Save The Bees

Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers
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You Should Read More Eco-Books
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- A Simple and easy to follow action plan .
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There are no resell rights with This E book. It is for your personal use and you may not sell or give away copies. Copyright 2009 Gareth Hogan www.youshouldreadmore.com It will be deemed that by downloading and using this E book and script that the user has agreed to all the terms and conditions mentioned below: This E book and its script is protected under Copyright Laws & Intellectual Property Rights. Note: The data shared with you in this e book is for informational purposes only. If you are seeking professional and/or legal advice, get an accountant, lawyer or other professional. Any information given in this E book is believed to be bona fida but the onus is on the reader to check its veracity. All trademarks, trade names and business names mentioned in this book are copyright of the respective owners and no endorsement of this product by them is implied. This E book is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering technical, legal, accounting or other professional advice. If technical or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sort. The author has no intention whatsoever to convey any idea whatsoever affecting the reputation of any person or business enterprise. You are responsible for the installation and testing of the script. We are not giving any guarantee of successful installation and will not be responsible for any loss or damage suffered by you or any third party by the use of this e Book and script. In no event shall the publishers be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or other loss or damage arising out of the use of this Book and script by any person regardless of whether or not the publishers are informed before hand of the possibility of damages in advance. The publishers have and will retain all ownership rights on this Book by all means. This Book publication is been distributed with the express and implied understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice. If legal advice of other professional advice is required, the services of a competent professional should be sort. While the author has made every effort to be factual, your own results may vary.
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Table of Contents
Our Bees are Missing!..........................................................11 So what can you do to help?................................................12 Why is it so important? Bees make Honey?........................12 The Rise of Multinational control..........................................15 A Quick Fix..........................................................................18 A simple action plan.............................................................19 Where to get your herbs?.....................................................20 What Containers to use?......................................................20 What to put in the containers? .............................................21 Planting in containers...........................................................22 What Herbs to Plant.............................................................25 Bee Balm.............................................................................25 Catmints..............................................................................25 Comfrey...............................................................................26 Cone Flower........................................................................26 Globe Thistle ......................................................................27 Hemp Agrimony..................................................................27 Hyssop ...............................................................................28 Jacobs Ladder ...................................................................28 Contents
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Lavender.............................................................................28 Lemon Balm........................................................................29 Lungwort ............................................................................29 Marjoram.............................................................................30 Meadowsweet.....................................................................30 Mints ...................................................................................31 Orpine ................................................................................31 Rosemary............................................................................32 Sage ...................................................................................32 Thyme ................................................................................33 Propagation or breeding Herbs........................................34 Why is planting Wild flowers in your garden so important.....35 The four types of soil............................................................37 Sunshine..............................................................................38 Bacon & Eggs / Bird's Foot Trefoil......................................39
Lotus Corniculatus...........................................................39 Common Centaury..............................................................39 Centaurium Erythraea.....................................................39 Common Stork's Bill............................................................40 Erodium Cicutarium.........................................................40 Cowslips..............................................................................40 Primula Veris...................................................................40 Dog Violet............................................................................41
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Viola Riviniana.................................................................41 Field Mouse Ear..................................................................41 Cerastum Arvense...........................................................41 Field Scabious....................................................................41 Knautia Arvensis..............................................................41 Greater Knapweed..............................................................42 Centaurea scabiosa.........................................................42 Harebell ..............................................................................42 Campanula Rotundifolia..................................................42 Heartease...........................................................................42 Viola Tricolour..................................................................42 Lady's Bedstraw..................................................................42 Galium Verum..................................................................42 Meadow Crane's Bill...........................................................43 Geranium Pratense.........................................................43 Oxslip..................................................................................43 Primula Elatoir.................................................................43 Pasque Flower....................................................................43 Anemone Pulsatilla..........................................................43 Wild Tulip............................................................................43 Tulipa Sylvestris..............................................................43 Viper's Bugloss...................................................................44 Echium Vulgare...............................................................44
Wet land...............................................................................44 Bisort...................................................................................45 Contents
Polygonum Bistorta........................................................45 Comfrey (tuberous).............................................................45 Symphytum Tuberosum..................................................45 Common Valerian...............................................................45 Valeriana Officinalis.........................................................45 Devil's- Bit Scabious...........................................................46 Succisa Pratensis............................................................46 Grass of Parnassus............................................................46 Parnassia Palustris..........................................................46 Hemp Agrimony..................................................................46 Eupatorium Cannabinum.................................................46 Lousewort...........................................................................46 Pedicularis Sylvatica........................................................46 Marsh Cinquefoil.................................................................47 Potentilla Palustris...........................................................47 Marsh Gentian....................................................................47 Gentiana Pneumonanthe................................................47 Ragged Robin.....................................................................47 Lychnis Flos-Cuculi.........................................................47 Small Flowered Willow Herb...............................................47 Epilobium Parviflorum.....................................................47 Snake's Head Fritillary........................................................48 Fritollaria Meleagris.........................................................48 Meadow Thistle...................................................................48
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Cirsium Dissectum...........................................................48 Yellow Loosestrife...............................................................48 Lysimachia Vulgaris.........................................................48

............................................................................................48 ............................................................................................49 Woodland Wild-Flowers.......................................................49 Bluebell...............................................................................50
Endymion (or Hyacinthoides) Non-Scriptus..................50 Colts Foot............................................................................50 Tussilago Farfara.............................................................50 Early Purple Orchid.............................................................50 Orchis Mascula................................................................50 Foxglove..............................................................................51 Digitalis Purpurea............................................................51 Hedge Woundwort..............................................................51 Stachys Sylvatica............................................................51 Herb Robert.........................................................................51 Geranium Robertianum...................................................51 Lily of the Valley..................................................................51 Convallaria Majalis..........................................................51 Musk Mallow.......................................................................52 Malva Moschata..............................................................52 Primroses............................................................................52 Primula Vulgaris..............................................................52
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Snowdrop ...........................................................................52
Galanthus Nivalis.............................................................52 Solomon Seal......................................................................53 Polygonatum Multiforum..................................................53 Spurge (Wood)....................................................................53 Euphorbia Amygdaloides................................................53 *Caution* Stinking Hellibore*..............................................53 Helleborus Foetidus.........................................................53 White Deadnettle................................................................53 Lamium Album.................................................................53 Wood Sorrel........................................................................54 Oxalis Acetosella.............................................................54 Yellow Archangel (Dead Nettle)..........................................54 Lamiastrum Galeobdolon................................................54
Field Borderers....................................................................54 Field Poppy.........................................................................55
Papaver Rhoeas..............................................................55 Foxglove..............................................................................55 Digitalis Purpurea............................................................55 Ox eye Daisy.......................................................................55 Leucanthemum Vulgare..................................................55 Aaron's Rod........................................................................55 Verbascum Thapsus........................................................55 Corn Cockle........................................................................56
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Agrostemma Githago.......................................................56 Field Cow Wheat.................................................................56 Melampyrum Arvense......................................................56 Sun Spurge.........................................................................56 Euphorbia Helioscopa.....................................................56 Teasel.................................................................................56 Dipsacus fullonum...........................................................56
Red Clover...........................................................................57 What Flowers when?............................................................57 Where to get your flowers....................................................59 ............................................................................................60 Collecting seeds...................................................................61 Plant division........................................................................61 Plants for free.......................................................................62 Please make your garden poison free..................................62 Companion Planting.............................................................66 Other things you can do.......................................................67 What sort of Bees can you hope to attract?..........................68 An A to Z of Buzzzzzzzz.....................................................68 Bumblebees........................................................................68 Great yellow bumblebee ....................................................71 Contents
Ruderal bumblebee.............................................................72 Shrill Carder bumblebee.....................................................72 Brown-banded carder bee..................................................72 White-tailed bumblebee......................................................72 Red-tailed bumblebee.........................................................73 Garden bumblebee.............................................................73 Early bumblebee.................................................................73 Common Carder bee..........................................................73 Short-haired bumblebee ......................................................74 Solitary bees........................................................................74 Leafcutter Bee.....................................................................75 Chelostoma campanularum,...............................................75 Mining Bee..........................................................................75 Masonry bees.....................................................................76 Carpenter bees...................................................................76 Cuckoo Bumblebees...........................................................76 Where to next?.....................................................................77 What else can be done?.......................................................79
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Our Bees are Missing!

Bees are Dying Not only Honey Bees but all the Solitary bees and Bumble Bees are sadly, also in decline. No one really knows for sure why the bees are missing. Bees have always had to cope with numerous threats from a number of pests and diseases but now, as well, they are having to face more stress from increasing changes in the environment. These include the accelerative use of new pesticides in farming, which they are exposed to, as they try to pollinate crops. Others believe that, motivated by the greed to get better honey yields, we have bred a bee that is more susceptible and has less resistance to disease. Whatever the reason, it is absolutely vital that we all take proactive steps to do as much as we can to help alleviate these problems.
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So what can you do to help?

You can help by creating, bee friendly pesticide-free environments. It does not matter how little space you have access to. You can do this in your garden or even a container or a window box, at home or work. We need to reverse the growing stress that the bee population is under from the gradual degradation and loss of their habitat, that our demands as a society are causing.
Why is it so important? Bees make Honey?

Yes, bees make honey but that is not all they do. Bees do much more than make honey. They also pollinate a vast range of plants, many of which are foods that we all eat. If the plants are not fertilised, they do not produce fruits, nuts, vegetables and seed. Most people do not realize that honey bees pollinate about one-third of our food supply around the world. If all the bees were to disappear, and we could not find another way of pollinating these plants, the plants to would all die out. Then so would we. Without the ever present and tireless work of bees, many people would go hungry and starve. If you add to this the rising population and the current transfer of crop production into bio-fuels, we could have a major disaster looming. It could lead to a collapse of food production.
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In the United States alone, just over 100 crops are dependent on the honey bee (Apis mellifera) for their pollination. In the United Kingdom, there is a similar tale to be told, with 10 of its main crops, which includes apples and pears, requiring bees for their continued production. After a recent pesticide accident in central China wiped out an area's local Bee population, the farmers had to pollinate by hand with brushes, until the bee population recovered. The extra labour involved put a severe strain on their agricultural production and it became very apparent, that crop output would fall to dramatically low levels without the bees. So you see, Bees are an integral part of much of our Agriculture and have a significant role to play in all our food production. This is at a time when resources are already beginning to be stressed with growing food production instability.
So what are the Governments doing about it?

