Ivydene Gardens Bee-Pollinated Bloom Plant Index Gallery:
Bee Pollinated Plants for Hay Fever Sufferers List
for Plants below
24 inches (60 cms) in Height

See Wildflower Garden Use Page for other bee-pollinated or insect-pollinated list of plants.

See Bee instead of wind pollinated plants for hay-fever sufferers
All Bee-Pollinated Flowers per Month 12
...Index pages

If a plant is polinated by a bee, then it is not wind-pollinated. This means that the plants mentioned on this page and in the book "Garden Plants Valuable to Bees" (written by the International Bee Research Association) will be suitable for people who suffer from hay fever.

You can compare the flower colour of the bee-pollinated plants with all the other bee-pollinated plants (who have Plant Description Pages in this website) using the Bee-pollinated 12 colours of Bloom in each Month Gallery. There are also 218 additional bee-pollinated plants (who may not have any Plant Description Page in this website) in the 12 colours per month pages of the Bee-pollinated Index Gallery.

The importance of garden plants yielding nectar and pollen is that together they provide a continuous food supply - from willows and crocuses in early spring to ivy in late autumn. Colonies of bees need food through their active season , so that they can develop and rear new bees. This food supply used to be provided by pastures that came into flower before they were cut, by verges and hedgerows, and by abundant weeds. Nowadays the efficiency of agriculture has greatly reduced these resources for the bees.

The list for gardens exclude most crop plants, most fruits and all very invasive plants that are difficult to control.

It is designed for Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

"Ordinary garden soil" is pH 5-7 and contains some humus-forming material.

The report below details which plants in Greater San Francisco Bay Area Region of the USA were visited by each different bee family; and therefore will aid you in selection of plants that are bee-pollinated rather than wind-pollinated, besides the ones that I have listed in my table below:-

RECORD OF NATIVE BEES FOUND IN THE GREATER SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA REGION, WITH SOME OF THEIR LIKELY PLANT HOSTS

Compiled by Laura Arneson

Landscape Noise Reduction

Road Noise, Airport Noise, Industrial Units and Railway Noise next to gardens is detrimental to humans living in those houses within those gardens. There are 4 methods commonly used for sound attenuation (the reduction of intensity of outdoor sounds before they reach the receiver) :-

• Sound Absorption. This method uses plants to entrap or absorb sound vibrations.
• Sound Deflection and Reflection. This method causes the noise to be bounced away from the recipient and sometimes back toward the source.
• Sound Refraction. This little known effect occurs when noise is dissipated, diffused or dispersed by striking a rough surface on any plain.
• White Noise. It is designed to create sound that is appealing to the human brain as a mask for undesirable noise. The most widely used method is a fountain that makes loud splashes.

Using these bee-pollinated plants between estates in the public ambling area and between the houses/gardens and the noise will reduce that relevant noise level using the Sound Absorption Method; and be suitable for everyone including Hay Fever sufferers:-

• 1. Install chain link fence on strong supports with 12 inch (30 cms) gap at bottom (to allow local wildlife - hedgehogs, foxes, badgers, frogs and newts access) and 48 inch (120 cms) chainlink between 12 and 60 inch (30 and 150 cms) from ground on estate boundary. Add 4th Line Wire on top links to prevent that chainlink from sagging. Plant ivy, Rosa with it's 'Single Flowers' cultivars (see below) and thornless blackberries so that they can then climb onto that chainlink fencing within the inside of that public ambling area.
• 2. Plant mixture of bulbs, evergreen perennials, herbaceous perennials, deciduous shrubs, evergreen shrubs, which grow between 18 and 96 inches (45 and 240 cms) high - add the eventual width of a pair and divide that by 2 as the planting distance between them. This combined with their different heights will produce a random effect in this minimum-width of 96 inches (240 cms) area and 72 inch width (180 cms) of area 4. It is also most likely that viewing from one side to the estate boundary, you are unlikely to see the bottom of the chainlink. Use 30% evergreen and the rest is herbaceous/deciduous to provide a change throughout the year for the estate inhabitants to enjoy on their rambles. The blackberries on the estate boundary and the fruit from each of the 3 cherries, 3 apple and 3 pear for each estate can either be enjoyed by the humans or the wildlife. Mulch the area with 4 inch thick (10 cms) of Bark before planting and thoroughly soak the ground after planting. Then, sow White Clover (see Green Manure) over the whole of both areas 2 and 4 to provide Nitrogen to the other plants and reduce evaporation of the irrigated water in between the 2 soakings each year.
  Thoroughly soak the ground in August to provide the shrubs and fruit trees with the water to be stored in their roots and then be used during the spring foliage production. Thoroughly soak the ground again in April to provide their water supply during the later spring and summer.
• 3. 48 inch wide (120 cms) path using ECCOGravel. After the ECCOGravel is installed, use different coloured pea-shingle to create games like snakes and ladders, hopscotch or noughts and crosses or a picture. This path allows the rain to drain through and be used by the plants on either side. If you wear women's high heels, you will have no problem walking on this path. You can also use it for remote-controlled model cars or landing remote-control model aircraft.
• 4. A repeat of of 2. without the blackberries or fruit trees - If the fruit is only on the other side of the path, then the fruit pickers will not be tempted to try the home owners side.
• 5. Install chain link fence on strong supports with 72 inch (180 cms) chainlink on top of ground level on private garden boundary. Add 4th Line Wire on top links to prevent that chainlink from sagging. Plant ivy so that it can then climb onto that chainlink fencing from inside the public ambling area.

