Phacelia tanacetifolia (purple tansey)

[stramorebees]

Hi all.
I'm wondering has anyone any experience at growing Phacelia tanacetifolia. I have read that this is a fantastic annual plant for nectar production and I plan on sewing a 1/2 acre of it in a few weeks time. I know it self seeds easily, so I'm wondering should i cut it down later in the year,or should should I just leave it alone. I would like to have this coming into bloom every year on this patch. Thanks for your help!

 

[madasafish]

It grows wild in our garden. If you leave it till autumn it will self seed. Then you can remove it as you want.

BUT you may want successive sowings as it lasts about 3-4 weeks and if they all flower at once...

My bees love it.. (as do bumbles, moths, etc)

 

[alldigging]

It will overwinter. It is used sometimes as a green manure.
This will flower early assuming it survives if we get a bad winter.

A spring sowing will provide later flowers so giving you two goes at it if used with half overwintered.

 

[Rich0909]

I keep a couple of patches going at the allotment as bees, bumbles especially, like it. Honey bees don't tend to go for it unless there isn't another flow on, they have just come back to it here now the lime and bramble flows are over, they seem to find it difficult to get through the long stamens where as bumbles are heavier and find it easier.
If over wintering sow quite late as it stands better if less than 6" high, last winter it kept growing pretty much all the way through. The overwintered ones help the early bumblebees but I don't get many honey bees on it, May sowings flowering around now seem to be more attractive, perhaps it needs the warmth to produce nectar.
Rich.

 

[bontbee]

I also found that honey bees are not that interested, but bumbles LOVE it. I was concerned that it would take over, as I left it to flower and seed, but very little emerged the following year, so it isn't the thug it's made out to be - in my experience.

 

[stramorebees]

Thanks to all for your advice. Would anyone have a plant/flower that you would recommend for planting on a dedicated 1/2 acre field?

 

[Teemore]

Had you thought of a wildflower mixes? I think they might be relatively expensive for a 1/2 acre plot but there should be a good variety of forage sources for pollinating insects in the mix.
Another option might be to manage your plot as a wildflower meadow and cut it for hay annually - that way flower seeds should be spread across the ground by the haymaking process.

 

[alldigging]

Thanks to all for your advice. Would anyone have a plant/flower that you would recommend for planting on a dedicated 1/2 acre field?

Currants, raspberries, borage, phacelia, and some mahonias. And probably a few other things too.
You get the advantage of fruit off the first couple.

Are there gaps locally in the pollen gathering?

 

[madasafish]

Currants, raspberries, borage, phacelia, and some mahonias. And probably a few other things too.
You get the advantage of fruit off the first couple.

Are there gaps locally in the pollen gathering?

Oriental poppies- bees adore the pollen..

 

[Firefly]

Don't forget Borage

 

[madasafish]

A good nectar tree is worth an acre of wildflowers.

 

[user 6228]

Thanks to all for your advice. Would anyone have a plant/flower that you would recommend for planting on a dedicated 1/2 acre field?

oregano, forget me nots, parsnips (left to flower) (note get parsnip that will self seed) lavender

 

[Summerslease]

I'd go for successive sowings of Borage. Honey bees go mad for it and it overwinters well. As has been said Phacelia is more popular with Bumbles.

 

[Firefly]

I'd go for successive sowings of Borage. Honey bees go mad for it and it overwinters well. As has been said Phacelia is more popular with Bumbles.

I'm surprised by what several have said about Phacelia. I have both Phacelia and Borage growing on the same patch and the bees working both with enthusiasm

The International Bee Research Organisation say of Phacelia "The flowers produce large amounts of nectar and pollen and are much visited by honey bees and short-tongued bumble bees. Long-tongued bumble bees and solitary bees are less frequent visitors. Honey: amber or sometimes light green, with a delicate aroma, granulates quickly to a pale beige to near-white colour. The species is one of the top plants for potential honey yield."

