A courtyard garden — all paving, walls and a handful of pots — might not look like prime wildlife habitat. Yet some of the most bee-rich gardens I have ever visited have been tiny, enclosed and almost entirely hard-surfaced underfoot. What matters is not the size of the space but the warmth, the shelter and the flowers you choose to fill it with.

Why Courtyards Suit Pollinators So Well

Walls and paving soak up heat during the day and release it slowly into the evening, so a small courtyard often stays several degrees warmer than an open lawn. For bees and butterflies, which need warmth to fly and feed, that is a genuine advantage. A south- or west-facing corner can support plants that would sulk in a windier, cooler spot — lavender, rosemary, salvias and other sun-lovers all thrive there.

Shelter matters just as much as heat. In an open garden, insects expend energy battling the breeze; in a courtyard they can work methodically from pot to pot, which means more flowers visited and better pollination. The trick is to treat every surface as an opportunity rather than a limitation.

Nectar-Rich Flowers That Earn Their Space

When space is measured in pots rather than borders, choose plants that give generously. Aim for a mix of shapes so that long-tongued bumblebees, short-tongued solitary bees and butterflies can all find something suitable.

• Lavender — 'Hidcote' or 'Munstead' are compact, fragrant and beloved by bumblebees. Clip after flowering to keep them bushy.
• Catmint (Nepeta) — a haze of soft blue from late spring, then a second flush if you shear it back hard. Almost unbeatable for bees.
• Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' — tall, dark-stemmed and long-flowering, with nectar that suits both bees and butterflies.
• Verbena bonariensis — airy violet heads on wiry stems. Plant it towards the back so it does not shade its neighbours.
• Sedum 'Herbstfreude' — flat pink flower heads in late summer and autumn, when butterflies are stocking up before hibernation.
• Echinacea and helenium — daisy-like flowers with prominent cones that bees land on like little helipads.
• Herbs — oregano, thyme, rosemary, chives and borage. Cheap, useful in the kitchen and magnets for pollinators.
• Single-flowered dahlias and cosmos — the open-centred kinds, not the tight pom-poms, which offer little or nothing.

As a rule, avoid double flowers. Many have been bred until the nectar-bearing parts have become extra petals, so they look lavish but feed nothing.

Planting Pots with Purpose

Use a peat-free compost blended with loam for perennials — a John Innes-type mix holds moisture and nutrients far better than a light multi-purpose alone. Size matters more than you might think: aim for containers at least 30 centimetres across, and larger for shrubs such as rosemary or a small buddleia. Terracotta dries out quickly, so line it with plastic or choose glazed pots if you are out at work all day.

Group pots closely rather than spacing them along the wall. Clusters create a microclimate, keep roots cooler and give insects a continuous landing strip. Raise a few onto feet or a low bench to break up the flat plane of paving, and place the tallest plants at the back against the wall.

Water with rainwater where you can, and stand pots on saucers filled with pebbles to lift them clear of standing water. Go easy on the feed — too much nitrogen produces leafy growth at the expense of flowers.

Shelter, Water and Basking Spots

Flowers are only half the story. Butterflies need somewhere to warm up, so leave a couple of flat stones in the sunniest spot; they will settle there with wings spread. A shallow dish of water with pebbles or a patch of damp sand gives bees somewhere safe to drink — they cannot manage open water.

For shelter, fix a bee hotel to a warm wall, or simply bundle hollow stems and bamboo canes in a sheltered corner. Leave a small pile of leaf litter or a few broken twigs behind a pot for overwintering insects. Ivy is worth encouraging on a wall: its late flowers feed bees in autumn, and its dense foliage shelters butterflies and moths through the winter.

Keeping the Season Rolling

A courtyard can offer nectar from February to November if you plan it. Start with crocus, grape hyacinth, hellebores and pulmonaria in pots by the door. Follow with the summer stalwarts above, then finish with asters, sedum and Japanese anemones.

Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering, but leave a few seed heads standing for the birds. If you can spare one hidden pot of nettles, you will give small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies somewhere to lay — just keep it in a container so it does not take over.

A Few Practical Cautions

Never use pesticides, including slug pellets, in a pollinator garden. Greenfly and caterpillars are food, not failure. Try to tolerate a slightly untidy corner, and resist the urge to sweep every fallen leaf.

Finally, plant in generous drifts of one kind rather than a single specimen of everything. Bees are creatures of habit and will return again and again to a reliable patch. Give them three or four good clumps, keep the water topped up, and your paved courtyard will hum from spring until the first frost.