Thursday 6 February 2014

A Bee-Friendly Garden For Spring (1)


Honeybee on Hellebore
It's stormy here again today, but on Sunday we had some lovely sunshine (and it even felt a bit warm at last). To make the most of it, we met with some friends and had lunch on one of the Thames barges moored up in the quay at Maldon.  I love the barges and I was delighted to discover that the cafe was on 'Thistle', which was the same barge I hired out for my family for part of Mum and Dad's Golden Wedding Anniversary celebrations a few years ago.  We had a fabulous day then - and being back on 'Thistle' brought back all those memories.

Thames Barges





Anyway, this brief glimpse of sunshine has also made me think about plans for the garden and whether it will look how I want it to look this spring. Most of all, I want to be sure that it's as bee-friendly as it can be. I'm planning to move more beehives back to the smallholding (from the fields) and it's important that there are enough flowers here and in the surrounding area for my honeybees (and other pollinators) to enjoy.

So; here is a wander around the garden (and the smallholding) with a review of all the flowers the bees will forage on from late winter to late spring. I'm also including the flowers I'll be adding to my 'must-plant-this-year' list.

Crocuses - perfect for bees



Along the edges of the garden under the trees, I can see that there are several clumps of snowdrops flowering.  I've planted them with cyclamens, although these have finished flowering. I'm now considering planting some winter aconites with the snowdrops because I love this combination of white and yellow flowers. The bees will forage on both of them, flying to the aconites when the weather is mild and these little flowers open their petals.

I also have a shady area full of beautiful hellebores, a favourite of mine and of the bees! Another bee-plant is mahonia and so this is a must in my garden. Crocuses are also important for bees in spring and I've planted these just about everywhere, although it's always a disappointment to see how few of the crocuses I've planted actually come up each year. What on earth happens to them?!!

Many of the spring flowers for bees are yellow, which is a colour bees can see. Bees, like us, can also see green and blue, but they can't see red, and when they're drawn to a bright red flower like a field poppy, they're drawn not to the red in it but to pigments that reflect ultraviolet (which is a colour they can see and we can't, of course).  The pollen they collect from field poppies is a dark blue.

Wood anemone - loved by pollinators




In my local woods, bees will forage on wood anemones and bluebells. In the fields they'll be attracted to dandelion.  Apparently dandelions mainly release pollen in the mornings, so this is when they'll be particularly attractive to bees. On the edges of some of the fields, which have been cleared over recent years, I've noticed there are still gorse bushes surviving. Gorse is always reliable because it flowers all year.

In the arable fields, my bees will forage on oilseed rape this year.  It's been planted close to the smallholding and some of it is flowering already (which won't please the landowner).  Bees love this crop - a field of oilseed rape is a real bee-banquet. They become very excited when foraging on it and return to the hive covered in the stuff. They also become very grumpy when the crop has finished flowering, because this plentiful source of food is suddenly no longer available.

Apple blossom





Bees also look for flowers in the trees and hedgerows and here, they'll find catkins; apple, pear and cherry blossom, horse chestnut, and blackthorn.  I have lots of hawthorn, too, but this doesn't always provide something for bees (it varies from year to year), possibly due to warmth and weather.

Bees love grape hyacinths and wallflowers.  I have grape hyacinths due to flower but I'm annoyed with myself that I didn't get around to planting any wallflowers for spring this year. The seeds are still in the packets! I would like to grow lots of wallflowers so this is a must-do for this year. Meanwhile, in my herb garden, I do have plenty of rosemary, which is the best early flowering herb for bees.

Clematis Montana 'Rubens'




Close to the house, the bees will be attracted to the clematis montana covering the pergola in April and May. They will love the pyracantha and holly when they flower, too.

So, having reviewed the garden, I'm pleased that my bees and other pollinators will have something to interest them here from now until May.  But I'm aiming, next year, to have so much more ready for them.

50 comments:

  1. Reading through your post I've got some new ideas for making my garden as bee friendly as it can be in Spring. As to what happens to the crocuses, if it's anything like here.. mice! Your first photo of the bee on the hellebore is gorgeous Wendy.

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    1. Yes - mice are definitely suspects for the crocuses. I don't think it can be conditions at all e.g. too wet, so I think they must have been eaten. Thanks Jessica.

