The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies. Gertrude Jekyll

Annie's Little Plot

Annie's Little Plot

Sunday 23 June 2013

Bees a buzzin'

My front garden has been awash with alliums, its 'Purple Sensation' and is a real star for me at this time of the year. I feel like this garden has been getting better each year as its gets tweaked a little bit each time, its also got masses of purple and white aquilegia, white sweet rocket, Persicaria bistorta, the frothy pink 'London Pride' and alchemilla mollis. I've added some dark purple leaved shrubs which are getting bigger each year and add further contrast, I've a dark leaved elderflower, a weigela and a purple cotinus. It was originally dark pinks and purples and I was encouraging the orange variety of the welsh poppy to seed around as a contrast but the pale pinks of the London pride and the Persicaria are taking over a bit now and maybe the orange doesn't work so that may have to go or maybe I'm being too tasteful!
I was sat on the grass in my back garden in the sun the other day and it was all a buzz with bees. How fortunate that some of my favourite plants are also loved by bees. The bees were fighting over the pendulous bell-like flowers of the Nectaroscordum siculum. If you look closely you can see a bee just entering the flower.
I blogged about a self-seeded cotoneaster last year which has tiny really inconspicuous flowers but is completely covered in bees.
They also love the Persicaria bistorta.
Another plant that self-seeds in my garden is Phacelia, a delightful flower which looks like a big hairy caterpillar.
Other bee-loved flowers out at the moment are some foxgloves, perennial wallflower which never stops flowering and some Sweet William which I grew from small plugs.
 So my bouquet this week has been...
Finally a curiosity, why and more importantly how did these snails get up here (if you look closely there are 3 here), this is the top of a holly bush which is about a metre and a half high, the only thing I think is they could be after is the bird food which is close by in the apple tree. But very odd!

20 comments:

  1. Hi Annie! Your garden is gorgeous! Snails get everywhere don't they?! They are ruthless! I absolutely love your gorgeous bouquet. Isn't it brilliant seeing bees in the garden, I grow many of the same plants you do too and I just love seeing and hearing the bees buzzing around. Hope you're well x

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    1. Hi Anna, I was surrounded by the sound of bees it was lovely, now I need to look more closely and see what type of bees they were. As for the snails, madness.

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  2. Very nice pictures of your garden. Although I have quite a lot of plants that attract bees in mine and down my plots, it's a sad thing that I have yet to see a honey bee so far this year, mainly bumble bees and usually small ones at that.

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    1. Thanks Rooko, yes I think they were mostly bumble bees but I;m really not an expert I must have a proper look.

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  3. Your front garden is lovely and I think you are probably right about orange.

    We grow phaecelia as a green manure crop.

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    1. Thanks Sue, I'm in two minds about the orange, it adds a bit of zing. Yes I've grown it as a green manure on my allotment too but then you have to cut it down before the beautiful flowers. So I can't resist to let a patch self seed in my garden. They make such good cut flowers too.

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    2. WE grow a few amongst the flowers on the plot too

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  4. The garden looks wonderful...the perfect haven for the bees.
    I have never seen snails on holly before...how strange!!

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    1. I couldn't believe it myself, Tanya, so had to take a pic. I've just looked again now and can only see one and its further down the bush. Really have no idea what is going on there.

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  5. Blimey I shall have to check my holly bushes now, your flowers are lovely.

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    1. Its all very odd, they must be very resilient snails.

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  6. Urgh, snails and slugs, they get everywhere. My alliums have decreased in number since I planted them so I must get some more for next year, I really like the flowers. I try to buy plants which will encourage bees and butterflies to the garden, though it's only the last couple of weeks that I've seen any bees about, and I'm still not seeing many butterflies.

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    1. Yes I really miss seeing the butterflies, one reason why I love Verbena bonariensis as the butterflies love that.

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  7. I love this; I'm fascinated by the flowers the bees are loving in your garden. It is amazing where snails can get to, obviously prickly holly leaves aren't any kind of obstacle.

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    1. No I've heard of people putting holly leaves round hostas to stop the snails but not these ones. It seems I like the same flowers as the bees do. Though actually the cotoneaster is not the most beautiful plant I love it for the fact that the bees love it. So works both ways.

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  8. Looks good, and very bee friendly. I grow phaecelia as a flower rather than a green manure. Flighty xx

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    1. Yes the Phaecelia flower is so worth growing on its own merit. Looking at it close up is even better. I've just noticed some white phaecelia that have come up too which are a bit different.

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  9. Lol....the snails had me laughing out loud! And on holly too!

    I love how your garden is looking and I'd keep the orange, it looks lovely to me. Fantastic how the bees are loving your garden, they need all the help they can get at the moment.xxxx

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    1. Bonkers isn't it. I had to do a double take when I saw them.
      Yes I agree the bees need lots of help too, I need to make sure that I have a good range of flowers through the year now.

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  10. I think, keep the orange, it makes the garden sing! You certainly have a lot of bee friendly plants, I can imagine them being very happy there.

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