Planting for my bees

[trapperman]

Right autumn is here and i`m thinking of doing some planting on my holding to benifit the bees which will in turn benifit me, i have already planted hundreds of trees of different types on the holding but was thinking of putting some common lime in as i hear this is good.

I have planted 2 areas with golden rod and borage this year which will spread and a couple of buddleia, and my whole plot is smothered in white clover but i was thinking now of spring flowering bulbs ie crocus to help give an early pollen boost.

Has anyone else planted for their bees and if so what have you found good.

do you think its worth doing?

Is it true bees dont forage to close to the hive?

Am i going bee mad to think about them so much?

Why does my wife keep walking away from me shaking her head?

 

[clare]

I think the b. obssession as it is known in our house is unavoidable!

I have just edged a long bed with Sedum 'Autumn Joy' it has been smothered since I put it in. I planted it for my girls and felt resentful when all kinds of waifs and strays were helping themselves. A good plant for this time of year. I too am planning a big planting programme for the bees. I have a fantastic book, written in 30s but available now, can't remember the name (i will find it) and it goes through the value of just about every plant you can imagine as bee fodder.

 

[Vortex]

Define close..
Mine are quite happily foraging on the ivy mass about 50 feet away, and at the apiary in Kent they'll happily forage on the Fire Willow within a few feet when it's in full flow.

 

[clare]

Found it! The book was 'Plants and beekeeping' by F N Howes available on amazon. Not a pretty picture book but stuffed with detailed info. Atually published 2007 by Faber and Faber.

 

[Dishmop]

My bees dont look at whats in my garden.....

 

[Heather]

Crocus would be great- I had to take up turf, throw a few hundred bulbs down, put chicken wire over them -returf - the result is great and the squirrels cannot dig them up. A great Spring boost to get the queen laying.
And Sedum for them in the Autumn

 

[blackbrood]

F N Howes, plants and beekeeping can be downloaded for free from here

this site also has lots of other out of print bee books, which are interesting although some of the thinking/beliefs in these books is now incorrect

it was published in 1945 I think so it is out of copyright.

 

[clare]

F N Howes, plants and beekeeping can be downloaded for free from here

this site also has lots of other out of print bee books, which are interesting although some of the thinking/beliefs in these books is now incorrect

it was published in 1945 I think so it is out of copyright.

Wish I had known this! I can imagine things will have moved on from some old books but this based on observation of what bees feed on so I think, reading it, will be helpful. Only a newbee so could be wrong.

Anyone wanting to plant crocus peternyssen.com are very good value for bulbs it seems.

 

[Silly Bee]

My bees dont look at whats in my garden.....

Same here.


Cotoneaster are very good for the bees, very tiny flowers but rich in necter.

Wish my bees would find it, usually covered with bumbles.

 

[clare]

F N Howes, plants and beekeeping can be downloaded for free from here

this site also has lots of other out of print bee books, which are interesting although some of the thinking/beliefs in these books is now incorrect

it was published in 1945 I think so it is out of copyright.

Just checked out website, really great. Will help with some research (not bee related) I am doing at the moment. Thanks!

 

[milkermel]

buddliea globosa is a great one - yellow flowers as bees can feed easier off it than other types.
any standard sedum is great ask a friend for some as they grow like weeds, i MAY even have a few small postable spurs somewhere. If not contact your local gardencentre and ask what sort of price they will do 9cm pots for, they buy them in like this for planting into 2ltr pots they sell on, you should be able to get a price of about 1.50/2 a pot

 

[Finman]

I have tried bee plant moving 45 years and tried tens of plants.
The best beeplants are the worst weeds too.

One of the best are mulleins like perennial verbascum nigrum. I took seeds from Yuogoslavia 1983 and it is 5 times bigger than Finnish V. nigrum.

Rhamnus frangula bush is interesting. When I give to it nutrition, it blooms 4 months up till to frost. It is very good nectar plant.

- Raspberries are splended.
- Papaver orientalis
- Salvia mikrophylla

 

[trapperman]

I ordered 400 mixed crocus last night for £20 should get me started.

I also just planted 100 cuttings off a cotoneaster from my front garden.

 

[justme]

Hi, Ive planted thyme, lemon balm, nepeta, lavender, sedum, borage, allium etc in biggish patches away from the home apiary (abt 30' away) also viburnum tinus, rosemaryand a couple I've forgotten the name of.

Close to the hives at both apiaries I've planted 550 crocus, Jan/Feb flowering ones as we normally get a few nice days down here then, as they do forage close to home in the winter. The ones at the out apiary are in a boat to prevent them naturalising in the wild.

www.theflowerfarm.co.uk . No connection to me, just a customer.
Email [email protected] and ask for wholesale catalogue for bulbs, £31 & £60 per 1000 + VAT & delivery if you cant collect, located in Cornwall, near Truro.

 

[trapperman]

buddliea globosa is a great one - yellow flowers as bees can feed easier off it than other types.
any standard sedum is great ask a friend for some as they grow like weeds, i MAY even have a few small postable spurs somewhere. If not contact your local gardencentre and ask what sort of price they will do 9cm pots for, they buy them in like this for planting into 2ltr pots they sell on, you should be able to get a price of about 1.50/2 a pot

If you do have any you could post that would be great, i would cover any cost of course.

 

[trapperman]

Hi, Ive planted thyme, lemon balm, nepeta, lavender, sedum, borage, allium etc in biggish patches away from the home apiary (abt 30' away) also viburnum tinus, rosemaryand a couple I've forgotten the name of.

Close to the hives at both apiaries I've planted 550 crocus, Jan/Feb flowering ones as we normally get a few nice days down here then, as they do forage close to home in the winter. The ones at the out apiary are in a boat to prevent them naturalising in the wild.

www.theflowerfarm.co.uk . No connection to me, just a customer.
Email [email protected] and ask for wholesale catalogue for bulbs, £31 & £60 per 1000 + VAT & delivery if you cant collect, located in Cornwall, near Truro.

sounds good cheers mate.

i`ve tryed not to plant anything to close to the hive (hopefully next year will be hives) , no closer than about 20 foot i suppose but i have 4 acres so am going to spread things out abit and plant up odd corners and under trees and hedges etc, i also have an old ditch which is just crying out for some himalayan balsam if anyone has any seeds they dont want.

 

[steve_e]

Hi justme -
Thanks for the link - I think it might be www.flowerfarm.co.uk rather than www.theflowerfarm.co.uk?

I was interested to hear about crocuses. I was going to plant some until someone suggested they need to be 'lifted' each year - and thought sod that...

Is that not the case? If not hopefully there'll be time to send off for some.

 

[MJBee]

I think "the bees ignore my garden" statement is only applicable in the summer when there are fields size areas of forage available. I concentrate on providing forage for the spring Crocus, hazel and willow, and autumn crocus (again) and sedum. The bees love it and being close to their home can leg it back if the weather turns iffy.

 

[trapperman]

Hi justme -
Thanks for the link - I think it might be www.flowerfarm.co.uk rather than www.theflowerfarm.co.uk?

I was interested to hear about crocuses. I was going to plant some until someone suggested they need to be 'lifted' each year - and thought sod that...

Is that not the case? If not hopefully there'll be time to send off for some.

you dont have to lift them but when you get large clumps of them after a few years its just a way of getting more, lift and divide and replant soon you will have thousands.

 

[steve_e]

That's good to know thanks trapperman. Somehow I couldn't imagine Heather digging turf up, putting chicken wire down, sowing bulbs and then doing the reverse each year...