While i never expected the most tropical of flowers to be bee food, i never realised quite how few garden plants were bee-friendly. For instance, impatiens and begonias don't do much for them, wheras wildflowers like lungwort, cherry blossom, foxgloves are very good :)
Unfortunately, because less wildflowers are being used in gardens these days as people favour easy bedding plants and stuff, gardens are less bee-friendly places. This, coupled with post-war intensification of farming methods means that alot of important wildflower meadow habbitats have been lost. Its up to us jolly gardeners to do something about it by planting the odd drift of nectar rich flowers so that we don't loose anymore precious bees.
Lists of suitable flowers are all over the tinternet, and the Bee Conservation Trust is a useful place to start.
Although its getting a little late for seed sowing i've been doing a bit of last-minute ordering so i can hopefully get some late annuals in and some perenials ready for next year.
Some examples:
- Cornflower
- Sea Holly
- Harebells
- Cowslips
- Bugloss