Although the Governments realise that the threat is serious, other than continuing research and funding disjointed projects, they appear impotent in taking on the International agro-chemical multinationals. The latest figures are as dramatic as they are worrying. Already, over a third of the hives in America have been lost over the last two years. That is a staggering 800,000 colonies in 2007, followed by nearly another million in 2008.
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A survey carried out in the UK, found that over 1 in 3 of the honeybee hives were lost in the winter and spring of 2008. This represents 33% of the UK's approximate 250,000 hives. (Normal yearly losses are usually under 10%).There are similar losses reported all over Europe, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain. To the South of the USA, losses have also been reported in Brazil and Argentina. There is a financial cost as well, the value of the bee's service to America's agricultural output is estimated to be in the region of $14.7 billion (8 billion), every single year. The bees provide almost 80% of the country's pollination service for not only many of the popular fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds but also its cotton industry. One estimate has shown that if people had to take over the task of pollinating all these crops in the UK, we would need a workforce of just over 30 million people. This would work out at a cost of 170 million a year to the country. You must also remember that bees work hard pollinating the flowering plants, as well as the fruit and veg, we grow in our own gardens. The plain truth of the matter is that without bees, some of the plants that we take for granted in our diet or enjoy looking at, will simply die out. Unless we can reverse the decline of the bees population, some of the food we eat will become extinct. In terms of dealing with the situation, it is apparent that we must all do our bit if we are to safe guard the bee's existence now and into the future.
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The Rise of Multinational control

This new century has seen the development of the multinational Agro-business conglomerate. In it's search for profit, it has brought about many changes in the countryside. The farming landscape is slowly becoming dominated by entire different set of plants that do not require bee pollination. These profit seeking companies are working towards genetically engineered hybrids that are self pollinating, once they are sprayed with a chemical they produce and you purchase from them. They have introduced trademarks and copyrights to stop people gathering seed. Each year, you must buy fresh seed from them. Many of the traditional bee habitats are quickly disappearing and along with them, many of the traditional plants. In the short term, the price of traditional fruits that we are all accustomed to, will slowly increase, as the old varieties of apples, pears and plums become more rarer. Then they will cease to exist altogether, like so many varieties of fruit before them. Already supermarket shelves are full of bland, tasteless offerings forced on us by unceasing standardisation. In the quest for good-looking, easily transportable fruit and veg, we are being deprived of nutrition, and the simple pleasure of taste. Intensified commercial farming has become more and more dependent on the use of pesticides and chemicals. The need for bigger fields, to enable access by bigger machines, has reduced the hedgerows. The practice of monoculture, (growing only one type of plant) has reduced the variety of plants available. You Should Read More Eco-Books Page 15 of 89 Contents
All the chalk grassland and old hay meadows have been negatively impacted, but more importantly, the wild-flowers are disappearing at an alarming rate. These are the very flowers that the bees depend on to feed their young. Sadly, already in the United Kingdom, three of the remaining 25 species of bumblebee are thought now to be extinct. They are the Apple bumblebee, Cullum's bumblebee and more recently the Shorthaired bumblebee. These beautiful creatures are unlikely ever to be seen again. People often feel powerless when they hear of so many things going wrong in the world and feel that there is little they can do. In this case there is no reason to feel helpless. You can be a force for positive change, by simply helping to boost the biodiversity of plant species in our Gardens and countryside. The easiest way to do this is by planting and caring for a wide selection of herbs & wild flowers. Where ever you live, this will help beyond measure. It is already to late for some species of Bees, but you could help save from extinction several more species that are in imminent danger, these include the Great Yellow Bumblebee, the Brown-Banded Carder Bee, the Shrill Carder Bee and the Ruderal Bumblebee. If we get it right then lots of other wildlife will benefit to, if we get it wrong then our children's, children will only know a
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Bumble Bee from pictures in a book. Such a change to the balance of nature could be catastrophic for life dependent on the plants that the bees pollinate. Again if the simple Bumblebee disappears, many traditional native plants that they pollinate will suffer.
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A Quick Fix
Some of the most valuable plants that you can grow to help Bees in the short term are those of the pea family, the figwort family and the daisy family. In early spring and then in summertime, fruit trees will give the bees respite, even small dwarf varieties in patio pots will provide an important resource for visiting bees. This works both ways, as how much fruit you get from these trees, will depend entirely on the visits of bumble bees and solitary bees pollinating their flowers. If you can, try and find the more traditional varieties to plant and grow. Unfortunately most of the popular annual bedding plants such as Pelargonium, Begonia, Busy Lizzies have little nectar to offer bees or other wildlife. Instead if you want help the bees, you should concentrate on trying to grow a traditional cottage garden flowers, herbs and native wild-flowers. Not only are they delightfully pretty to look at, but generally they are more hardy and much more resistant to slugs and diseases. If you can, try growing a range of different flowers. Some species of bees, like bumblebees for instance, differ in the length of the tongues and prefer different shaped blooms. These types of plants will also attract a range of other interesting insects to your garden, including butterflies.
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A simple action plan

It does not matter if you are a gardening novice or an already gifted amateur. Here is a simple action plan that that you can follow, that will enable you to help the bees and make a real difference to the environment for the good of every living creature on the planet. The first thing you should try your hand at is growing a selection of herbs in containers. It does not matter how small a space you have or where you live, whether you are a complete beginner or just need refreshing, you can have a go at this. Herbs are great, because you can grow them in pots on your window sill, window boxes or larger pots by your door. I do recommend that you grow them within easy reach of your kitchen though because guess what? The great thing about Herbs is you can use the leaves for cooking and the bees use the flowers. So, the first point I would like to make is that, if you are going to get into the culinary use of herbs, and I really hope you do, you will need more than one plant of each variety. This is so you can lightly use and graze on the leaves of more than one plant, to give them a chance to recover.
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Where to get your herbs?

Of course you can buy herbs at the local garden centre, supermarket or even on-line. I am going to suggest that first of all you talk to you friends and neighbours and see if they have any cuttings to spare. You will find that most gardeners are generous by nature and eager to share their knowledge, as you should be as well. See if there are any local gardening clubs. Failing that there are lots of farmers markets springing up all over the place or you can even make enquiries at your local health food shop. Here is something else that you will find incredibly useful. Start your own gardening journal, make a note of your efforts, who you approached, whether they could help or not, how much you paid, where you got your herbs from eventually and especially make a note of any advice you are given. This is such a good habit to get into and you will find it invaluable later on as I will show you.
What Containers to use?

So, you have your plants, now you will need some containers. The truth is, within reason, anything that can hold soil and has good drainage can be used to grow plants. Have some fun, if you do not have fun gardening you are not doing it right! From classical Urns to old boots, your imagination is the only limitation.
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There are a few things to consider though. Firstly, containers need to be kept watered. Strangely enough the wind can cause a container to dry out more quickly than the sun, so make sure you site your container in a sheltered spot. Another thing to remember is that dark colours, like black absorb the heat more readily than light colours. This will cause the container to dry out more quickly. White on the other hand tends to reflect the heat and keep the soil moist. Lots of Herbs look wonderful set off against a white container. If you are going to perch pots on window sills, or use window boxes, it is no good just balancing them and hoping for the best. You must make sure that they are secured firmly.
What to put in the containers?

Commercially sold soil based composts are generally sold as John Innes Mixtures. The name is not a brand name but refers to horticultural research establishment where the recipes for the ingredients were originally worked out. The best compost to use for containers is a loam based one. The principle ingredients are peat, loam and lime- free sand, all of which have been sterilised. To this, super-phosphate of lime, sulphate of potash and hoof & horn are added as a fertiliser, along with varying amounts of chalk or limestone. The best John Innes formula for container gardening is John Innes No.2. Contents
Now, there is increasingly concern being expressed about the use of peat in commercial composts, because of the irreversible damage that the exploitation of the peat reserves are causing to the environment. So there are many peat-free composts coming on the market. Experienced gardeners use their own recipes but if you want to try for yourself, you could always start by simply modifying the basic John Innes No 2 formula. This is mixed in the ratio of seven parts per volume of sterilised Loam, three parts of Peat (or Peat substitute) and two parts of Lime-free sand. (As a substitute for Peat you could use leaf mould). For every 8 gallons (36 litres) of this mix, you should add 8 oz (224 grams) of base fertiliser, which you can buy already mixed and 1.5oz (42grams) of ground chalk or limestone. An ericaceous compost, which is used for acid loving plants, can be made of the same mix but by leaving out the ground chalk or limestone.
Planting in containers
Make sure what ever container you are going to use has drainage holes to allow the compost to drain freely. First fill the bottom of the container with some coarse material such as broken pieces of pots, old crocks, or expanded clay granules to stop the drainage holes becoming blocked. Partly fill the container with compost and now is the time to add some water retaining Gel, if you are going to use it.
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Arrange the herbs you are going to plant, while working the compost around them and carry on filling the container to about an inch from the top. After you have planted your herbs cover the surface with grit or straw, called mulching. This will help the container to hold moisture for longer and help suppress any weeds that might have strayed in.
Do not water the container until it is fixed in it's final position!

