Wild Flowers

[jonboy]

Hi

I hope some of you will be able to help me... We are planting a wild flower garden on our village green and are looking for varieties that are particular bee friendly. Does anybody have any ideas or a pointer in where I should look.

On a separate note I’m hoping to get hold of my fist bees in a week so very excited!!

Many thanks

JB

 

[MandF]

Ive heard those fist bees can be a handful ;-)

I know its selfish, but try and go for flowers that are honeybee friendly - bumbles and butterflies will still be interested.

 

[MandF]

like this mix http://www.plant-world-seeds.com/store/view_seed_item/2302

Not suggesting you buy these or from this supplier, I just pasted the first google hit - but it gives an example of plant species to be looking for.

 

[jonboy]

Thanks for spoting my error and for the link, most helpful

JB

 

[Luminos]

Ive heard those fist bees can be a handful ;-)

I know its selfish, but try and go for flowers that are honeybee friendly - bumbles and butterflies will still be interested.

This thread might be useful:
www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=15765&highlight=wildflowers

 

[Finman]

.
It depends totally on soil what wild flowers thrive there.

Wild flower mixtures do not follow ecotypes of species and you will get experience but not probably flowers.

Good wild flowers make often leaf rosette and blooms next year, and in rich soil weeds will kill those flowers in first year.

One point is that mostly blooming time of wild flowers are few days.

 

[MuswellMetro]

hope you hae a better experience that we did

A local group raised money for a wildflower and primrose bank and got match funding by sec106 planning monies to fence and landscape around a new Garden center

quite a lot of money went on primroses and the fence

the next year they looked wonderful until the local Council offerred to help do some weeding using their Work Experience Team of Young offenders This was because the bank had too many Docks and in other peoples opinion Dandelions ( though not mine)

i walked over after they had weeded,,,,,, not a plant to be seen,just grass,,all the wild flowers and primroses had been dug up the the WET of YO...no experience no supervision.....then the council mowed it.....this year it has one single primrose...just a barren grass mound and a car crashed into the fence...everyone knew about the car but no one thought about getting the car reg number to pursue a claim for a new fence...thought the council would do that....err why, it is not council land

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Wildflower meadow

I am about to create a wildflower meadow on a round-a-bout in Plymouth I have contacted Sheiffield uni who have developed the mixes for the 2012 Olympics site high pollen, high nectar if you send me private message i will give you the links to the seed company just spent £1,450.00 on seed with them.

 

[Finman]

.
To nurse wild flowers has been my hobby 50 years. I have moved them and I have collected seeds.
Over 90% will die during next 4 years.

i have visited in Leicester and in Milton Keynes 15 years ago to see their wild flower projects.

What I have learned is that best succesfull wild flowers are the worst weeds.

Funny case....

My father was a member in city council. He regretted in local newspaper that city council does not nurse environment and in the picture he showed how much weeds growed around his property.
Fine, but I had planted just those weeds 20 years earlier. My mother knew the origin of plants but she did not tell it to father.

 

[Andre cardona]

http://www.beehappyplants.co.uk/
i bort my seeds from her il let you know how i get on with then good luck

 

[simonwig]

Hi

If you g o o g le "naturescape" (no connection just many years of using them) they have some good wildflower mixes which are generally good for bees. They also have good instructions on planting wildflower meadows and the like. If you don't want it to be over run with grass and other things and give them the best chance it's a very good idea (although hard work without a machine) to remove the topsoil so it is a relatively low fertility site. Including a cornfield mix means you get more flowers in the first year, many perennials will only flower in the second year. Alternatively, but more expensive, you could buy plugs to plant in the existing grass area.

Would also agree with Robbie and Jan (from what I saw on the TV in the Bees, butterflies and blooms programme) that the Olympic mixes looked interesting.

Simon

 

[Finman]

.
I made once a precentation about flower meadows. I thinked it over one month and then I realized the main factors. I classified differetn meadow types this way


1. Fresh clay type soil. Flower plants must be over 1 m high that tey are taller than grasses
2. Dry sandy soil where sun kills the hays and flowers bring moisture from very deep.
3. Cliff type soil where humus rich soil is about 5-10 cm thick. Small rains keep the plants alive.
4. Meadows under tree canopy. Tree keeps the soil dry and does not let many plants to live on the root zone or under canopy. Very rdy tolerant species.

5. Abandoned cultivated field where some flowers bloom first year, like cornflower. High nutritient level.
6. Flooding areas where water and lack of oxygen kills mst of plants
7. Shallow water and blooming water plants.
8. Cost meadows near water level.

 

[gingerbees]

Habitat Aid is a one-stop resource for creating sustainable landscapes and delivering biodiversity, they are charity partners with a number of bee & insect organisations.
www.habitataid.co.uk and give a large percentage of profits to these organisations.

 

[georgia b]

hello,
you could try a company called bostonseeds they do native wildflower mixes they will also do mixtures to our specifications, they also do plug-plants. And I know that they do a bee and butterfly mixture.
As well as that they have mixtures for different soil types.

I hope this is of use to you,
Georgia

 

[Finman]

Habitat Aid is a one-stop resource for creating sustainable landscapes and delivering biodiversity, they are charity partners with a number of bee & insect organisations.
www.habitataid.co.uk and give a large percentage of profits to these organisations.

hah. Often these organisations consume money to something else than to the final destiny.
Administarion costs are high. I do not say it humbug but 60%-90% humbug.

And what I have been in England or Wales, sheep eate everything.

 

[richardbees]

Whatever seed mix you use is a bit irrelevant unless your site is barren and free of other seeds....the middle of a recently ploughed field that has been growing wheat for the last five years would be ideal!

I've been trying to establish a honeybee friendly / wildflower 20' by 15' plot for eight years....and still have to go over every inch to hand weed grass shoots etc before spring growth starts.

Poached egg plant, Vipers Bugloss, Jacobs Ladder, Borage, white clover are my anchor plants.

 

[jonboy]

Thanks for all the info you have been great! What nice people you all are...

 

[Silly Bee]

Lots of bee friendly plants can be raised, simply by collecting seed heads.