If the house owner has a noise problem from outside their property, then they can use the same solution as above using 1, 2, 3 and 4 only. Their sheds and storage facilities can be installed in area 4 with path 3. leading to them.

Single flowered cultivars (some are marked as 'Single Flowers') are more useful to bees than double flowered cultivars.
Bloom type depends on the number of petals for Roses:-

• Single blooms are fully opened and almost flat, consisting of 1-7 petals per bloom.
• Semi-double blooms consist of 8-15 petals in two rows.
• Double blooms consist of 16-25 overlapping petals in three or more rows.
• Full: 26-40 petals in three or more rows.
• Very full: 40+ petals in three or more rows.

The final column shows the value of the plant to bees (honeybees and hive bees):

• N and P indicate that they collect Nectar and Pollen, respectively.
• Plants especially used by Bumble Bees are marked B.
• The absence of all 3 entries (N,P,B) for a few plants reflects insufficiency of observations as to what it is that bees collect from that plant.
   

Plant Name

with link to mail-order nursery in UK / Europe

Common Name

Flowering Months of Plant Named but not "and it's cultivars"

Flowering Colour of Plant Named but not "and it's cultivars"

Height x Spread in inches (cms).
Plants below 24 inches (60 cms) in Height

Plant Type
(Per = Perennial) with link to
Plant Description Page,
Companion Planting Page, Rock Garden Index Page
and/or Wildlife Family Page in this website

Comment

N for Nectar
P for Pollen
B for Bumble Bee

Allium schoen-oprasum

Chives

Jul-Aug

See Red-flowered Alliums in Jul-Aug

18 x 2
(45 x 6)

Bulb,
Companions

Woodland garden, sunny edgings, hedgerows, rock garden. Pollinated by bees for its high production of nectar. Mass plant. Use in pot and windowbox.

In cold regions, chives die back to the underground bulbs in winter, with the new edible leaves appearing in early spring in cottage garden. Grows on the rocks (scree).

N P

Allium and it's cultivars

Other Alliums in Allium/ Anemone Gallery and
Native in Lily Garlic Family

Garlic

Mar-Nov

Many colours

18 x24
(45 x 60)

Bulb ,
Companions and
Plant Combinations

As a general rule the foliage will emerge first and then die down as the flower stems emerge. It is often best to plant them with other plants that will mask the unsightly foliage as it dies back.

All Alliums have the distinctive onion smell, both in the foliage and bulb. This smell can be used to reduce aphid infestations on flowers by planting 1 each side of the infected plant with a short length of bamboo to indicate that its foliage comes from an ornamental onion rather than a blade of grass.

For best effect plant Medium Allium species with smaller heads en masse and use the larger headed species as accents (speciman plants).

"Alliums last well and are decorative for flower arrangements as they make a very distinctive shape in a mixed group.

N P

Anemone blanda and it's cultivars

Other Anemones in Allium/ Anemone Gallery and
Anemone nemerosa (Wood Anemone) is Native in Buttercup Family

Grecian Windflower

Apr-May

Blue, Pink or White

Anemone blanda is Deep Blue in Apr-May. They open their blooms in the morning and shut them at night.

Require to be dry during their dormancy period during the summer, otherwise moist soil.

6 x 6
(15 x 15)

Bulb ,
Companions and these other Companion plants from Department of Horticultural Science of NC State University for Anemone blanda and its cultivars.
Natural habitat is sandy soil enriched by leaf mould in established woodlands, where they receive both full sun and part shade. Also grows well on the warm chalk soils near the south coast of England.

Woodlands,
Mass plant.
Deer, rabbit resistant.
Planted in pots, or bowls in sandy soil, Anemones prove most attractive in the cold greenhouse or Alpine House during the summer, autumn and winter, before putting pots out in the spring after the last frost.
Ground cover.
Carpet under small deciduous shrubs.
Suitable Anemones for the Rock garden:-

• Anemone alpina
• Anemone apennina
• Anemone blanda
• Anemone coronaria
• Anemone fulgens
• Anemone hepatica
• Anemone hortensis
• Anemone narcissiflora
• Anemone nemerosa
• Anemone pratensis
• Anemone pulsatilla
• Anemone sulphurea
• Anemone sylvestris

P B

Antirrhinum majus and it's cultivars

Lesser Snapdragon and Common Snapdragon are Native in Figwort - Mulleins Family

Article shows why only Bumblebees can pollinate this plant.

Common Snap-dragon

Jun-Oct

Red, Pink, Yellow or White

36 x 12
(90 x30)

Bedding ,
Companions

Herbaceous Perennial in
Dry
Sand in
Full Sun

Other Companions are Atriplex hortensis var. rubra, Cosmos bipinnatus 'Sonata White', Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', Ricinus communis 'Carmencita' and Verbena rigida.