Remember, if you can, to have the container on slightly raised blocks and this will help with the drainage, especially if you are using a drip tray. When it comes to watering, another thing you can do when you are planting your herbs is to insert a cut down plastic bottle to help with the watering. Simply get an old plastic water or pop bottle of the right size for your container. Cut off the bottom and remove the top, turn the bottle upside down and bury it in the container, making sure you do not get compost in it, when you plant your herbs. When watering the container you can pour the water straight into this bottle and the water will get straight to the roots of the plant. This uses less water than if you pour it straight into the top of the container as a percentage of the water will evaporate before it reaches the bottom of the plants roots where it is needed.
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Another way to conserve water is to rig up a drip feed through small tubes to the containers. You can buy fairly cheap systems everywhere but if you fancy a go at building your own, you can get some useful pieces from pet shops that stock and sell air hoses and connectors for Aquariums.
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What Herbs to Plant Bee Balm

Monarda didyma
This tall perennial will burst into spires of flowers, usually in shades of red and pink. Bee Balm is a cousin of the equally useful Horsemint. Although this herb grows in ordinary soil it can also do well in heavy clay. It does best though in dry, alkaline soil conditions in a sunny to part shade area. It flowers from June to July.
Other Names: Bergamot, Eastern Beebalm, Wild Oswego Tea, Monarda
Catmints
Bees love this and its close cousin the Blue Catmint (N. mussinii). The Catmint that will bring every cat in you neighbourhood to your garden is N. cataria. Another one that the Bees adore is the fragrant and lemony N. govananii which can be grown as a tall shrub. Catmints bloom from June till July, although if you trim them you can get a second flowering. They like well drained soil and they are Contents
Nepeta spp
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drought resistant, enjoying full sun.
Comfrey
Like the mints this perennial can become invasive. With its edible foliage and its pretty bell shaped flowers in creamy pink, it is a must for you and the bumblebees it will attract. It flowers from May to September. The root can be divided in spring or autumn, or the clumps divided. It prefers a damp soil and shady conditions Other names: Knitbone,boneset, bruisewort, blackwort
Symphytum officinale
Cone Flower
Echinacea
This showy, daisy like perennial with purple flowers on tall stems, is a deciduous plant originating from the USA, that has hidden medicinal properties that have been used for centuries. It loves a moist, rich and well drained situations with full sun to semi shade. This plant may need a support as it can grow to 1.5 metres.
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Globe Thistle
Echinops ritro
This tall perennial is a magnet for bees when it's round thistle like flowers are in bloom. A great architectural plant with its cobwebbed leaves, it provides interest from spring, right through until late Summer when it's blooms finally appear. It associates well with other tall striking late summer plants such as the Coneflower. It enjoys dry or moist, well-drained light sandy soil in full sun to partial shade.
Hemp Agrimony
This tall perennial has particularly attractive fluffy mauve flower heads. It also has a slightly taller and equally attractive close cousin in the Jo-pye weed (E. purpureum) Flowering from July through to September it thrives in most soils, enjoying full sun to partial shade.
Eupatorium cannabinum
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Hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis Bees are really attracted to the intense blue spike like flowers of this small shrub. It also comes in Pink and White flowered varieties. It is evergreen in all but the coldest gardens. Their dark leaves, neat and narrow, can be harvested in summer for drying. It is hardy, enjoying full sun in well drained light soil. It flowers from July to September.
Jacobs Ladder
This early flowering perennial comes in blue and white varieties. This plant can be propagated by by dividing plants in spring or sowing seed in autumn or spring. It is suited to a moist but welldrained soil in full sun or partial shade. It blooms in June and its flowers can be prolonged by deadheading.
Polemonium caeruleum
Lavender
Lavandula
Any form of Lavender will prove popular with the bees English Lavender, (L. angustifolia), is actually a Mediterranean shrub, that can grow up to up to 1.8m (6ft) high. There are many smaller varieties and they all enjoy full Contents
sun, warmth and very good drainage. To propagate you can take cuttings from May to August. Low bushy versions of this plant will make a lovely perfumed border for a path.
Lemon Balm
Melissa officinalis
Bee keepers used to rub the leaves of this herb on the outside of their hives, in the belief that it would stop the bees swarming and remain content and calm. The Latin name Melissa is actually the old Roman word for Honey. As the name suggests the leaves have an almost pungent lemon flavour which decreases as plants flower. Bees and other pollinating insects are attracted to this hardy perennial that enjoys full sun and well drained light sandy soil. The other name for this plant is bee balm. It flowers all the way from June into October.
Lungwort
Flowering early in the year this is one of the first flowers that early hive foragers and waking queen bumble bees will seek out. A very pretty spring perennial with distinctive tubular flowers that open pink but slowly change to intense blue as they mature, providing pollen for early bumblebees. It prefers part shade and average moisture. Contents
Pulmonaria officinalis
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Marjoram
Marjoram or Oregano? In fact, all marjoram varieties are oreganos. This herb carries its pink or white flowers for a long time in the summer, often on into the autumn, making this aromatic perennial a must for nectar loving insects. It is fairly drought resistant and you can get away with watering the plant, when the soil dries out. Feed the plants only twice in the growing season to preserve the flavour
Oreganum vulgare
Meadowsweet
One of the perennial herbs that flowers in the early summer with pretty white flowers. It usually enjoys a damp fertile soils but will flourish given a bit of help with mulch or manure. Divide the plants in autumn or winter. You can put the larger clumps to be replanted direct into
Filipendula ulmaria
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their permanent positions, smaller clumps are better potted up and nurtured in a cold frame until they are wellrooted. Plant them out in the following spring. Other names include Bridewort, Lady of the Meadow, Meadow queen, Mountain Spirea.
Mints
All the mints are particularly invasive and are best grow in containers. Mints will grow in most conditions but they do not like it to too dry. Ideally they enjoy a position that is damp with moist soil. Although they will tolerate some shade they prefer shade at the roots but sun on their leaves.
Mentha spp.
Orpine
Sedum telephiem
This rough looking perennial is a close cousin to the more well known ice-plant. It has tall and robust reddish stems with dense, shaggy heads of red-purple, flowers. Blooming from July through to September it folk name is Live Long because of its resistance to drought, frost and Contents
cutting back and can grow in any soil or position but dislikes full shade.
Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis
When this shrub comes into flower, it attracts most of the bee species to its delicate purple and blue flowers. It prefers a light sandy soil, which will fully satisfy its needs. Although, it is tolerant of most soil conditions, as long as they are not water-logged. If you grow it in a slightly limey soil (the opposite of acid), the plant will be smaller but will produce more fragrant leaves. It can survive quite severe frosts as long as the weather is not wet or windy. Ideally you should grow it in a sunny and sheltered position.
Sage
All the shrubby perennials of the Sage family are good for attracting and feeding bees, except the red bedding types. One, the S. Apiana has been named for the bees and Clary sage (S. Sclarea) is just as good. It enjoys a light, warm, and dryish soil with lots of sunshine but not so much that it is scorched! You can propagate it by taking cuttings from well-established plants in April or May. Leaves and flowers are both edible Contents
Salvia officinalis
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but remember you are growing the flowers for the bees.
Thyme
Thymus spp. Left to become a bushy shrub, this small and quickly spreading herb is loved by bees. Try and find those Thymus Serpyllum varieties of cultivars, especially Bressingham Pink or Russettings. Being a native of the Mediterranean Thyme needs a place in full sun and likes a well-drained light soil. This should not be too rich in nutrients or it will only make the plant 'leggy' and loose its compact shape. Water to keep the compost moist, and feed with liquid plant food every two weeks from April to August.
Also recommended:
Agastache, moist, well-drained soil and prefer a sunny position. Allium schoenopraesum, Chives are popular perennial bulbs that form neat tufted clumps. They prefer a well drained light soil in full sun. Centranthus ruber, Red Valerian is hardy and again enjoys light, well drained soil in full Sun.
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Dipsacus, Teasels are biennials and once they are established they will self-seed freely. These are covered in pinkish purple or white flowers by the mid-summer. When they dry to an attractive shade of brown they are often used for dried flowers arrangements.
Propagation or breeding Herbs

As you can see by the list above most herbs can be increased by taking cuttings. These cuttings can usually be taken any time in the summer. Look for those new soft shoot tips that have grown from that spring and cut them off to about 3inches (7.5cm) long. Put them in a plastic bag straight away and keep them in the shade, out of strong sunlight, until you are finished. When you get back to your work area, be that a workbench or the kitchen table, trim the cuttings below a leaf joint and remove the lower leaves with a sharp knife. Make sure you leave at least two leaves on the cutting. If you want to increase the chances of the cutting taking, you can dip the end in hormone rooting powder or liquid. Then plant the cutting in a pot of compost that is an equal mixture of seedling compost and vermiculite. Water the cutting with a hand spray and fix a plastic bag over the whole pot with an elastic band to seal in the moisture.
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The pot can then be left in a cold frame, greenhouse or inside a kitchen window. Within 6 to twelve weeks this cutting will develop a small root system and become a small plant. Place the pot in a shady area, where they will not get full sun. When the cuttings are well rooted. You can harden them off before planting them in their permanent site or re-pot them into larger individual pots. Trainee gardeners are often taught to experiment with geraniums, ivy and mints to get the hang of it, as these take fairly easily. If you want to make a lot of cuttings, for making a knot garden or you intend using them for a border, you can dispense with the pots and just plant them straight into a bed of the same mix compost in the cold frame. Once you have mastered these techniques and have cultivated your own herb garden you are ready for your next step in saving the bees.
Why is planting Wild flowers in your garden so important.