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  2. Hi Wendy, what a great idea to intentionally and consciously think about how to make the garden friendly for bees and other pollinators this spring! Unfortunately many flowering plants that I like, because of their look, are exactly the opposite :-(. So last year I started to think how I can make up for that. I planted salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' and catmint 'Walkers Low' and they have been a big hit in my garden with the bees. I will try to plant some more and different varieties of salvia and catmint this year in the backyard. You have inspired me to plant rosemary, since I love to cook with this herb, but right now I don't have it growing in my garden.
    I always admire your outstanding and lovely photography. Would you mind to let me know what camera and lens(es) you are using?
    Warm regards,
    Christina

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    1. I always try and make sure the plants I buy are perfect for bees and other pollinators, Christina, but sometimes I do buy something that looks beautiful and isn't particularly bee-friendly. I'm interested to hear about the bee-friendly plants you've bought; I'm always keen to learn about more.
      Thanks for your lovely comment on my photos. I have a Canon Powershot SX50 Bridge Camera. I still haven't really explored how to get the most of it, yet.

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    2. Hi Wendy, thanks for letting me know about your camera. I am not familiar with that one and have to look it up.Unfortunately I don't know much about cameras and photography in general, but it certainly would help to be able to take better photos for my blog. And that is something that I really would like to do :-)!
      Christina

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    3. Hi Christina. I hope my information helps with your choice. I don't know very much about cameras and photography either, I'm sure my own camera does lots of different things that I'm not aware of! One issue about my camera, is that you may find the battery doesn't last as long as you'd like, although that's never bothered me because I'm always recharging it.

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  3. Dear Wendy - it is so lovely to see some blue sky, and how nice that you had lunch with your friends on a Thames Barge.
    It is surprising how seeing some spring blossom lifts the spirits - we will all eventually bounce back again when the sun shines following this continuous rain.
    I have lost my crocuses too. A dear friend gave me some which I kept in a large pot. They have been appearing like clockwork for the last few years but this year there is no sign of them.

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    1. I completely agree with you, Rosemary. The sight of spring blossom and a day of warm sunshine really does lift the spirits. Walking along the quay on Sunday, it did feel like everyone else around me was happy to be out in the sun at last.
      That is a mystery about your crocuses and such a shame after they were a gift to you and have been so reliable in the past.

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  4. Hello Wendy! I loved seeing the sun on the barges!

    Every year I keep thinking of planting hellebores and then I never do, which is odd because I love them. I love the photo of the bee on the hellebore. I have bookmarked this post as a reference for pollinator friendly.plants. Thank you for your plant choices!

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    1. The sun was very welcome, Stacy. It's been so wet and miserable here. I think hellebores are beautiful, so I've planted lots and I'm pleased that they're thriving for the bees (when there isn't much else out for them at the moment).

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  5. I didn't know that there was now a cafe on the Thistle - will definitely check that out. Some friends of mine got married on the Thistle a few years back, it was such a beautiful wedding. I my plan this year is to grow more bee friendly plants on the allotment and on the barge's decks. I love the smell of wallflowers xxx

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    1. I can imagine a wedding on one of the barges would be wonderful, Fran. The cafe was on Thistle on Sunday, although according to one of my friends it has been on other barges - so I'm guessing it moves around.
      I love wallflowers, which is why I'm so frustrated that I didn't plant them as I intended to!
      Hope all is well with you and the boat in these storms and floods. Take care x

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  6. How lovely to see this list of early plants for bees. I didn't realise gorse flowered all year, but I did notice some in bloom the other day. It looks like you've got plenty for them to choose from, and some for all weathers and seasons.

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    1. I'm attempting to have flowers all year round for my bees, CJ. The bees don't fly much in winter, of course, but when they do I still want something there for them.
      Gorse is out when it seems nothing else is, so I am pleased to have it around here.

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  7. Although we only have our tiny locker handkerchief of garden we do try to make sure that the flowers in it are popular with the bees - ours seems to love the Pulmonaria, which flowers through most of the year it seems! We've recently planted a winter Jasmine in memory of our little car who was killed in December, and we're hoping that the bees may get some sustenance from that at the start and end of it's flower period too.

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    1. That's interesting about your own plants, Robyn and a lovely thought to plant something for your little cat. The bees will fly when it's mild and sunny on any day of the year, so it's good to have winter plants for them. I love to see them out and about them, they're proof that it's a gorgeous day!

