Poorly chicken

[legend21]

Hi All, landscape gardener coming to sort out back and front garden, I plan to get two hives put out in my bog which has heather everywhere but what plants do you suggest for the garden to keep bees happy

 

thank you

 

Jackie

[Chicken Licken]

Flowers so that the bees have access to pollen throughout the spring, summer and autumn. Ours forage on the snowdrops and aconites,early in the year, then daffs and tulips before moving on to tree pollen like lime, they love a ceanothus bush that buzzes with life and get good forage off lavender as well (not sure if these are suited to your climate!). I planted wildflower mix on a bit of my allotment last year and that was well used by the bees.

Good luck with your landscaping. I guess you could do worse than to look at a pollen chart to get ideas of what plants to put in.

[Old Speckled Hen]

If you're a landscape gardener you'll know what grows where so you can choose from here

 

RHS recommended plants for attracting bees into the garden ANNUALS

Borage (Borago officinalis); buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum); Californian poppy (Eschscholzia californica); candytuft (Iberis spp.); China aster (Callistephus chinensis); larkia (Clarkia spp.); cornflower (Centaurea cyanus); cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus); forget-me-not (Myosotis spp.); Gilia capitata; godetia (Clarkia spp.); heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens); love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena); mignonette (Reseda odorata); Nemophila menziesii; Phacelia spp.; poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii); sunflower (Helianthus annuus); sweet sultan (Amberboa moschata); zinnia (Zinnia elegans).

BIENNIALS

French honeysuckle (Hedysarum coronarium); hollyhock - single flowered (Alcea rosea); honesty (Lunaria annua); wallflower (Erysimum spp.).

HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS

Agastache foeniculum; Alyssum spp.; Anchusa azurea; Arabis spp.; Aubrieta spp.; bellflowers (Campanula spp.); catmints (Nepeta spp.); cranesbill (Geranium spp.); dahlia single-flowered cultivars; fleabane (Erigeron spp.); Geum spp.; globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus); globe thistle (Echinops ritro); golden rod (Solidago spp.); Gypsophila paniculata; Helenium spp.; hellebores (Helleborus spp.); ice plant (Sedum spectabile); Jacob's ladder (Polemonium caeruleum); Japanese anemone (Anemone × hybrida); lambs’ ears (Stachys byzantina); leopard's bane (Doronicum spp.); Liatris spicata; lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.); Michaelmas daisies (Aster spp.); oriental poppy (Papaver orientale); Monarda punctata; Persicaria amplexicaulis; Rudbeckia spp.; Salvia × superba; scabious (Scabiosa spp.); sea hollies (Eryngium spp.); Sidalcea malviflora; thrift (Armeria maritima); Veronica longifolia; white horehound (Marrubium vulgare); Verbena bonariensis.

BULBS AND CORMS

Allium spp.; autumn crocus (Colchicum spp.); Crocus spp.; fritillaries (Fritillaria spp.); glory of the snow (Chionodoxa spp.); grape hyacinth (Muscari spp.); hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis); Siberian squill (Scilla siberica); snowdrops (Galanthus spp.); snowflakes (Leucojum/Acis spp.); winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis).

VEGETABLES AND CULINARY HERBS

Asparagus; brassicas left to flower; broad bean; hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis); marjoram (Origanum spp.); marrow and other cucurbits; mint (Mentha spp.); rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis); runner bean; sage (Salvia officinalis); thyme (Thymus spp.).

