I have had some interesting experiments with bushy salvias this last year. I have tried Blue Note and So Cool Pale Blue, both specifically planted for bees and they don't seem remotely interested. Admittedly it has been a terrible year for bees in my garden - hardly any. But they seem much more attracted to the Royal Bumble and Hotlips, by a factor of many. I think my Blue Note flowers may be too small for bumbles to land and access easily. I've no idea why they have little interest in So Cool. They should be able to see the colour range well. Perhaps it offer much less nectar.
Also interesting to note that on the Royal Bumble bumblebees usually nibble the left side of the bloom for access. But this year I have seen some eat straight on. I would guess this is to do with tongue length. I must make a note of which species does which.
It's been disturbing to see the linaria empty. It's usually vibrating with bees all summer long.
I'm doing a study for Buzz Club re bees and heatwaves so I've been counting them three times a day for three days before the heatwave, now during and then I will be for three days afterwards. Always seems to be the same - 2/3 buff tails on the echinops or dahlia fashion monger, around 3/4 honeybees on the echinops and then 7-10 carders on the lavender, dahlias or erysimum. I wonder if they're the same individuals each time!
There’s an audible hum around the tiny flowers of the Chinese Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus henryana) on my wall. Nice to know the vertical space is wildlife friendly — it also produces lots of small berries in autumn.
There’s an audible hum around the tiny flowers of the Chinese Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus henryana) on my wall. Nice to know the vertical space is wildlife friendly — it also produces lots of small berries in autumn.
Spot the bee in flight:
Lovely.
I have a climbing hydrangea growing up my garage wall that the bees love. It's in a planter and Im about to have a new patio laid so the planter has to move, and I think it will fall apart. if so I need to figure out what to do with the plant until I have time to make a new planter. I'll probably have to cut fit back and wrap plastic around the roots and sit it in one of those builders tonne bags until a new planter is ready.
The hydrangea is in the far left corner growing up the garage where it meets the house, it's quite a big plant to move..
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Nepeta six hills giant back in the game having re-flowered after a chop.
Verbena bonariensis.
Big sunflower heads being treated as sun loungers.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Lobelia Blue Fan seems to be popular. (It should be called Purple Fan though, like so many plants with "blue" in their name.)
Spot the bee in flight:
I have a climbing hydrangea growing up my garage wall that the bees love. It's in a planter and Im about to have a new patio laid so the planter has to move, and I think it will fall apart. if so I need to figure out what to do with the plant until I have time to make a new planter. I'll probably have to cut fit back and wrap plastic around the roots and sit it in one of those builders tonne bags until a new planter is ready.
The hydrangea is in the far left corner growing up the garage where it meets the house, it's quite a big plant to move..