 

[Firefly]

Has anyone tried Sainfoin? (Though possibly not ideal for Ireland)

 

[Pete D]

Don't forget Borage

and as with Phacellia just rotovate it back in once the seeds have set. It will keep coming back.

 

[Little John]

I'm surprised by what several have said about Phacelia.

Suprised ? - so am I. Phacelia is listed, together with Echium (Vipers Bugloss), as being one of the top five nectar-producing plants, with Phacelia producing between 180 - 1,500 lbs of honey per acre (Echium 300 - 1,000), and 300-1000 lbs of pollen (Echium 500-2000). The others being Goldenrod, Borage and Lemon Balm.

Here's a few quotes from a rather interesting write-up of Phacelia in an American Farmer's 'fact sheet' I found:

Phacelia tanacetifolia : A brief overview of a potentially useful insectary plant and cover crop.

The fact that Europeans imported our U.S. native plant, use it extensively, and have bred for specific characteristics indicate its value in a crop rotation system.

Phacelia is not yet widely available in the United States and seed is usually available only as the straight species (rather than as a cultivated variety or cultivar). Europe has developed many cultivars and phacelia is the primary component in two “bee forage” mixes available there. Phacelia seed is inexpensive in areas where it is used extensively, but not currently in the U.S.

So for once, we've got one over on the Yanks ...

Value to Insects

Phacelia is highly attractive to honeybees, bumblebees, and syrphid flies, and these insects are valuable pollinators. Syrphid fly larvae are voracious feeders on aphids and young caterpillars. Phacelia is also reputed to attract other beneficial insects, such as parasitic wasps and minute pirate bugs. It provides both pollen (for protein – needed for egg production) and nectar (for carbohydrates – needed for energy).

Insectary plants are those with high volume, quality nectar and/or pollen that are extremely attractive to beneficial insects. They are planted for the primary purpose of attracting pollinators, and predators and parasites of pest insects. Phacelia's habit of quick growth and long flowering make it highly suitable as an insectary plant. It can be succession sown so that it is in flower all season or it can be sown at a specific time to build up beneficial insect populations in anticipation of their need to control a crop pest.

One caution – if you have a large area of phacelia planted, time the planting so that phacelia flowers are not blooming when you need a crop pollinated. Phacelia flowers are so attractive to pollinators that the flowers would compete successfully for pollinator services against most other flowering plants.

So I'd say go plant some of this stuff, at least as a test - the seed is cheap enough.

LJ

 

[Firefly]

The only thing I have heard said against Phacelia is that its stems are very brittle. In extreme weather they can snap and the (quite large) plant can fall over other neighbouring plants and shade them out. Only a problem in certain situations.

 

[Little John]

The only thing I have heard said against Phacelia is that its stems are very brittle. In extreme weather they can snap and the (quite large) plant can fall over other neighbouring plants and shade them out. Only a problem in certain situations.

That's not mentioned in any of the write-ups I've read so far - so thanks - that is worth knowing ...

LJ

 

[BrianO]

Thanks to all for your advice. Would anyone have a plant/flower that you would recommend for planting on a dedicated 1/2 acre field?

For Bang for your Buck look at trees / shrubs that are floriferous, think of a tree / shrub covered in hundreds / thousands of flowers as opposed to annuals biennials with limited flowers and hence forage. Appreciate you have a decent sized plot but why not incorporate such forage , and vitally would include early and late forage. A real benefit !!!

Willow, male and female for early, snowdrops, crocus, hellebores, Winter Heathers (Erica carnea), early pear/cherry trees, just some early options
Sedums, Aster , verbena, autumn raspberries, oregano for later , Tetradium Danielli/Bee tree ( I have one , planted this year expect great things from !!

Just some that spring to mind early and late, if I had that space, ( actually I do !! Between allotment and garden, and have gone mad planting all the above and more bee forage ! ) I would focus on early and late with heavily flowering varieties for the main flow, also taking into account the reduced flowering period in mid summer.

Including some apples , cherries, pears, summer and autumn raspberries will give great forage... and fruit fresh and great for preserves and cooking .. Everyone's a winner !!