TREES AND SHRUBSAlmond (Prunus dulcis); apple, including ornamental Malus; barberry (Berberis spp.); blackberry; blackthorn (Prunus spinosa); Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata); box (Buxus sempervirens); brooms (Cytisus spp.); Caryopteris; Ceanothus spp. (Spring-flowering types); cherry, including single-flowered ornamental types; cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus); Christmas box (Sarcococca spp.); Clematis cirrhosa; Cotoneaster spp.; currants, red, black, white and ornamental Ribes spp.; daisy bush (Olearia spp.); Daphne mezereum; dogwood (Cornus alba); Enkianthus campanulatus; Escallonia hybrids; false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia); firethorn (Pyracantha cultivars); Fuchsia spp.; gooseberry; gorse (Ulex spp.); hawthorns (Crataegus spp.); hazel (Corylus avellana); heather (Calluna vulgaris); heathers (Erica spp.); Hebe spp.; holly (Ilex aquifolium); horse chestnuts (Aesculus spp.); Hypericum spp.; Indian bean tree (Catalpa bignonioides); ivy (Hedera helix); Japanese quince (Chaenomeles speciosa and C. × superba); Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum); Koelreuteria paniculata; lavender (Lavandula spp.); lime (Tilia spp. but T. ‘Petiolaris’ and sometimes T. tomentosa, T. tomentosa ‘Orbicularis’ and T. cordata nectar is toxic to bumble bees); loganberry; Lonicera × purpusii; Mahonia aquifolium; maples (Acer spp.); mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia); orange ball buddleia (Buddleja globosa); pear and ornamental Pyrus spp.; Perovskia atriplicifolia; plums; Potentilla fruticosa; raspberry; rock rose (Helianthemum spp.); rose – single-flowered species and cultivars (Rosa spp.); snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.); strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo); sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus); sweet bay (Laurus "Ooops, word censored!"ilis); Tetradium daniellii; Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia); Weigela florida and hybrids; willows, male forms, especially goat willow (Salix caprea).

BRITISH WILD PLANTS AND FLOWERS

Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis); birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus); burdock (Arctium lappa); charlock (Sinapis arvensis); chickweed (Stellaria media); clovers (Trifolium spp.); coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara); dandelion (Taraxacum officinale); devil's bit scabious (Succisa pratensis); field scabious (Knautia arvensis); figworts (Scrophularia spp.); hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum); horseshoe vetch (Hippocrepis comosa); knapweeds (Centaurea spp.); knotgrasses (Polygonum spp.); lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria); mallows (Malva spp.); marsh marigold (Caltha palustris); meadow clary (Salvia pratensis); meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria); poppies (Papaver spp.); purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria); red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum); rose bay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium); teasel (Dipsacus fullonum); thistles (Cirsium spp.); toadflax (Linaria vulgaris); traveller's joy (Clematis vitalba); valerian (Valeriana officinalis); viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare); white bryony (Bryonia dioica); white melilot (Melilotus albus); yellow melilot (M. officinalis); yellow trefoil (Trifolium dubium).

 

A word about your heather. The honey is thixotropic so either leave it to the bees or take cut comb.

If you want some splashy annuals look at my planting for bees post.

Hope all this helps

[Daphne]

I don't think many of us will be able to add to that list

 

In my own garden (which is the other end of the country to you) the plants that do best for bees for me, which are also tough, are heather (invaluable over the winter), toadflax, lesser knapweed (I can't praise this highly enough, its a 'weed' which looks a bit like a thin thistle without the spiky leaves, it tends to produce pale runny honey with quite a light taste) for a long season and lots of bees. In a more formal bed the stand out plants are these, but they might be a bit less suitable in the North: gaura (perennial), lavendar, (need good drainage and some sun) and also echium 'blue bedder' which is a short annual with quite a short season but it is covered by bees when in bloom. The bees also like agastache (hyssop) which will self seed just like a weed!

 

In general, go for single forms of flowers, double forms tend to be sterile. Less 'improved' varieties tend to be higher in nectar than more highly bred forms. Honey bees are also extra keen on 'flat' flowers like a daisy, although other bees particularly like trumpets for example, so you will always be doing somebody a favour!

[legend21]

thanks all i have a huge bog which has loads of heather in it but i will give the landscape gardener the list of plants suggested hopefully get hives later in the year not sure if it should be beehaus or traditional, will do a bit of research on that, where i live is very windy so need to get something solid, but thank you so much for the info x

[Old Speckled Hen]

Poly?

Take yourself off to the BBKA spring convention and have a play with some.

I have a Modern Beekeeping 14 x 12, a Cedar 14 x 12 run top beespace and a MB National. The MB are cracking hives but you can't use cedar supers. You can mix wood with Paynes gear but I don't like the bottom bee space. I'm going to have a look at these at the convention to see if you can simply take out the frame runners to make the space at the top.

I wouldn't touch a beehaus. I have a friend with one and I just don't like the way it fits or doesn't fit together.

Best of luck