Gardeners have a role to play in helping bees, no matter how small the growing space available. Read on for five tips to make your green patch more pollinator-friendly
Brands of Inspiration: this article has been created by Positive News and supported by Ecotricity
1. Blooming bright: choose the right flowers
Choose plants with open or snout shaped flowers, like single dahlias or foxgloves, to make it easiest for bees to extract the nectar or pollen. Bees can see purple better than any other colour, so violet, mauve, or lavender blooms are particularly good choices. If you need help identifying bee-friendly species, keep an eye out for the RHS ‘perfect for pollinators’ tag in garden centres.
2. All year round: plant for the seasons
When turning your garden into a bee paradise, bear in mind how plants flower at different times of year. Choose a variety of different bee-friendly species and plan ahead so that a couple will be in bloom at all times throughout the spring, summer and autumn months. Planting now for early summer? Good choices are: campanula, allium, borage, catmint, globe thistle, poppy, sweet pea or thyme.
3. Step away from the mower
One of the biggest threats…
