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growing wildflowers for bees and butterflies
flowersforbees
Posts: 221
in Talkback
I didn't know until very recently that not all flowers are
good for pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies.
Now that I do though, I would be very grateful if you could
please advise me which are the best wildflowers to grow
to help the bees etc. Thank you!
0
Posts
Hi Nutcutlet and Jim,
This is WAF registered under another name as I didn't get any response
to my plea for missing toolbar etc. to be replaced! Now I have all the
toolbar - so here goes! Please reply when you see this, so that I know
you recognise me! Bit drastic I know, but I didn't know what else to do!
Well at the moment, my teasels are covered in Bumble bees (three different varieties)
They also like the leeks that have gone to seed, and the lavender.
Earlier on in the year they were on the foxgloves a lot. Also linaria purpurea.
Borage & phacelia are both good for honeybees & bumbles.
They like comfrey flowers as well, but once you've got comfrey you can never get rid of it.
Many thanks folks! The only one I have from all those you've mentioned
is the lavender, so lots to keep in mind for next year!
that's lateral thinking flowersforbees, I'm full of admiration.
Viper's Bugloss is a bit of a star and marjoram is just starting, (but not wild).
clovers, red and white dead nettle. I'm not fussy about wild as long as they do the job. so Eryngium giganteum is very busy at the moment. I'll have a wander round tomorrow and see what's attracting them at the moment.
Pulmonaria is excellent early on and I think one of the species is native, I grow P. rubra because it's so early.
now you've got a tool bar do we get pics?
In the sticks near Peterborough
Borage is very good. You can use the new leaves as a cucumber substitute (in fact it was used in Pimms before people used cucumber) and the blue flowers are edible too. I put them in ice cubes and they look brill in drinks - a real talking point.
Here are too good links from the RHS that list good pollinator friendly plants:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sustainable-gardening/pdfs/RHS_Pollinators_PlantList_v1
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sustainable-gardening/pdfs/20120702_PerfectForPollinators-WildflowerList_V1
i have buddlia,borage, lavender, russian comfrey,plenty to attract bees,but i have not seen a single butterfly all year up to now[except cabbage whites]wonder if there is anything i can add to encourage them?
with the toolbar, but I still can't get the picture I want to transfer to the
message!! The little square box appears in my message box and the
picture appears uploaded, but I can't get it to transfer no matter what I do!
will keep trying!