In the long term we all need to cultivate as many old traditional wild-flowers as we can. The bigger and blousey garden blooms that have been bred for show over the years, have been developed at the expense of their nectar and perfume. Double flowers are of little use as they hardly produce any nectar at all, for insects to feed on. Even those Contents
single flowered blooms may be of little use, if they are exotic and not native. The very best flowers that you can grow to attract and feed bees are the traditional simple and open ones. These carry more nectar and pollen than the other types. An English Cottage garden stocked with a wide variety of flowering plants is ideal territory for bees. We need to educate people, and encourage activities such as the planting of wild-flowers and traditional cottage flowers in gardens, the replanting of hedgerows, and the re-creation of hay meadow and chalk grassland habitats. Unfortunately, however well meaning, it is not as simple as buying a packet of mixed wild-flower seed and sprinkling it on a unkempt part of your garden. To stand a real chance of success in growing wild-flowers you will have to pay attention to where they like to grow. Just like us, plants have their likes and dislikes, so let us take a look at how to cultivate them. The main problem with a garden, as far as wild-flowers are concerned, is that the soil is often to good. Yes, most wildflowers have developed and evolved on poor soil. Growing wild-flowers in an ordinary garden can be problematic because not only do they like poor soil, they also prefer a certain sort of environment. Each plant has flourished in its own little corner of the world for many complicated reasons and it has probably taken a few hundred years to get itself established with its neighbours. It has everything just the way it likes and then its seeds are scattered in a completely alien environment, your garden. Contents
Again, as with the herbs, probably, the best way to start growing wild-flowers to support the Bees and other insects that visit your garden, is to grow them in patio containers, window boxes and pots. The only difference to growing the herbs is that now we will develop and use four separate growing mediums or mixes in our containers, to increase the success of the Wild-flowers actually blooming. This has the benefit of letting you go some way to replicating the conditions the plants enjoy. There is also the added bonus of enabling you to have them near your windows where you can keep a check on them and more importantly be able to see if they are working in attracting the bees. With experience, as you learn to understand the needs of each plant, you can collect the seeds or transplant seedlings to other areas of your garden. These spaces you can prepare using the knowledge you have learned, from growing an established colony in your containers.
The four types of soil