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  8. That was a really interesting and useful post Wendy. I have written down all your suggestions- we have some in the garden already but I will certainly be getting more. Moths like white flowers (easier to see at night), so my plan this year is to get more of those. I've been looking for a white buddleia but so far no luck.
    I expect you already know about the battle of Maldon, being an Anglo-Saxon lady (that doesn't sound quite right, but hopefully you know what I mean). It was lovely to see the barges- what a great way to share a meal with friends. Hope you're OK in all this rain. CT

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    1. I'm very interested in your information on planting for moths. I'd love to make the garden moth-friendly, too - so I must think about buying some white flowers.
      We could just about see the area where the battle of Maldon took place from the barge. I quite like the idea of being an Anglo-Saxon lady; I guess I'm also an Iron Age lady etc etc!!
      Hope you're OK in the storms, too. Thanks, CT.

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  9. How lovely to have lunch on a Thames barge! I know what happened to all the crocus we planted - I caught squirrels digging them up and munching the bulbs - they especially like white crocus for some reason! We have a clematis montana which climbs and clambers through our trees at the top of the garden it's always a great attraction for the bees and other wildlife too:)

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    1. I'm sorry to hear about your own crocuses, Rosie. Squirrels are also suspects here - we do get plenty of them.
      Clematis montana is fantastic for climbing and covering, isn't it? Yours sounds glorious. When we used to go away in late April/early May each year I often used to miss mine, but one of the benefits of not going away at this time anymore is that I now get see it at its best!

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  10. Do get some aconites - they really do cheer up a dull day (like little suns!) as well as being an early source of bee food! The garden is going to be a big focus for us this year, and like you we're keen to make sure we have enough flowering plants to start the bees off in spring and keep them going til hibernation. It's great to get ideas of which plants to choose from other people, so thanks for sharing these.

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    1. From your lovely photos, your own aconites look beautiful, Helen. I think I will look into getting some for here, I agree they do brighten up the garden at a time when it's looking a bit bleak.
      I love the idea of the garden buzzing with pollinators on a warm, winter day. It's a really cheerful thought

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  11. Lovely to see those sunny flowers at such a depressing time of year. So impressed with your foresight and I know you'll be visited by many, many insects next year. I love Hellebores too and have actually got some about to flower here. I haven't seem any bees yet though. Have a great weekend Wendy.

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    1. I want to make the garden a paradise for pollinators, Em! It's my big ambition for this year. Another reason I love hellebores is that they seem to flower for such a long time. They really do cheer about that part of the garden.
      Have a lovely weekend, too!

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  12. That's a great overview of the pollinator friendly plants, now and during the year. I know it's really important to have early flowers for them. I really hope they are staying tucked up for now with more bad weather on the way-although I did have a honey bee on the decking last weekend.

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    1. I can't imagine I'll see them out flying this weekend, Suzie. It's far too wet for them. They would have been flying last Sunday, but when I quickly lifted the roof off the hives a couple of days later to give them some food, they were all back indoors again. There was no sign of them around the entrance at all!
      You're right about early flowers being important. The queen will have started laying again by now.

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  13. I think the bees will be very productive in your spring garden - if I was a bee I would be content to browse on all the lovely flowering things you have planned for me. Having lunch on a barge - how lovely.

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    1. I hope the bees will make lots of honey from my garden this year, Elaine. Both for them and for me!
      It was really enjoyable having lunch on the barge. I hope to go back again in the spring and summer and sit in some hot sun on the deck!

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  14. What a lovely interesting post with some beautiful photos :) I so enjoyed reading about your suggestions for bee-friendly flowers as I am keen to provide for them as much as possible. I have quite a few of the plants you mention but have made a note of the others. I love the combination of yellow aconite and white snowdrop too but for some reason neither of these plants flourish in our garden :( One plant I must buy for the summer is Echinops - I've noticed when I've been at National Trust Gardens that the bees/hoverflies just adore the blue globe type flowers :)

    What a lovely place for a meal - so glad you had a good time and it brought back so many happy memories.

    Hope you are coping with the wet and windy weather.

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    1. That's interesting about snowdrops and winter aconites not flourishing where you are. My snowdrops do well here - so I hope that means the aconites will do well, too.
      I agree about echinops - it's definitely on my list of bee-friendly plants.
      It was lovely being by the river on such a sunny day, although the tide did come in under the steps leading up to the deck and so we had to jump over water from the bottom rung to the pavement!
      I hope you're coping OK with the weather as well. Thanks Caroline.

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  15. Great reading about your bee friendly garden! They can visit lots of lovely flowers in your garden. Strange, I am not lucky either with Crocuses, they disappear through the years instead of multiplying themselves.

