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Thread: Bee-friendly plants

  1. #1
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    Default Bee-friendly plants

    Some lovely photos here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17073830

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    Senior Member Bridget's Avatar
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    There was a piece about this research in the BBC programme tonight about introducing flowers suitable for pollinators to the big city parks - meadows instead of geraniums and busy lizzies. Very interesting series. I hadn't realised how pollinators shun the modern hybrids with all the pollen etc bred out of them. I shall be looking for some bee friendly species for my hanging baskets and troughs this year. The meadows they planted were wonderful although they had some failures in Birmingham.

  4. #4

    Default anyone recognise this?

    Hi there - cleared out a hedge and this appeared. A tree/shrub about 12 feet in height. The large flowers attract honey and bumble bees. I don't have a clue what it is but would like to find out and propagate. Any suggestions?
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    Quote Originally Posted by Feckless Drone View Post
    Hi there - cleared out a hedge and this appeared. A tree/shrub about 12 feet in height. The large flowers attract honey and bumble bees. I don't have a clue what it is but would like to find out and propagate. Any suggestions?
    Hey FD - we have one like that. Its a tree peony. Quite nice but short flowering times. Bees love it !

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    Thanks folks - Tibetan tree peony. From what I read it is so hardy and easy to propagate that even I have a chance with it.

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    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    Just back from a week in Andalucia where the fields and hedgerows were awash with wildflowers, a positive riot of colour, and you couldn't go anywhere without the constant buzz of bees (and other insects) of all sorts busy at work on them.

    Lots of wild peonies in the cork oak forests ... stunning.

    In contrast ... a 10 minute walk yesterday afternoon (a lovely day) in North Fife demonstrated how relatively sterile the environment here is ... a handful of bees (investigating a bait hive of mine), no butterflies, no incessant drone of insects and almost no hedgerow flowers. Depressing.

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    Senior Member Greengage's Avatar
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    Having worked in the Horticulture industry this does not surprise me.
    http://www.independent.co.uk/environ...-a7734516.html

  10. #10
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    Andalucia

    170509-44.jpg

    though, depressingly, the only apiary I saw was abandoned with robbed out hives, only one of which still contained bees. Over the last 3-4 years this apiary has got more and more run down and is now clearly no longer being used. Not much evidence of Varroa resistance here

    170509-04.jpg

    Anyone know what sort of hives these are? Hinged roof, smaller than a Langstroth, not square, usually with upper entrance only.

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