You may have visited the wonderful honey stall at the Apple Day on Saturday. The stallholders Judith and Duncan, who produce Oxfordshire honey from hives in Chadlington, made a plea for local gardeners to use plants that will attract bees next summer. Apparently, this year was a poor one for the bees because it was a dry summer and many bees suffered a lack of flowers to visit, especially over the ‘June gap’.
So if you’re choosing new plants that will flower next year, please consider including some of the following varieties, which are particularly beneficial to our local bees:
Abelia, Aconite, Allium, Anemone, Apple, Aster, Aubretia, Berberis, Bergenia, Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Borage, Broom, Campanula Ceanothus, Cherry, Crane’s Bill, Cotoneaster, Crocus, Echium, Erica, Escalolnia, Firethorn, Forsythia, Fuschia, Gooseberry, Hawthorn, Hazel, Hebe, Hellebore, Holly, Hypericum, Impatiens, Ivy, Lamium, Lavender, Mahonia, Malus, Marjaram, Mint, Mock Orange, Nemophilia, Plum, Redcurrants, Rock Rose, Rosemary, Salix, Sedum, Snowdrop, Thyme, Viburnum, Weigela and Whitebeam.
Plenty to choose from!
For more information on bees, try the British Beekeepers’ Association www.bbka.org.uk