging plants go in hanging baskets. Theses flowers are usually annuals - they flower for one year then die.
Perennial flowers come back year after year so that narrows down your options.
Have you thought about growing herbs - like rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage and lavender, All perennial, some evergreen and the bees love them. Bonus is - you can use them for cooking.

[new gardener 1052]

Thanks veggiechicken no I hadn't thought of growing herbs, might give that a go.
King regards ng.

[muddled]

Apparently, if you grow a circle of daffodils around your tree, they will deter couch grass and other nasty weeds from overtaking it.
And there is nothing as beautiful on a cold February morning as seeing a host of bobbing daffodils.

Then for purple flowers later in the year plant comfrey comfrey (make certain it's Bocking 14 variety). This will send down a strong tap root to draw up nutrients from below...then you cut the leaves and leave them around the base of the tree as a mulch where they feed the nutrients to the tree roots.

Both of these will gradually spread, coming back year after year so a good investment.

[roitelet]

Plants with single flowers usually attract bees more than double ones. If you plant perennials they will come back each year bedding plants are annual, flower than die.

[bend1pa]

Is the site mainly in sun or does it get shade?