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After
watching them for a little while, I decided to make some notes about the
flowers the bees liked the most. So, I got out my notepad and pencil,
then started to make some random observations. I also took a picture or
two, one of which I will share with you.
Some
of you may have cool-weather greens leftover from the winter and early
spring that are bolting in your garden. I will usually allow the entire
planting area of greens to bolt and go to seed. While I harvest some of
the seeds to use later in the year, I just let the rest drop and
regenerate. This allows me some greens (though faster to bolt in the
warmer weather) throughout the season and gives the bees a few extra
flowers to enjoy.
Right
now in the garden, there are several Apiaceae varieties including
dill, coriander (cilantro before it bolts), anise, chervil and lovage.
In
the aster family or family Asteraceae, there are, of course,
asters. Also, there are the lettuces which all bolt and flower quickly
in June. I like to keep lettuces coming along all summer for the
butterfly caterpillars to feed on, too.
Brassicas
make good bee-attractant. These include mustard, pakchoi, celery, rape,
cabbage, kale, kohlrabi and broccoli.
Other
herbs to keep the bees busy this time of year are of the family Lamiaceae
which include salvias. When planting salvia or sage for the bees, keep
this in mind: bees prefer flowers with a bloom that’s easy to get
their pollen collector into. Avoid red, tubular shaped blooms. (We’ll
talk about those herbs for hummingbirds in another article.)
The
bees seem to be mostly attracted to the meadow sage, Mexican sage, bog
sage, Victory blue and other blue to white salvias.
Other
lamium varieties that attract bees are Monarda (bee balm) and
spearmint. Bees actually like all mints. I just used spearmint as a
common reference.
Bees
can be quite entertaining and are extremely beneficial to all plants.
Plant some bee-loving herbs in your garden today!
Thanks
for reading!
As
always; check with an expert, such as your doctor, before using this or
any other herbal remedy. If you have any questions about these or any
other herb, e-mail me at farmerht@yahoo.com. |
