[bobbyt]

Help please. I intend to have a small plot set aside for flowers on my allotment, size is about 3 x 0.7 metres. What type of flowers should I look into growing as pollinators, and also to look nice during summer/autumn. I thought about wild flowers, but I read up on this, and they tend not to like allotment soil, and normally are planted in a meadow type environment. I don't want a mini meadow as the grass spreads to other plot holders.

Also I did dabble in this, and it just looked like a weed patch in the end, they were hard to keep down, and some of the flowers spread everywhere (Oxeye daisies mainly)!
I'm looking for something that's fairly easy to keep going year on year, and looks pretty too  , also not too expensive either. Not sure if this exists but thought I'd ask, as I have no flower experience at all. I would like to plant them in Spring, to give me a chance to kill off the weeds there. Thanks for any suggestions.

[Yorkie]

Nice idea 

Are you after perennials, or annuals that will self-seed?

Generally, bees and other pollinating insects prefer flowers that are single / have open centres, rather than lots of layers that they can't fly into the middle of.

[bobbyt]

Hi Yorkie
I suppose some of both, but I don't want it to spread far on mine or my neighbours plots. Any recommendations welcome. Thanks.

[New shoot]

Inexpensive annuals to grow from seed would be borage, calendula, nasturtium, sunflowers and cosmos.  The first 2 will seed around a bit, but are easy enough to pull out.

Globe artichokes are great perennial bee plants and easy from seed or buy small veg plants from the garden centre in the spring.  Lavender, rosemary and thyme are cheap enough if you buy small pots from the herb section.  They are all perennial.

It is worth planting a few bulbs as well.  Alliums in particular attract huge numbers of insects.

[Subversive_plot]

Add Zinnias to your annuals list. Bees and butterflies love them.

Perennials, add Bergamot, basil, anything in the mint family.