For starters you can divide your containers in to four different broad types. This will go some way to ensuring some successful blooms. These plants do not all feed the bees but they are supportive of each other, and are chosen because of their compatibility in forming a viable community. Contents
Often referred to as Companion planting, something we shall explore again later, these plants have learnt over time, to co-operate to their mutual benefit. You do not have to grow all of the plants in a section! You can start with as little as three different types but a half dozen would be better but make sure you include at least one type of nectar producing flower. Research has shown that the gardens with more than 10 varieties of flowers attract the most bees.
Sunshine
Wild-flowers that love open sunny grasslands will thrive in poor soil but will also want very good drainage. You should start your container off by filling it with at least 3 inches of clean pebbles. You can cover this with seed compost or dig a hole in your garden, remove the top 9 inches (the topsoil) and then use the soil from the bottom of the hole to fill your container. Now this might be the complete opposite to what your gardening books and TV experts recommend for container gardening, but if you are tempted to even add a little bit of feed or compost, the plants will not flourish. If you feed the soil it will encourage other plants, (I do not like to use the word weeds), that will flourish, outgrow and smother the wildflowers you are trying to cultivate. Place the container in a sunny aspect and do not over water. When the flowers have finished and died back at the end of their season, do not be tempted to tidy them up. Unless you Contents
are going to collect them, let all the seeds fall before trimming it up. Give it another trim just before the spring to let in the light and you should have clusters of new shoots . Here are some of the traditional Wild-Flowers that enjoy a sunny disposition.
Bacon & Eggs / Bird's Foot Trefoil
Lotus Corniculatus
It has got the curious name of Bird's Foot Trefoil from producing seed pods arranged in birds-foot pattern. These turn dark and curl later in the season, looking for all the world, like the clawed feet of little birds. In tradition it is the flower of Tom Thumb and protected by the fairies. It flowers from the end of April through to mid September, and produces an abundance of nectar. This makes it extremely popular with bees that often return for several visits. It grows to a height of 36cm. Plant in Autumn or Spring, but be careful, this plant is vigorous and can spread quickly.
Golden Yellow with Red patches.
Common Centaury
Centaurium Erythraea
This lovely compact plant has pinky white flowers with a distinctive yellow centre. It grows in a clump of dense branches, each with a single flower on top. The name reflects the legend that its properties were first discovered by Chiron Contents
the centaur. In Greek legend, he was a wise creature, half man half horse and the tutor of the young Hercules. It flowers from April through to September growing up to 25cm tall, preferring a full sunny position. Other name Feverwort
Pinky White with Yellow Center
Common Stork's Bill
Erodium Cicutarium
These are similar to small Cranesbill but they have longer seed cases from which they get their name. They can even be found in dry bare places on sand. With dark pink flowers they bloom from May to August. They burst open in a spiral when ripe, sending the seeds (which have little feathery parachutes attached) into the air. This is a plant for a dry container in full sun
Dusky Pink
Cowslips
Primula Veris
A native perennial. It's flowers were always popular for winemaking and is associated in Northern Europe with the Goddess Frega, who held the keys to Happiness and Love. Once common in the Meadow banks of England and Wales and central Ireland it has now become much rarer. This lovely little flower blooms from April to May. They grow to a height of 25.5cm. and prefer dapple sunlight. It was a firm favourite with the late medieval Elizabethans, who grew them in their Knot Gardens. Contents
Dog Violet
Viola Riviniana
The flowers vary in colour and can even be white, when they bloom from April to July. This perennial can grow in wonderful great clumps of 20 to 30 flowers. The plant requires Winter frosts to stimulate it and crack its seed husk. It grows to about 15cm in height, but has less of a scent than its cousin, the sweet violet.
Violet
Field Mouse Ear
Cerastum Arvense
Perennials that used to be found on grassland roadsides. It flowers from April to August. A plant which is in many places cultivated for its beauty, the white starry flowers being more than a half-inch broad, borne in graceful terminal clusters. But its creeping root-stocks make it difficult to keep within bounds, as every joint is capable of forming a new plant, so best kept to a container.
Field Scabious
Knautia Arvensis
This perennial flowers all summer. It is particularly popular with bees and soldier beetles. This plant is also known as Gypsy Rose, Blue Button and Ladys Pincushion. It has a woody tap-root, which gives it a firm hold on the ground.
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Greater Knapweed
Centaurea scabiosa
This plant has upright branch stems with thistle like a flower heads. It flowers in July and prefers a dry alkaline soil in a sunny position. There is also the Hardhead Centaurea nigra or common, or lesser knapweed which has smaller flowers.
Harebell
Campanula Rotundifolia
Although the leaves on the stem are long and thin, there are also small, round lower leaves which are its distinctive feature. This perennial prefers dry grassy places and flowers from July to September.
Heartease
Viola Tricolour
This is a wild pansy, that Shakespeare made famous in his play Midsummer night's dream. Oberon squeezes the juice of this flower into the eyes of Titania, Queen of the fairies, to make her fall in love with bottom, the poor actor, who has been given the head of a donkey. Traditionally it has always been associated with love and flowers from April to September.
Lady's Bedstraw
Galium Verum
There is an old story from medieval times that the Mary gave birth to Jesus on a bed made of this plant, giving rise to its
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name. It is the native perennial and is known to groundsmen as a lawn weed that flowers from June to August.
Meadow Crane's Bill
Geranium Pratense
This is one of the most distinctive members of the Cranesbill family with its striking, big blue flowers. It is a perennial that flowers from May to September and obviously is a member of the geranium family.
blue
Oxslip
Primula Elatoir
A perennial that blooms from April to May with deep yellow flowers. It may be confused with the closely related cowslip which has a similar general appearance.
Yellow
Pasque Flower
Anemone Pulsatilla
This pasch or pasque flower, traditionally comes out at Easter, and hence its name. Familiar to archaeologists, it likes to grow on old earthworks. This perennial continues to flower, from April, into May.
Wild Tulip
Tulipa Sylvestris
This citrus yellow small flower carries the sweetest fragrence. With just a few shiny grassy looking leaves it stands about Contents
12 inches high (30 cm) when full grown. Although the tulip is well known throughout Europe its origins remain shrouded in mystery.
Viper's Bugloss
Echium Vulgare
Wet land
Now, most bog loving wild-flowers tend to enjoy soil that leans to the acidic. So, here a good peat based compost will do the trick or if you are worried about using peat for environmental reasons use a substitute or try the ericaceous recipe we mentioned earlier. Remember that in this case, the container does not need to be as free draining, so do not add to many stones into the base. Secondly, because of the nature of moisture loving plants, you will need a fairly big container or split them up, as they will tend to grow quite bushy. The container does not need to be soaking wet but you must take care that it never dries out completely. Here are some wild-flowers that prefer to keep their feet damp.
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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers Polygonum Bistorta
Bisort
This plant is one of the main ingredients in the ledger pudding that is made around Easter in Yorkshire and the Lake District. This perennial flowers from May to August. It prefers a damp, shady area and is equally suited to a bog garden or as pond edging. You can propagate it by dividing the root stock in early autumn or spring.
Comfrey (tuberous)
Symphytum Tuberosum
The leaves of this plant are much smaller than the Common Comfrey and its root stalk is tuberous. In the wild it inhabits damp meadows and settles by streams. This perennial flowers from May to July. Used as a compost activator, the leaves of the Comfrey are so rich that it not only enriches but encourages the heap to heat up. It can also be used to make a potent liquid plant feed.
Common Valerian
Valeriana Officinalis
In Europe, Valerian is taken as a tisane or herbal tea to calm the nerves. In the 16th century, it was common to place the dried roots among clean sheets. Cats love the smell of this plant and appear to become intoxicated. A hardy perennial with heads of sweetly scented pink or white flowers. This perennial flowers from June to August, and can grow to a height of 1.2 metres.
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Devil's- Bit Scabious
Succisa Pratensis
Its flowers are usually a lilac blue, but can sometimes veer towards a pinky white. It's curious name comes from the story that the devil bit off the root in anger when confronting the Virgin Mary, thus devils bite. This perennial can grow to a height of 80 cm and flowers from June to October.
blue
Grass of Parnassus
Parnassia Palustris
This lovely flower smells faintly of honey. It is believed that an infusion of its leaves, aids digestion. This perennial can grow to a height of 25 cm and flowers from July to October.
Hemp Agrimony
Eupatorium Cannabinum
The leaves of this plant resemble those of the hemp, hence its common name. This beautiful wetland perennial grows up to 1.5 m tall, with layers of flowers in July through to Sept.
Lousewort
Pedicularis Sylvatica
This name does not come from any preventative qualities that the plant may have but from the old German mis-belief that it gave lice and liver-worms to cattle. Often found in bogs this perennial can grow to a height of 20 cm and flowers from April to July.
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Marsh Cinquefoil
Potentilla Palustris
This plant is distinct among other cinquefoils and tormentils by having a purple rather than yellow flowers. This perennial can grow to a height of 40 cm and flowers from May to July.
purple
Marsh Gentian
Gentiana Pneumonanthe
The flowers of this plant are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and it relies for pollination on both Bumblebees and butterflies. The plant can be found in both light sandy and heavy clay soils but requires a well-drained situation but with moist soil.
Ragged Robin
Lychnis Flos-Cuculi
This is a wonderful wild flower that will thrive on the dry edges of the bog garden. It's other names include the cuckoo flower, Meadows Spink, Polly Baker, and shaggy jacks. It produces star shaped flowers with deep petals that can vary from purplish pink to white. This plant is a favourite of long tongue bumblebees.
purple/pink
Small Flowered Willow Herb
Epilobium Parviflorum
Similar to the Great Willow herb but as the name suggests, Contents
with smaller flowers and leaves. It also has long soft hairs on the lower stem. Favouring stream sides it flowers from July to August.
Snake's Head Fritillary
Fritollaria Meleagris
This native bulb is becoming quite rare in the wild, though often found in gardens. A favourite snack for Squirrels. It grows to a height of 50cm and flowers from April to May.
Meadow Thistle
Cirsium Dissectum
A native perennial that enjoys wet peat, this can grow to a height of 60cm. It flowers from June to August.
Yellow Loosestrife
Lysimachia Vulgaris
The name loosestrife comes from the ancient belief that it prevented the strife between horses and oxen, that pulled the same plough. Growing to just over a 1 metre in height it usually flowers from July through to August.
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Woodland Wild-Flowers
These Wild-flowers have developed by growing in the dappled and shady floor of the wild wood. Ideally they are used to growing in 6 inches of leaf-mould, layer on layer of dead leaves, on top of the ground. This acts as a mulch. If you have not got access to leaf mould then use ordinary potting compost BUT mix it with sharp sand or vermiculite to increase the drainage. You must be careful that some of the larger plants do not crowd out the others. Do not place the pot or container in complete shade as they enjoy a little or diffused sunlight. If possible put them in the cover of an east facing hedge or wall.
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Bluebell
Endymion (or Hyacinthoides) NonScriptus
English Bluebell, perennial bulb. Despite its name it often occurs with white and pink flowers. It grows to the height of 50cm and flowers from April right through till June.
blue
Colts Foot
Tussilago Farfara
This early flowering perennial prefers a sunny position but will grow in woodland because it flowers early from May to July. Reaching a height of 30cm it bursts into life with a explosion of blooms, often before its leaves have opened or fully developed. Native American Indians relied on a broth made of its roots to alleviate coughs. It could often be seen as a symbol on the hanging signs of old apothecaries. Sow seeds in Autumn or plant the rhizomes garnered from the mother plant in October or the following February.
Early Purple Orchid
Orchis Mascula
Found in woods, often along side bluebells. The double ovoid tubers were often associated with fertility. Flowers from April to June and grows to a height of 50cm.
purple
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Foxglove
Digitalis Purpurea
This plant is a biennial, so you will have to leave it to colonise if you want more. Flowering in June, its richly marked flowers are constantly visited by bumblebees in search of its nectar. This is traditionally a fairy plant and its other country name for is folk's gloves, because it's a thimble shaped flowers resemble little mittens.
Foliage may cause skin irritation.
Hedge Woundwort
Stachys Sylvatica
Unpleasant smelling, the leaves used to be used for healing wounds as it contains a volatile oil with antiseptic qualities. Growing to a height of 80cm, It flowers from May to August.
Herb Robert
Geranium Robertianum
Identified by its distinctive leaf shape and flowers, it grows to a height of 45cm. Often found near walls, it flowers from the end of April, right the way through to October.
Lily of the Valley
Convallaria Majalis
A native rhizome it is now quite rare in the wild. It can reach a height of 30 cm and flowers from may to June. In German folklore it is believed that it grew on the ground at the crucifixion of Christ, where Mary's tears touched the ground. The plant is susceptible to grey mould Botrytis.
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Musk Mallow
Malva Moschata
A common perennial it can reach the height of 70cm. The flowers can sometimes be white, rather than dusky pink. It has been used for poultices and coughs in the past, just like the Common Mallow. It flowers from June to Aug. The leaves can vary in the deepness of the cut in their shape.
pink
Primroses
Primula Vulgaris
A native perennial it grows to the height of 15cm. It's name is a variation on Prima Rose, the first rose. Seen on Hedgebanks it flowers from March to May. Sow in position in the Autumn. Believed to grow where fairy treasure was buried and nicknamed schusselblume or Key-Flower in Germany. Such a beautiful little plant in the wild, it has nearly been picked to extinction.
Yellow
Snowdrop
Galanthus Nivalis
A Bulbous perennial widely used as a garden flower. It reaches a height of 20cm and blooms from January to March. Used to symbolise hope its flowers are honey scented. Contact with the bulbs may cause skin irritation. It is one of the earliest flowers to appear each year. Grown from bulbs it can remain in the soil for many years. You can propagate by dividing the clumps after flowering. Can also Contents
make an attractive house plant, again plant the bulbs outside after they have flowered.
Solomon Seal
Polygonatum Multiforum
A native rhizome grown in gardens it can reach a height of 70cm. The flowers were once used as an ingredient in making skin tonics. Flowers from May to June.
Spurge (Wood)
Euphorbia Amygdaloides
This perennial flowers in its second year and reaches a height of 75cm. Common in the South of England it flowers from March to May. The Sap is an irritant
*Caution* Stinking Hellibore*
Helleborus Foetidus
Also known as Bear's foot or Dungwort it is poisonous to humans and is foul smelling. It grows to a height of 80cm and flowers from March to April.
White Deadnettle
Lamium Album
A perennial weed of the roadside it can grow to 50cm. It was once used as as a cure for coughs and it's young shoots were eaten like spinach. Flowers from March through to December. Contents
Wood Sorrel
Oxalis Acetosella
This was often used as a salad plant and can grow to 15cm. It flowers from April to June and it's three-part leaves can often be seen folded up.
Yellow Archangel (Dead Nettle)
Lamiastrum Galeobdolon
This perennial often found in woods and clearings can be very invasive if planted in a garden. It grows to a height of 50 cm and flowers from May to June.
Field Borderers
Before fields were drenched in pesticides, many pretty wildflowers could be found around its edges. These really have learnt to grow on virtually nothing, no food, the poorer the soil the better. You can even put in some broken bricks. Also, because they love the rough life, you can rake up the top of the soil in the container each winter with a small fork and they will come back even more vigorously in the Spring.
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Field Poppy
Papaver Rhoeas
This annual grows on disturbed ground to a height of 50cm. The Goddess of the Crops, Ceres, was depicted with a circlet of poppies around her head. They flower from May to August.
Foxglove
Digitalis Purpurea
This plant is a biennial, so you will have to leave it to colonise if you want more. It's richly marked flowers are constantly visited by bumblebees in June. This is traditionally a fairy plant and its other country name for is folk's gloves, because it's a thimble shaped flowers resemble little mittens. Bees adore its nectar.
Foliage may cause skin irritation.
Ox eye Daisy
Leucanthemum Vulgare
Recommended in old herbals as an ingredient in curing chest problems this perennial can grow to 65cm. It Flowers from May to August.
Aaron's Rod
Verbascum Thapsus
Growing up to 2 metres in height this biennial was often used as a herbal tobacco. It flowers from June through to August.
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Corn Cockle
Agrostemma Githago
An annual once widely established in Cornfields as the name suggests. It can attain the height of 1 metre and flowers from June to August.
Field Cow Wheat
Melampyrum Arvense
Another once prolific Corn Field flower it can grow to 40 cm. This annual flowers from June to September and is similar to the highly coloured crested cow-wheat.
Sun Spurge
Euphorbia Helioscopa
This annual grows to 45cm and flowers from April to October.Sap is an irritant
Teasel
Dipsacus fullonum
Teasel can grow to over 2 metres in height and bees queue up for its pollen in August. It has small downward pointing prickles on its stem and distinctive spiny egg-shaped flower heads. Rainwater becomes trapped in its leaf forks, where bees often stop to drink. You may even have the pleasure of watching acrobatic small birds trying to drink as well. Teasel is an erect biennial that lives, flowers, produces seed and then dies within two years.
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Red Clover
Something that needs a very special mention is Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) that also goes by the name of cow clover, meadow clover, wild clover. This vigorous sprawling hardy perennial is a member of the Pea family and as such can provide a useful service of fixing nitrogen in the soil. This means that it can be used as a green manure. If you are growing vegetables, plant clover on any empty ground. After it has flowered it can be dug in or cropped and composted to improve the soil. Sown in March to June its wonderful red flowers are particularly loved and useful to bees.
What Flowers when?

