A lot of
honey is made in Devon, and of course, Buckfast
Abbey has been famous for its bees for decades. All
those of us of a 'certain age' will remember
wonderful TV programmes about Brother Adam and his
fascinating 'children'.
There is a very frightening drop in the numbers of honey bees, Apis mellifera but all bees are essential to the continuing welfare of our plants and gardens. Here, we list a range of plants we would like to suggest you grow to encourage bees and butterflies into your garden. People tend to be frightened of bees for no good reason. They're much more interested in foraging to sustain their community - and make your honey - than they are in hurting you. Sacha used to keep bees when her children were small and her only rules were "don't stand in front of the hive and impede their flying and don't run on clover strewn grass in bare feet"!
Bees and butterflies love the flowers of:
Bergenia, Loniceras (even foraging on L. purpusii on cold but bright winter days)
Buddleias, Eupatoriums are insect 3* Michelin restaurants
Asters, Marigolds, Poppies, Sunflowers (birds love the seeds too), Zinnias, Buttercups, Clematis, Cosmos,
Salvias, Crocuses, Dahlias, Echinacea, Ivy, Foxglove, Geraniums, Globe Thistle (again, birds love the seeds), Hollyhocks, Hyacinth, Roses, Sedum, Snowdrops, Tansy, Blackberries, Cucumbers, Peppers, Pumpkins, Raspberries, Strawberries, Borage, Nepeta (Catnip), Coriander/Cilantro, Fennel, Lavender, Mints, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme.
http://www.newtonabbotbees.org.uk/index.htm
http://biobees.com/
If you're interested in keeping bees yourself, get in touch with a local bee keeping society, such as that above. Bee keepers are friendly people and all are keen on recruiting new members and encouraging their interest. The diseases bees have been exposed to, along with parasites, such as the Varroa mite, has led to a truly alarming drop in bees of all types and we need to encourage their return to our gardens and farms. Bee keeping is an immensely rewarding hobby and an extremely interesting one. From one colony, I once extracted 80lbs of honey in one year and I never had less than 25lbs of honey, even in poor weather.
There is a very frightening drop in the numbers of honey bees, Apis mellifera but all bees are essential to the continuing welfare of our plants and gardens. Here, we list a range of plants we would like to suggest you grow to encourage bees and butterflies into your garden. People tend to be frightened of bees for no good reason. They're much more interested in foraging to sustain their community - and make your honey - than they are in hurting you. Sacha used to keep bees when her children were small and her only rules were "don't stand in front of the hive and impede their flying and don't run on clover strewn grass in bare feet"!
Bees and butterflies love the flowers of:
Bergenia, Loniceras (even foraging on L. purpusii on cold but bright winter days)
Buddleias, Eupatoriums are insect 3* Michelin restaurants
Asters, Marigolds, Poppies, Sunflowers (birds love the seeds too), Zinnias, Buttercups, Clematis, Cosmos,
Salvias, Crocuses, Dahlias, Echinacea, Ivy, Foxglove, Geraniums, Globe Thistle (again, birds love the seeds), Hollyhocks, Hyacinth, Roses, Sedum, Snowdrops, Tansy, Blackberries, Cucumbers, Peppers, Pumpkins, Raspberries, Strawberries, Borage, Nepeta (Catnip), Coriander/Cilantro, Fennel, Lavender, Mints, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme.
http://www.newtonabbotbees.org.uk/index.htm
http://biobees.com/
If you're interested in keeping bees yourself, get in touch with a local bee keeping society, such as that above. Bee keepers are friendly people and all are keen on recruiting new members and encouraging their interest. The diseases bees have been exposed to, along with parasites, such as the Varroa mite, has led to a truly alarming drop in bees of all types and we need to encourage their return to our gardens and farms. Bee keeping is an immensely rewarding hobby and an extremely interesting one. From one colony, I once extracted 80lbs of honey in one year and I never had less than 25lbs of honey, even in poor weather.
If we have any sunny days towards the end of summer, we often see these in the garden here. They seem to like the Salvia involucrata, especially. Many people believe they've seen a real humming bird.
Hummingbird Hawk
Moth