Rocket – bees make good use of it
This year of all years we noticed great activity in the poly tunnels.There are always flowering plants there as we use edible flowers with our salads and we plant green manures. It acts as a refuge for the bees in bad weather and was well needed this summer. Sometimes they can find it difficult to get out but it is a good source of pollen and nectar in poor weather.
Borage or Star Flower
Any extra planting we can do to fill the gaps that the native flora leave must be a great help to our bees and to bumble bees and butterflies. FIBKA has a brilliant article covering the issue on its website by James Doran, updated by Peter Whyte www.irishbeekeeping.ie/bflora/bflora for the beekeeper or for the bee friendly gardener.
My resolution for the new beekeeping year is to get planting in a big way, something I have been slow to do thinking plenty of wild flowers in our area would be enough and liking the simplicity of what grows naturally. Next year a little more help will be provided to the bees by planting to fill the June gap for instance.
Click on this list and see if you get any joy for your own bee friendly planting. Bee plants.