The next thing to take into consideration, is when the plants actually produce their flowers. When you decide what flowers you are going to grow, you will also have to make sure that you have some that flower at every time of the year. It is important to plant flowers that bloom successively over the spring, summer, and fall seasons in order to provide pollen and nectar resources to the native bees at all times of the year. This is especially true during the winter months. With ever-increasing changes in our normal weather pattern it is not abnormal to have spells of warm weather, in these cold months. Even in midwinter, when there is snow on the ground, it is possible to have plants in flower. So even if the bees wake-up prematurely for a while, they can still find a food source. Contents
Plants that flower in winter, include some heathers, Christmas roses, primroses, snowdrops and winter aconite. Of course, most plants flower between March and August. Here are some of the more well known garden plants and when they flower, attracting and feeding Bees.
March - April Apple Bluebell Broom Bugle Cherry Erica carnea (heather) Flowering Currant Lungwort (Pulmonaria) Pear Plum Pussy Willow Red dead-nettle Rosemary White dead-nettle
May - June Alliums Aquilegia Birds-foot trefoil Bugle Bush vetch Campanula Ceanothus Chives Comfrey Cotoneaster Escallonia Everlasting Pea Everlasting wallflower Foxglove Geranium
July - August Black horehound Borage Bramble Buddleia Cardoon Catmint Cornflower Delphinium Heathers Hollyhock Hyssop Knapweed Lavender Lesser burdock Marjoram
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Honeysuckle Kidney Vetch Laburnum Lupin Monkshood Poppies Raspberries Red Campion Roses (singles) Sage Salvia Thyme Tufted vetch Meadow Cranesbill White Clover Wisteria Woundwort
Mellilot Mint Penstemon Phacelia Polemonium Purple loosestrife Red bartsia Red clover Rock-rose Sainfoin Scabious Sea Holly Snapdragons St. Johns Wort Sunflower Teasel Thistles Vipers bugloss
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Where to get your flowers

We have already seen how you can increase your stock of plants by taking cuttings, with Wild-flowers you can use a couple more methods. The seeds of the more common wild-flowers like foxgloves cowslips can be bought in most garden centres, but the range of other wild flowers is usually small. You will find a far greater selection available by mail order from specialist companies. Another way of course, is to get yourself a good field guide and try collecting the seeds you need from the wild. This is quite a controversial subject, and has its supporters and detractors. In theory, most of these wild-flowers produce thousands of seeds most of which will never germinate and grow. There is a strong conservation argument for collecting local seed and planting them locally. This will help them to propagate and conserve the local species of wild-flower. In most cases, collecting a few seeds will have little or no impact on the plant population. However, to protect our dwindling wild flowers, strict conservation laws have already been passed. Before going out collecting, remember that it is illegal to gather wild-flowers or their seeds from private land, nature reserves and all sites of scientific interest. But in any case, never collect seeds from rare plants, from places where there are only a handful of parent plants. Instead, confine your searches to road verges and river banks.
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Collecting seeds
Collecting your own seed requires patience. You need to correctly identify the plant species, and it will be necessary to return at the right time of year when the flowers have set seed. Most wild flower seed is quite easy to collect. In most cases, you can place a bag over the flower head and shake. In the case of the larger plants such as the those of thistle, simply pick up the mature seed heads with your fingers. You will probably find it best to sow the seeds immediately, as this is the time when they would naturally be broadcast by the mother plants. Place them outside in seed trays as some seeds will not germinate without passing through cold winter. The seeds which you do not use straight away must be kept dry and cool until you sow them. Remember to carefully make a note of what they are, when and where they were collected, on the envelope.
Plant division
Plant division is a really simple process and you can end up with lots of new plants. Gently lift the whole clump out of the ground and work out where you are going to make your divisions. This is best done at a time after the plant is finished flowering. Although some plants can be teased apart with a garden fork with most plants, you will need to use some sharp secateurs, and even a very sharp spade on larger clumps. Clean them up and trim any damaged roots. Carefully plant back the originals and replant the new plants with a little organic Contents
fertiliser and water in well. Remember that if the weather is hot to keep your new plants shaded for a few days.
Plants for free

Surprisingly, the quickest way I have found of getting some plants for free, is to give away some of my own plants to neighbours and friends. We all have something we can divide or has self seeded that we can give away. Let people know what you are trying to do, and in no time at all, you will have more flowers and plants being given to you than you know what to do with!
Please make your garden poison free

For the last 60 years there has been a tendency to gardeners to follow farmers methods and try to snuff out of existence anything that nibbles the veg or makes a hole in a plant. It is certainly effective in the short term, but it is a worrying statistic that in that 60 years since we have been dowsing our Gardens in chemical pesticides, pest problems have actually got worse. The trouble with using chemicals, is that they are often harmful to the environment and other wildlife. Pesticides are rarely selective and are not very good at just killing the nuisance you are trying to get rid of, they tend to also kill a wide range of beneficial insects. The poisons we use to kill slugs also kill beneficial ground beetles. You may successfully rid a plant for the season of greenfly, but you will also destroy all the hover (flower) flies as well.
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The other problem is that of knowledge. Many of the species of insects, we persecute are not actually that harmful to our gardens or can be more effectively controlled by using other methods such as natural predation, encouraging the next species up the food chain to eat more of them. The real damage that insects do is in spreading viruses. Then again, a strong healthy plant can defend itself but if it is weak or unhealthy, it is more likely to contract a disease. Natural immunity is your plants only defence, so your own first line of defence against pests and disease is to make sure that they are fed and watered properly and are suited to where you have planted them in the garden. Given time, the garden will find a natural balance that you can gently affect to your benefit. The friendly predators in your garden that feed on these pests, decline rapidly when you destroy their food source. With less natural enemies, the pests in your garden increase in population at a much great rate. This often means a minor problem turns into a major infestation. The usual reaction is to use more chemicals, which in turn aggravates the situation and becomes a vicious circle. As people become more aware of environmental issues there has been a tendency for agro-chemical companies to promote organic pesticides as a green alternative. These are just as harmful, killing everything they touch. It is far better for your garden, its inhabitants, and you, if you rely on nature's own methods. Above all, it works better. Contents
The first thing to come to terms with is that the garden does not exist for your benefit alone. It is the natural home to a myriad species of wildlife. You should not be trying to remove the pest completely by wiping them out. Most of the creatures that we see as pests in our garden are seen by our garden's friends and allies as food. You should be concentrating on protecting your plants and crops from serious damage and this you can do by encouraging as much diversity of life within the garden as possible. The more common garden pests such as aphids and slugs can be controlled by encouraging their natural predators into the area. This can be done by building a small pond for frogs and toads. Putting special nest boxes that hedgehogs can use in quiet spots in your garden. Encouraging birds to visit, nest and feed their young with your undesired insects. Most importantly, making sure you have the right plants to support beneficial insects, like ladybirds and lacewings. Many old gardeners, simply took the time to hand pick and remove slugs from the garden. If you put down slug pellets to poison them, you will also poison the thrushes, blackbirds, hedgehogs, frogs, toads, badgers that feed on them. Most pests like aphids and similar species can be removed from the leaves by spraying with water or using a light soap solution. There is even a small parasitic wasp, Encarsia that will sort out your whitefly problem for you.
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Contrary to popular belief, ants do not do much damage to flowers and crops. One of the main problems that gardeners have with ants is that they run a sort of protection racket with aphids. In return for harvesting, the honey dew that the aphids produce, the ants will protect them from attacks by ladybirds. If you plant yarrow (Achillea millefolium ) in your garden, not only does its flowers attract many beneficial insects, including parasitic wasps and ladybirds that target aphids, it is also believed to increase the health of nearby plants. If it is grown with herbs it is said to increase their flavour. It is an excellent activator for your compost and ants will not go near the crushed leaves of the plant, which can be used as a natural organic deterrent. Another way to deter pests from visiting your patio boxes or window boxes, is the use of barriers. Many gardeners believe that slugs can be dissuaded by the sharp edges of crushed eggshells. You can also try covering plants with cut down plastic bottles and mulch around the base of the plants with straw. With a bit of research you can find a natural solution for almost every problem. One thing to remember is that your garden does not exist in isolation. If at all possible, try and show your neighbours, on either side, the benefits of using these natural methods.
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Companion Planting
We mentioned earlier about companion planting, where two or more different plants, planted together and benefit each other. You can also use this method to deal with pests. This is done by planting those species that attract predatory insects, or will camouflage the vulnerable plant. Since the pest cannot find the plants to feed or lays eggs, their numbers are reduced. Basil could prove your best friend if you are troubled by flies and mosquitoes, as it repels them and is great in the kitchen window or by your chairs on the patio. It also grows well with tomatoes and protects them. We have already mentioned that Bees love Borage but so do strawberries that seem to thrive if planted with it. Garlic repels red spider mites (as do geraniums) and again is good for tomatoes and fruit trees. Oregano is know to repel cucumber beetle. Hyssop can be planted in areas of the garden you want to discourage any insects, as it is a general insect repellent - particularly good against white butterfly. So this would make a good companion for planting with cabbages. Lavender will attract Bees and Butterflies but deter moths, lice and even mice. Most Mints deter fleas, ants, cabbage butterfly and mice, although you should never plant it near Parsley as they make bad neighbours. Rue not only repels flies but can also be used to deter dogs and cats. If you do have pets, then Tansy is their friend. It repels ants, flies, moths but especially
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fleas! You can crush the leaves in your hand and rub on to your pet's fur to deter fleas. Probably, the star of the show is the humble Wormwood plant that is hated by Slugs and Snails. Most gardeners at some time have a problem with these two pests but there is no need to resort to poisoning everything in the garden with Slug pellets. Just scattering the leaves of the plant around can dissuade them from that area.
Other things you can do

If you can allow a patch of grass to grow long somewhere in your garden and have densely planted areas in your flowerbed. This will provide bees and other insects with shelter from the rain and give them somewhere to rest if there is a sudden drop in temperature. You can also encourage bees into your garden by installing bee boxes. Solitary bees will make their individual nests in trees or near the ground in shady areas of your garden. If you can, leave some dead wood, leaf litter, and dead stems in corners of your garden where they will not be disturbed. Fences, walls with old mortar and earth banks under hedges are important nesting habitats for bees. You will also find other insects and spiders using them to warm up in the early morning sun. if you fill old plant pots with moss and lay them on their sides, you will more than likely find that the bees will hibernate in them.
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Try and make sure there's some water in your garden to for the wildlife. This can be a wildlife pond, or just a shallow dish of water with some stones in it to help creatures climb in and out. Be careful not to leave unwashed honey jars that you bought from the supermarket in your garden. If it is not locally produced, and the chances are that it has come from overseas it could contain bacteria and spores that are harmful to the local bees. This could have terrible consequences, if the bee takes it home and infects the rest of its colony.
What sort of Bees can you hope to attract? An A to Z of Buzzzzzzzz Bumblebees