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    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one who loses crocuses, Janneke. But I am also sorry you've lost so many too. It is depressing planting so many and a beautiful show of flowers, and then so few appear.

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  16. That is one of the plans for this year to make my front garden more wildlife friendly. I have so little for the bees at this time of they year.

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    1. Your new hedge will be terrific for that, Joanne. I want make sure that there are bee-friendly flowers close to the hives at this time of year, because bees won't really want to fly too far when it's colder.

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  17. Well I've learned some things from your post, so many thanks for that, Wendy! I didn't know that crocuses are banquets for bees, nor that they love Clematis Montana . As I grow both these, I am beginning to feel a weeny bit smug !! :-)

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    1. Bees love crocuses, Jane - and the colour of the blue crocus pollen is different to the colour of yellow crocus pollen, so I know where they've been when they bring it back to the hive! I love clematis montana, it has so many uses for me, including helping my bees!

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  18. Yes, why is it that so many crocuse fail to come up?! II'm delighted to say that I have most of those, albeit in small quantities and often quite young. This includes lots of dandelions, which I rather like having in the grass, but not in the veg beds! Cyclamen are top of my list of the ones you mention that I don't have.

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    1. It's a mystery, Janet! I don't know how I could protect my crocuses, either, if they are being eaten.
      Since having bees, I do love the sight of dandelions. There always seems to be something enjoying them, whether it's bees or butterflies. And the honeybees do bring in so much from them.
      I must admit I didn't plant my cyclamen for my honeybees, I put them together with the snowdrops to brighten up the shady areas. I have never seen a honeybee on cyclamen, but I believe they are visited by other pollinators.

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  19. I find it fascinating to learn about what the bees and other pollinators need to get by, I am pleased to say that I can tick a lot of these plants off my list and the ones I can't I shall certainly add to the garden. Each year I try to make the garden more and more bee friendly, I have great success with bumble bees, yet each year I see less of the honey bee. A wonderful post, I just loved these pics, and what a fab lunch that sounds!!!xxx

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    1. That is great news about your bumblebees, but I'm sorry to hear about your lack of honeybees. I'm still learning about what all the other pollinators forage on and I want to make sure that there are plenty of flowers for these, too.
      Hopefully, there will be more lunches to come! Thanks Dina.

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  20. Now that you have wetted our appetite for a nice Spring and Summer Wendy I hope we get both.{:))

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    1. Thanks Roy. Hope it's a warm, sunny year too!

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  21. It's interesting how different our climates are. Hellebore bloom in the late winter here when the bees are still asleep. I didn't realize bees can't see red. Fortunately, I have a lot of yellow flowers in the garden. I'll have to keep an eye on the red flowers this summer and see if I ever see a bee on any of them.

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    1. I agree, Tammy. It is interesting to see the different flowering times of our plants.
      I imagine if we do see a bee on a red flower it will be drawn to other aspects of it, like the different colour pollen it can see, or the ultraviolet pigments. I know, for example, that they do love bergamot (monarda or bee balm) in my garden.

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  22. It looks so calm there! I'm glad all the wonderful flowers you have shown I have in my garden so I hope they will have many visits from the bees! Sarah x

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    1. I'm sure they'll find your flowers, Sarah. Unfortunately, the garden doesn't look so good today - very wet and muddy. Spring seems a long way off yet.

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  23. Wow you have been so organised!! They will be such happy bees :) The first photo of the bee on the hellebore is lovely! The clematis looks gorgeous too :)

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    1. This is the first year I'm determined to have something for the bees Jan to Dec, Lou. But they won't be out flying while it's so wet. The poor hellebores look very soggy and sorry for themselves today!

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  24. I've been planning a bee/pollinator friendly garden. Your info on early flowering plants was extremely useful. I've got crocus and muscari and bluebells. I'm not a fan of hellebores but I think I might do it for the bees. Which ones do you plant? I think mahonia is what we call oregon grape-am I correct? I can grow it here, had no idea it had such nice yellow flowers. I'm currently digging new beds for a native plant garden which I hope will attract pollinators too.

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    1. Hi Susan, I'm sorry - I've planted so many hellebores over the years I'm not sure anymore exactly what I've planted. You're right that mahonia is oregon grape, it is a wonderful source of winter forage for bees. And it sounds as though you'll get lots of pollinators with the lovely flowers you're planting.

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