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Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: giantseye on May 23, 2005, 23:03:46

Title: which is best for bees??
Post by: giantseye on May 23, 2005, 23:03:46

Hello there,

I would like to plant some wild flowers which especially attract bees and ladybirds. :D :D

Can anybody suggest either one or two species to plant.

My soil is neutral, and I have a long thin strip to plant them in.

Any help on this matter is appreciated ;D ;D ;D

Thanks

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: teresa on May 24, 2005, 00:59:55

I know they are ment to like comphrey and blue flowers thats bees dont know about ladybirds just see them on the roses and anything with greenfly.
not much help sorry

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on May 24, 2005, 06:43:09

Borage is a good one for bees, or poached egg plant. Dunno about ladybirds, but umbellifer flowers attract hoverflies, another predator of aphids, as the nectar is easy to get at for short-tongued insects.

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: maz on May 24, 2005, 07:46:38

Ive got a little Geum Royale in the pond and theres always bees on that.

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: dibberxxx on May 24, 2005, 13:22:35

i have a budliea and i find the bees love it

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: Deleted on May 24, 2005, 14:32:08

lavendar - bees love it

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: bunnycat on May 24, 2005, 19:09:35

Lavender is a really good one - I've got several different ones, and the bees flock to them all ;D I've had some beautiful huge bumble bees in the garden for the last couple of weeks, paying a lot of attention to my French Lavender, which has just begun to open it's flowers :)
They adore the flowers of Bergamot as well.

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: wardy on May 24, 2005, 20:15:38

clover is a wildflower and bees love them.  You can grow clover as a green manure on the lotty too

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on May 24, 2005, 23:02:34

They love white clover, and go for the second flowering of red after it's been cut. the first flowering has nectar at the bottom of a tube which is too long for the honeybee; it's pollinated by bumblebees which have longer tongues.

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: giantseye on May 25, 2005, 22:54:17

Thanks for all your help :D :D :D

Lavender and clover it is ;D ;D

Thanks again for all replies and suggestions

It's appreciated :D ;) ;D

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: Multiveg on May 27, 2005, 15:42:22

My little person said today: "Bee on the lavender" "Bees ok"

Title: Re: which is best for bees??
Post by: Andy H on May 27, 2005, 23:34:06

My walking stick kale flowered and had millions of flowers and loads of bees.