Bumblebees are larger, rounder and more furry than other bees. If you watch them, they appear to move more slowly than the smaller bees and are much more laid-back and passive. It will take quite a lot to make a bumble bee sting you, especially the male bumble bees, called drones because contrary to popular belief they don't even have a sting. It is a sobering thought that these bumblebee species that are becoming increasingly rare, because we are destroying their habitat in the name of progress, have until now, managed to survive for millions of years. The partnership between flowers and pollinating bees is believed to be one of the earliest relationships between plants and animals.
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There are about 20 species of bumblebee in the UK alone. Of these, there are six species that do particularly well in gardens, as long as they can find suitable flowers to use as a food source. I have always found bumblebees to be the most endearing of our garden visitors. The sound and sight of bees humming and methodically hopping from flower buds to flower bud, is perhaps one of the most enduring and quintessential memories of a lazy, hazy summers day. It is almost unthinkable to realise that one day, very soon. They may all disappear forever. As we said before, all Bees are a keystone species, but Broad, Field and Runner beans, as well as Raspberries are among the familiar crops, that particularly depend the bumblebee pollination. Lots of naturalists, from as far back as the 1970's, hoped that the nature reserves would be enough to save the bumblebee. As they are increasingly pushed off agricultural land, it is now apparent that this well-meaning and optimistic strategy is not as effective as was hoped. Over time, the bumblebee numbers have steadily continued to decline. It is now the turn of all of us to see if we can help. If we can stock Gardens with the right plants and convince our neighbours to do likewise, there is no reason why the bumblebee population should not only stabilise but perhaps increase. By simply planting a few traditional native plants like Geraniums, Bluebells, Rosemary and Honeysuckle, we can provide the bumblebees with the refuge they deserve. Contents
Apart from their gentle nature, you do not have to worry about swarms of bees. Bumblebees do not live in hives, and make small nests in the grass. Some species prefer to nest underground in abandoned burrows of mice, while others nest above the ground in dense grass or leaf litter. So unlike honeybees, you can encourage them to your garden without worrying you could get a swarm of them. Most bees are social insects: they live in a colony with a queen and her daughters (the workers). The Queen Bumblebee will search out a nest site early each year and store her nest with pollen and nectar. She then lays a batch of eggs which she takes care of, much as a bird does, by sitting on the eggs, while shivering the flight muscles to produce warmth. By mid-summer she has bred a colony, including future queens. In autumn the old queen and all her children die off, except the young princesses who burrow into the ground and hibernate till the following spring. Then they fly off to form new colonies in the next year. The type of flower that a Bumblebee will feed on will mainly depend on the length of it's proboscis or tongue. For instance, the three banded white tailed has a long proboscis that allows it to feed on tubular flowers such as foxglove, woundwort, honeysuckle and red clover. Its close cousin, the two banded white tail has a much shorter proboscis and is happier feeding on bramble, knapweeds and heather. These plants have more open, short tubed flowers.
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Here is a list of some more plants that you might consider cultivating if you wish to encourage Bumblebees into your garden. Those marked with a * are suitable for those Bees with a longer proboscis. Spring Sallow Wild Cherry Dandelion Willow White Dead Nettle* Early Summer Common Vetch* Tufted Vetch* Hogweed Wild Roses Hedge Woundwort* Honeysuckle* Red Campion* Foxglove* Bramble Late Summer Common Figwort* Common Mallow Great Willowherb Rosebay Willowherb greater Knapweed Lesser Knapweed Black Horehound* Spear Thistle* Teasel* Lesser Burdock
Here are just some of the many species of bumblebee you might attract to your garden:
Great yellow bumblebee

BOMBUS DISTINGUENDUS Although, it probably didn't want it, this bumblebee has gained the title of the UK's rarest surviving bee. Totally dependent on a flower rich habitat, it will probably soon be extinct.
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Ruderal bumblebee
BOMBUS RUDERATUS This is the large bumblebee that many people remember from their childhood and the used to be common all over the country. This species depends on red clover for its staple food and because of this, it can still be found around the edge of marshes.
Shrill Carder bumblebee

BOMBUS SYLVARUM This small bumblebee, makes a distinctive high-pitched whine when in flight. It is not brightly coloured, but has little fuzzy stripes .
Brown-banded carder bee

BOMBUS HUMILIS This bumblebee has retreated to the dry, chalky cliffs and downlands of the coastal areas.
White-tailed bumblebee
BOMBUS LUCORUM This bee has adapted well to living in urban gardens. It often makes its home under the floors of wooden garden sheds. The reason this species has done better than most is that it has proved adaptive in changing its diet. It is not a fussy eater and will feed on shallower flowers, whether they are traditional native species or more exotic garden flowers.
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Red-tailed bumblebee
BOMBUS LAPIDARIUS This all distinctive black bumblebee with its red tail, is addicted to white clover. They can also be found, foraging around commercial agricultural fields that grow oil-seed rape.
Garden bumblebee
BOMBUS HORTORUM This species of once abundant bee is now one of the less likely visitors to be found in your garden. Perhaps it now warrants a change of name, unless we can increase their numbers. This long tongued, once common bee enjoys feeding on red clover and foxgloves.
Early bumblebee
BOMBUS PRATORUM This bumblebee will be one of the first ones to appear in your garden each year. Coming out of hibernation in the early spring, it will seek out and use the bird boxes to make its nest. By the end of June all tuckered out, it is in hibernation again.
Common Carder bee

BOMBUS PASCUORUM Most people do not realise that this is a bumblebee, because of its dark brown colour. Its name comes from the craft, of wool spinning and the carder is the comb that is used. When it makes its nest, it can be seen combing the moss gently with its legs. This bumblebee is especially partial to Contents
'Lamb's Ear' Stachys lanata, foxgloves, purple toadflax Linaria purpurea and mints.
Short-haired bumblebee
BOMBUS SUBTERRANEUS
Sadly, this bumblebee is now believed to have died out in the UK. Again, it is believed by experts that its extinction is related to the decline of the red clover, that it depended on. There are still some relatives living in New Zealand, which has a community of shorthaired bumblebees that were originally taken out there over a hundred years ago with the colonial settlers.
Solitary bees
Although we are used to the idea of swarms of bees living in beehives producing honey, many of the bees that visit our garden, like the bumblebee are solitary creatures, rather than living in social groups. They usually make a nest in the summer in the ground or in wood. They gather provisions in the form of nectar or pollen, lay their eggs, and then die, as the cold weather arrives. The eggs hatch the following Spring, the young bees find mates, and the cycle begins again. It is a sad thought, but no solitary bee survives long enough to see their own children grow and develop.
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Solitary bees come in many different colours, sizes,and shapes. They vary in colour from basic black, tawny brown to bright metallic colours in green, blue or red. Some solitary bees are even mistaken for wasps.
Leafcutter Bee
So named because it lines its nest with pieces of leaf. They like to nest in rotten wood or even pithy plants like roses. The nest tunnels they make for themselves are often at least several inches in length. Although hard to spot one, sure give away is the small pile of coarse sawdust that is thrown out around the entrance. Once it has finished the tunnel, it searches and collects fragments of leaves to build cells for its eggs. The young bees develop and remain within the cells, eventually coming out the following season. Leafcutter bees differ from other species in their method of collecting the pollen on their abdomens instead of their hind legs.
Chelostoma campanularum,
A tiny black Bee that collects its pollen from Harebells (Campanula species)
Mining Bee
This beautiful tawny Bee (Andrena fulva) is one of the main spring time pollinators of fruit trees. Often mistaken for bumblebees, the solitary bees do not collect honey or can they sting. You can encourage the miner bee by providing dried mud blocks for their nesting. Contents
Masonry bees
These bees prefer south facing nest sites and often utilise naturally occurring holes in brick walls, especially in the mortar joints themselves. These they excavate and enlarge by using their jaws. They build their nests in the spring or summer, which on average, will contain six to 12 eggs in each cell. These they provision with pollen and nectar, then seal with mud. The new bees emerged the following year, to repeat the cycle.
Carpenter bees
Again, these bees resemble bumblebees except that they have a relatively smooth abdomen, and those of bumblebees are very hairy. As their name suggests, carpenter bees dig holes in Wood, where they lay their eggs. Here they provision them with nectar and pollen. The growing adults spend winter in the nests and become active in the following April or May.
Cuckoo Bumblebees
...Psithyrus spp Like Cuckoo birds, these bees do not build their own nests but get other species, to raise their young after they have laid their eggs in other bees nests. The female cuckoo bee will stake out the nests of other bees and try to sneak in during its construction. Laying her eggs in the cell intended for the nest owners egg, the workers then rear her offspring as if they were their own siblings. These bees have no pollen baskets
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on their back legs and are unable to secrete wax for nest construction.
Where to next?
Once you have established wild-flowers in boxes and tubs around your house, you can think about preparing special areas for them, and transferring them to your garden. You can do this by gathering the seeds or splitting up the clumps depending on what sort plants they are. You will have to duplicate the soil types, that you created in your containers. Probably, the best way of doing this is to create a raised beds. If you live in a city or town, but have access to a garden, you are probably better off going for the woodland plants. If you think about it, the shadows of your neighbouring buildings will create a habitat similar to a clearing in the wild Wood. All you will have to do is mulch your beds with leaf mould. If you are building a wildlife pond make sure you leave enough liner, that you can extend it from the edge of the pond to create shallow dips which you can fill with soil. This will create an ideal environment for those bog loving wild-flowers, that like having their feet wet. Once you have successfully learnt to cultivate and propagate the wild-flowers in your own garden, it is time to share your new found knowledge with the world. In no time at all, you will find yourself with an abundance of extra seeds and small plants. By giving these to your friends and family and asking Contents
them to do the same, you can start a chain reaction that will have far-reaching effects in helping the planet. Do you remember at the beginning I asked you to keep a journal.
Now is the time to seek out those people that could not help you. Those people you asked about herbs but did not know where you could get them. Go back and see them, but this time as an expert and offer your help to them, offer them cuttings and advice. This is the way to really change things for the better.
Why not have a chat with your neighbours? You will be surprised how many of them are secret gardeners and every gardener delights in swapping plants and knowledge. Organise a group of friends to help plant up a community space. Strangely enough, graveyards are the ideal places to create a wildlife nature reserve. Local hospitals with overworked staff and overstretched budgets would be wonderful places to plant up a wonderful display of wild flowers. Did you know that surveys have scientifically proved that patents recover quicker if they have views of flowers and trees to look at? What about a herb garden for the Hospital kitchen. Especially if the patients can see it from their windows. Perhaps you could spare the time, to visit local schools and explain the importance of these traditional flowers to the environment. Maybe, you and your friends could set up a
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Pool of seedlings and seeds, to supply to other members of your community. If you wanted to be commercial, you could set up plant sales, or do it to raise money for charity. This is a great way to widen your circle of friends and contacts, especially if you are free with your advice. Remember, the more people that successfully plant wild-flowers, the more bees and other wildlife you will save. One new and exciting development, is the increase in roof gardens around the country. In the past, gardening on a flat roof raised concerns about the weight of the soil and its affect on the structure of the building. While of course this should be soundly checked out, wildflowers can grow in a minimal light depth, made of soil and crushed brick dust. All over the country flat roofs on buildings are coming into bloom and attracting bees and other insects. Perhaps you could investigate the possibility of planting up a flat roof where you work? What a pleasant space it would make to have your packed lunch on a sunny summer afternoon.
What else can be done?

