Favourite 5

M Y FAVO U R I T E 5 Flowers for bees

S p r i n g i s t h e i d e a l t i m e t o t h i n k a b o u t a t t r a c t i n g m o r e b e e s i n t o y o u r g a r d e n . T h e y a r e v i t a l p o l l i n a t o r s f o r s o m a n y d e l i c i o u s v e g g i e s w e ’ l l b e g r o w i n g d u r i n g t h e w a r m e r m o n t h s , i n c l u d i n g z u c c h i n i s , c u c u m b e r s a n d p u m p k i n s , a s w e l l a s f r u i t l i k e a p p l e s , p e a r s , p e a c h e s a n d p l u m s . S o l e t ’s g r o w l o t s o f f l o w e r s t o b r i n g i n t h e b e e s ! H e r e a r e m y f i v e f a v o u r i t e b e e - a t t r a c t i n g f l o w e r s .

word s angie thomas

1.

BOR AGE Borage is an annual plant that grows up to 50cm tall and is covered in pretty blue fl owers . They ’re per fect to include around the veggie patch if you’re growing tomatoes because — in addition to attracting European honey bees — Borage will attract Australian native blue-banded bees , which are exper ts in pollinating tomato fl owers . Borage fl owers are also edible and make a gorgeous garnish on salads and cakes . Yates Borage Seed can be sown during spring and will star t fl owering in just 12 weeks . Another option is to sow Yates Bee Pasture Pollen & Nectar Mix Seed, which contains a special blend of fl owers , including Borage, that bees love.

2.

L AVENDER Available in purple, pastel to bright pink and white fl owering varieties , fragrant Lavender is a renowned bee attractor. Lavender is a perennial shrub that does best in full sun in an air y spot with well- drained soil.

It also grows wonder fully well in a pot. The key to keeping Lavender growing well is to trim it back each year af ter fl owering by almost half. This helps to minimise the development of leafl ess woody stems . Lavender will also appreciate regular feeding with a fl ower food. Scatter Yates Thrive Natural Rose & Flower Pellets around the root zone of Lavender ever y six to eight weeks from spring to autumn. 3.

COSMOS Cosmos is one of my f avourite spring and summer f lowers, with their colour ful f lowers sit ting atop tall feather y foliage. The blooms are adored by bees , with their wide - open petals allowing eas y acces s into the pollenf illed f lower centre. Pink and white cosmos , such as Yates Cosmos Sensation, are popular, however, they are also available in bright yellow and orange. Cosmos are eas y to s tar t from seed, scat tered over a sunny bare patch of soil directly where the plant s are to grow.

BOT TLEBRUSH 4. 5.

Many Aus tralian native plant s , including

B ot tlebrush (Callis temon spp.) will be at their colour ful bes t in spring and provide lot s of pollen and nectar for bees . Bot tlebrush are hardy plant s that range in size from compact shrubs to small trees and come in a range of f lower colours , including bright red, white, pink and burgundy. The f lowers also at tract native birds , so there are lot s of reasons to include a Bot tlebrush or t wo in your garden. Feed your Bot tlebrush during spring with Yates D ynamic Lif ter, which is ideal for feeding native plant s . SUNFLOWERS Tall bright yellow Sunfl owers create an impressive garden statement, their happy petalled faces turning towards the sun. There are also dwarf Sunfl owers, which only grow to a petite 40cm tall and are perfect for growing in pots. Sunfl owers are easy to grow from seed, and when sown in spring will reward you with fl owers 8-12 weeks later. Bees love Sunfl owers and it’s common for the large fl ower heads to play host to lots of bees at once. It’s a bee party! Protect young Sunfl ower seedlings from voracious snails and slugs with a light scattering of OCP eco-shield Snail & Slug Killer.