I'd love to know your choices. This year I have planted some flowers apparently loved by bees, such as nemesia, but they have been roundly ignored. I guess there is always going to be trial and error for each garden.
I'd love to know your choices. This year I have planted some flowers apparently loved by bees, such as nemesia, but they have been roundly ignored. I guess there is always going to be trial and error for each garden.
That's what I'm thinking, but so far I have: Buddleja (more for butterflies), hebe, brachyglottis greyi Borage, cornflower, ragged robin, phacelia, lavatera, musk mallow, alliums, muscari, Scilian garlic, some early crocuses, achillia and verbena. I'm going to put a honeysuckle and clematis somewhere too.
That looks like a lot, but it's a fairly big space. Whatever doesn't fit or work will be moved to the opposite fence, which is also getting a flowerbed. I'm also going to put fruit trees along the back to go with the two already there, whenever I can get the horrible concrete patio pulled up.
I put in some lambs' ears right near the nesting boxes as it's good for nesting material as well as pollen and nectar. Purple tansy (borage family) is said to be favoured by bee keepers. I'm putting in a lot. Hellebores and snowdrops for early in the year. Winter flowering clems and viburnum for the darker months. I would recommend salvia Royal Bumble very beloved by bumble bees and linaria that is more generalist. Both go from spring to the frosts. Also agastache.
anyone know where to buy the Schwegler Insect House from please? Schwegler no longer ship to the UK and Nurturing Nature are out of stock of their insect house.
So you found one then @LeadFarmer. Is it a general one for insects rather than specifically bees? The holes look small. I have last year's batch of mason bee cocoons in my shed ready to hatch in Spring, and am stupidly excited to see them emerge (obv I am praying not to be disappointed!).
So you found one then @LeadFarmer. Is it a general one for insects rather than specifically bees? The holes look small. I have last year's batch of mason bee cocoons in my shed ready to hatch in Spring, and am stupidly excited to see them emerge (obv I am praying not to be disappointed!).
It's sold as an insect house for 'Hymenoptera' which I believe includes various insects including sawflies, wasp, bees & ants. So it will be interesting to see if anything makes residence.
Posts
Buddleja (more for butterflies), hebe, brachyglottis greyi
Borage, cornflower, ragged robin, phacelia, lavatera, musk mallow, alliums, muscari, Scilian garlic, some early crocuses, achillia and verbena. I'm going to put a honeysuckle and clematis somewhere too.
That looks like a lot, but it's a fairly big space. Whatever doesn't fit or work will be moved to the opposite fence, which is also getting a flowerbed. I'm also going to put fruit trees along the back to go with the two already there, whenever I can get the horrible concrete patio pulled up.
I have last year's batch of mason bee cocoons in my shed ready to hatch in Spring, and am stupidly excited to see them emerge (obv I am praying not to be disappointed!).