We need to lobby our political representatives to legislate against the use of pesticides that harm bees. The Agrobusiness have move away from spraying their crops to systemic pesticides that are sprayed on the actual seeds. They believe this is safer. Unfortunately the bodies of dead bees have shown that some of them contained a cocktail of You Should Read More Eco-Books Page 79 of 89 Contents
25 different pesticides that included insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. This toxic soup is now believed to be having a long term effect on the Bee's immune system, weakening them to attacks from mites. If you live in the UK, you may be surprised to hear that the neonicotinoids family of pesticides which have been implicated in Honey Bee deaths, has already been restricted elsewhere in Europe, including France and Germany. It is believed that pollen tainted with this horrible poison is taken back to the hive which the Bee then feeds to its young. Tests in Germany have shown that 29 of 30 dead bees examined had an excessive build up of this poison in their system. The EU has already taken action with legislation but it will not be implemented in the UK till 2011 and this will not be instant. It is estimated that the following phase-out of these harmful chemicals will take another possible 5 years. That cannot be right. Some farmers will claim that in any case, such restrictions will put up the cost of fruit and vegetables and even drive them out of business. This is simply not the case, many farmers are already employing alternative ways of managing pests voluntarily. By using different less harmful pesticides or different management techniques many farmers have actually reduced costs while ensuring the bee's survival.
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We have to stop poisoning the insects that we depend on to help feed us. As consumers, you can insist on Organic Produce, grown using proper natural methods. What you buy influences the suppliers who depend on you for their livelihoods. Finally and most importantly I hope you have found this manual useful. This was my personal attempt to do something to help and make a difference. If I have inspired you to take action, then that is a start. But one very important thing you can do to to help the Bees and Wild-Flowers is to let me know if I got anything wrong or if you think there is something missing that would help. The great thing about ebooks is that they can be updated fairly easily. With your help, we can make this a helpful guide for all those people out there that care and want to make a difference. Please email with your comments and ideas. I would love to hear from you. Best wishes Gareth Hogan bees@youshouldreadmore.com
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Alphabetical Index
A Aaron's Rod...........................................................................55 Agastache,.............................................................................33 agro-chemical........................................................................13 ants........................................................................................66 Apple bumblebee...................................................................16 B Bacon & Eggs........................................................................39 Bee Balm................................................................................25 Begonia..................................................................................18 Bird's Foot Trefoil...................................................................39 Bisort......................................................................................45 Bluebell..................................................................................50 Borage....................................................................................66 Brown-banded carder bee.....................................................72 Brown-Banded Carder Bee....................................................16 Bumblebees...........................................................................68 Busy Lizzies...........................................................................18 C cabbages................................................................................66 Carpenter bees......................................................................76 Catmint...................................................................................25
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cats.........................................................................................66 Chives....................................................................................33 Collecting seeds.....................................................................61 Colts Foot...............................................................................50 Comfrey............................................................................26, 45 Common Carder bee.............................................................73 Common Centaury.................................................................39 Common Stork's Bill...............................................................40 Common Valerian..................................................................45 Companion planting...............................................................38 companion planting,...............................................................66 compost..................................................................................21 Cone Flower...........................................................................26 conserve water.......................................................................24 copyrights...............................................................................15 Corn Cockle...........................................................................56 cottage garden.......................................................................18 Cowslips.................................................................................40 Cuckoo Bumblebees..............................................................76 Cullum's bumblebee..............................................................16 D Devil's- Bit Scabious..............................................................46 Dog Violet...............................................................................41 dogs.......................................................................................66 drainage.................................................................................22 Contents
E Early bumblebee....................................................................73 Early Purple Orchid................................................................50 Encarsia ................................................................................64 ericaceous..............................................................................22 F Field Borderers......................................................................54 Field Cow Wheat....................................................................56 Field Mouse Ear.....................................................................41 Field Poppy............................................................................55 Field Scabious.......................................................................41 financial..................................................................................14 flies.........................................................................................66 Foxglove..........................................................................51, 55 fruit trees................................................................................66 G Garden bumblebee................................................................73 Globe Thistle .........................................................................27 Grass of Parnassus...............................................................46 Great Yellow Bumblebee.......................................................16 Great yellow bumblebee .......................................................71 Greater Knapweed.................................................................42 H Harebell .................................................................................42
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hay meadow...........................................................................36 Heartease...............................................................................42 Hedge Woundwort.................................................................51 hedgerows..............................................................................36 Hemp Agrimony...............................................................27, 46 Herb Robert...........................................................................51 honey.....................................................................................12 hybrids....................................................................................15 Hyssop...................................................................................66 Hyssop ..................................................................................28 J Jacobs Ladder.......................................................................28 John Innes Mixtures...............................................................21 L Lady's Bedstraw.....................................................................42 larger pots..............................................................................19 Lavender..........................................................................28, 66 Leafcutter Bee........................................................................75 Lemon Balm...........................................................................29 Lily of the Valley.....................................................................51 Lime-free sand.......................................................................22 Loam......................................................................................22 Lousewort...............................................................................46 Lungwort ...............................................................................29 M Contents
Marjoram................................................................................30 Marsh Cinquefoil....................................................................47 Marsh Gentian.......................................................................47 Masonry bees........................................................................76 Meadow Crane's Bill..............................................................43 Meadow Thistle......................................................................48 Meadowsweet........................................................................30 Mining Bee.............................................................................75 Mints ......................................................................................31 mosquitoes.............................................................................66 Musk Mallow..........................................................................52 O Oregano.................................................................................66 Orpine ...................................................................................31 Ox eye Daisy..........................................................................55 Oxslip.....................................................................................43 P Pasque Flower.......................................................................43 Pelargonium...........................................................................18 pesticide-free.........................................................................12 Pesticides...............................................................................62 Plant division..........................................................................61 Primroses...............................................................................52 Propagation ...........................................................................34
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R Ragged Robin........................................................................47 raised beds.............................................................................77 Red Valerian..........................................................................33 Red-tailed bumblebee............................................................73 Rosemary...............................................................................32 Ruderal bumblebee................................................................72 Ruderal Bumblebee...............................................................16 S Sage ......................................................................................32 seeds......................................................................................60 Short-haired bumblebee .......................................................74 Shorthaired bumblebee.........................................................16 Shrill Carder Bee....................................................................16 Shrill Carder bumblebee........................................................72 simple action plan..................................................................19 Snake's Head Fritillary...........................................................48 Snowdrop...............................................................................52 Solitary bees..........................................................................74 Solomon Seal.........................................................................53 Spurge ...................................................................................53 Stinking Hellibore...................................................................53 sulphate of potash..................................................................21 Sun Spurge............................................................................56 Sunshine................................................................................38 Contents
super-phosphate of lime........................................................21 supermarket...........................................................................15 T Teasel....................................................................................56 Teasels...................................................................................34 Teasels ..................................................................................34 Thyme ...................................................................................33 tomatoes ...............................................................................66 trademarks.............................................................................15 V Viper's Bugloss......................................................................44 viruses....................................................................................63 W watering..................................................................................23 Wet land.................................................................................44 White Deadnettle...................................................................53 White-tailed bumblebee.........................................................72 Wild Tulip...............................................................................43 wild Wood...............................................................................77 Willow Herb............................................................................47 window boxes........................................................................19 window sill..............................................................................19 winter......................................................................................58 Wood Sorrel...........................................................................54
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Woodland Wild-Flowers.........................................................49 Y Yellow Archangel ..................................................................54 Yellow Loosestrife..................................................................48 ...............................................................................26, 48p., 60
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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

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- A Simple and easy to follow action plan .

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

- A Simple and easy to follow action plan .

Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

- A Simple and easy to follow action plan .

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

Cirsium Dissectum...........................................................48 Yellow Loosestrife...............................................................48 Lysimachia Vulgaris.........................................................48

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

- A Simple and easy to follow action plan .

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

Our Bees are Missing!

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So what can you do to help?

Why is it so important? Bees make Honey?

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

So what are the Governments doing about it?

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The Rise of Multinational control

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

A simple action plan

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Where to get your herbs?

What Containers to use?

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

What to put in the containers?

- A Simple and easy to follow action plan .

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

Do not water the container until it is fixed in it's final position!

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

What Herbs to Plant Bee Balm

Other Names: Bergamot, Eastern Beebalm, Wild Oswego Tea, Monarda

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drought resistant, enjoying full sun.

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

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Saving the Bees with herbs and wild-flowers

Caution Stinking Hellibore*