Running the gauntlet
Adam Young
Posts: 34
For those interested in plants for bees, hover flies and butterflies, I thought I'd share what works in my garden.
Allium Sphaerocephalon has at least 3 honey bees per head!
Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna,' though not as many bees as last year.
Stachys byzantina 'Big ears' this is smothered with all manner of bees and hover flies, a definite favourite. Moths love this as well.
Digitalis (Foxgloves) of any kind are always great.
Allium Cristophii was smothered in bees.
Erysium 'Bowles Mauve' is currently the most visited of butterflies, but I am genuinely concerned at the lack of butterflies given how many plants I have for them, I really should have more, but then again, you can't attract what's not there.
Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty,' Eryngium 'Big Blue and Saphire Blue,' Sedums of any kind, Lupins, Geranium 'Rozanne,' and the Agastaches 'Black Adder' and 'Blue Fortune' are all great plants.
Some I'm surprised with, for the lack of visits so far, are, Centranthus ruber 'Coccinea' (I thought butteflies would love it) Hesperis matronalis 'Alba' (though I know the moths like it) all 3 of my Buddleia buzz varieties (I haven't seen a single butterfly on them) Lavandula 'Hidcote,' Echinops ritro 'Veitch's Blue,' Achillea 'Moonshine,' Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign,' and possibly some more.
Any way, be interesting to hear about your own gardens and observations.
Oh, nearly forgot, the title is how it feels going up my narrow path with all the bees either side of it, it really is humming aloud with insects and the honey bees, bumble bees and hoverflies are there in mass, it really is scary at times. Butterflies though, where are they?
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We've had a noticeable increase in butterflies in this garden this week - red admirals, peacocks, common blue and large and small whites.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Alliums are great for bees - my sphaeros are just coming into bloom properly and the chives were covered a while ago. Verb bonariensis are a big favourite here but mine are a bit tall for the spot they're in so I might have to relocate for next year. Ligularias are covered and also Clematis are attracting lots. When the thymes were flowering there was loads of bees and hoverflies around. Geraniums were covered a while ago and the Cotoneasters and a honeysuckle were too. Those three might be common plants but they're worth their weight in gold for attracting bees and hoverflies. I've got an area of grass at the side of the house which I've left untreated , as it's where I'm putting an extension, so the clover in it's lovely for attracting them. I have loads of different varieties of bee but I'm not good at identifying them, but as long as they're coming in I'm happy! Dark Knight buddleias are flowering so loads of bees there. Butterflies should be along next month - August is the best month for them here. Had quite a lot earlier in the year and some eggs laid in the new hedging, so I hope I'll see plenty of tortoiseshells and peacocks as well as red admirals.
I think sitting and listening to bees humming round plants is one of the nicest sounds there is Adam. I don't often sit in the garden for any length of time but it's lovely when I do!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Agree with the humming, definitely a lovely sound, unless of course you've got to walk through those busy bees, then I definitely go slowly! On the note of buzzing bees, I'm gona have to do something as I have a little one and a dog, so I don't want them getting stung, so will have to change the garden to make it safer.
Forgot about the Verbena Bonariensis. I've got it in a lovely spot at quite a size, but again, not really attracting anything, and I can't for the life of me work out why it has hardly any visitors. D'you think it might be that there is so much other stuff for the insects that they're just focusing on certain plants and leaving ones they would normally go for?
Hi Adam, Im also noticing a distinct lack of butterflies, usually buddleias are covered but mine at home and my daughters plant are bereft. Everything seems to have come early this year though so it could be that the buddleia is out before the butterflies.
Adam - perhaps they're visiting the Verbena when you're not looking
Mine are in with other plants but I'm sure they'll use yours when they see them. I forgot about Sedums - I have quite a few of those - great for butterflies once they flower, and I also have some annual cornflowers 'Black Ball' which they seem to like.
Re your concern about bees and young child - my girls were always in the garden when they were young and I had lots of 'bee attracting' plants. They were never an issue. I think if you take the time to teach them about what bees do they understand very quickly. Mine soon realised that the bees weren't really interested in them - just the plants - and they loved watching them with me. So many children are frightened of insects of all types (which is very sad) and is often 'learned' from adults or other children. Perhaps you could give son/daughter a little patch of their own to sow seeds and water little plants etc- it's a great source of entertainment for them
Make sure they're plants which can cope with being drowned on a regular basis though!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Best shrub for honey bees is the white-stemmed bramble, Rubus cockburnianus 'Golden Vale'. Bit of a thug but I love the way it scrambles through my Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' - great contrast in leaf colour, plus toning coloured flowers attracting loads of insects.
Cheers Fairygirl, that's true and good advice, but this is the only path in the garden and it really has got very tight with plants spilling over, so, I think though the teaching of bees is something I want to do, I'm also aware that he's not even one yet and will have bees around him before I can even teach him how lovely they are. Plus, I have a golden retriever that tries to nip at them every now and then and I can see him getting stung!
Perhaps you could put in a temporary small fence of some kind just to keep the planting back from the path for now Adam - depends on what your layout is of course, as well as the finances! A few posts and some mesh would probably be enough though.
I expect the dog might only nip one or two bees before he gets the message! ....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...