This upright form is used as a bedding annual, since they usually degenerate in their second year.

They are well naturalised on crevices and in walls - try on dry stone walls - and railway cuttings, mainly in the south of England.

P B

Arabis caucasica and its cultivars

Garden Arabis is Native in Crucifer (Cabbage/Mustard) 1 Family

Mountain Rock Cress,
Garden Arabis,
Caucasian Rockcress

Apr-May

Sweet-scented White or Pink

It is deer and rabbit resistant.

Butterflies are attracted to the flowers, which make excellent cut flowers

8 x 39
(20 x 97)

Rock Garden
Cut back foliage after bloom to promote denser growth habit. This will also encourage a more healthy foliage growth.  Failure to cut back can lead to long, bare branches with foliage only appearing at the ends, and will also limit the spread of its rhizomes. 

Mat-forming Evergreen Perennial which is naturalised on walls, rocks and cliffs in chalk soil. Grow in full sun in gritty, alkaline well-drained moist soil as a groundcover on slopes or banks. Use in Butterfly Garden, Drought Tolerant Garden, edging and when set off against a backdrop of large rocks in a Rock Garden.

It is resistant to dry soil, heat and poor soil.

Companions - Chionodoxa forbesii 'Blue Giant', Iberis sempervirens, Bellis perennis 'Pomponette, Aubretia deltoidea.

Edging Perennials and their companions.

N P

Armeria and it's cultivars

Armeria maritima (Thrift) and Armeria arenaria (Broad-leaved Thrift) are
Native in Sea Lavender Family

Thrift,
Sea Pink,
Sea Thrift

12,450 species are available from KPR Gardeners Club to Europe.

Apr-Oct

In every shade of Pink or in some cases purple, white, or red

Armeria maritima (Thrift)

12 x 12
(30 x 30)

Evergreen Per
has cushions of rather fleshy, usually 1-veined, linear mid green leaves.
Full Sun
Dry soil

Native habitat on sea-cliffs, stone walls, shingle, saltmarshes, stony flushes and on riverside shingle. Will grow beside salt-treated roads.

Grow in xeriscapes or rock gardens and suitable for coastal locations

N P B

Aster alpinus and its cultivars

Alpine Aster,
Blue Alpine Daisy

Attracts butterflies and birds

May-Jul

Blue-violet rays and golden-yellow centres

It has indigo, violet, white, pink or blue flowers.
Cut back after flowering

6-12 x 6-12
(15-30 x 15-30)

Herbaceous Per with narrow dark green leaves.
Full Sun.
Moist well-drained Chalk or Sand Soil

Requires at least 90 frost free days for proper growth.

Native habitat in high mountains above the timber line in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Grow in Rock Garden, Cottage Garden, Banks, Slopes or large Patio containers, where it slowly spreads with a neat and compact habit.

Plant Combinations from Gardenia.

N P

Aster amellus and it's cultivars

European Asters, European Michaelmas Daisy

The Plant Heritage National Collection of over 430 varieties of Michaelmas Daisies which are displayed in the charming 1.5-acre Picton Garden

Jul-Oct

Pink, blue, violet or mauve flowers are followed by seeds that ripen in October

18 x 18
(45 x 45)

Herbaceous Per

Dark Green

Chalk
Dry
Full Sun

Needs good winter drainage and division in spring about every 5 years.

Native habitat on European mountains from the Pyrenees and the Alps to the Carpathians on rocky limy areas, the edges of the bushes and copses, marshy places and lake sides.

Plant Combinations from Gardenia.

N P

Aubrieta x cultorum and its cultivars
(Aubretia deltoidea)

Aubretia

Mar-May

Many Colours

of cross-shaped, 4-petalled flowers /
Full Sun

12 x 18
(30 x 45)

Evergreen Per

Dark Green, small hairy leaves /
Dry or Moist on Well-drained alkaline (chalk) soil

Seed available from Zhong Wei Horticultural Products Company in Yunnan, China for shipping to all countries in the world.

Mat-forming occuring among rocks, in scree and in coniferous woodland from Europe to Central Asia.

Grow on walls, as ground cover on a sunny bank, edging or in a rock garden.
Cut back after flowering to maintain compactness.

Aubretia Companions - Phlox subulata, Alyssum saxatile and Iberis sempervirens.

N P B

Aurinia saxatilis and its cultivars
(Alyssum saxatilis)

Alyssum Gold Dust, Basket of Gold

Attracts butterflies

Mar-Jun

Fragrant Bright Yellow

8 x 12
(20 x 30)

Spacing at 12 (30)

Evergreen Per
Grey-green foliage.
Well-drained soil
Full Sun
Dry. Tolerates drought once established

An ideal 'carpeting' perennial for bedding, edging, rock gardens and dry walls. Grow in containers

N P

Begonia semperflorens and it's cultivars
(Dwarf Begonia)

Wax Begonia

Plantophiles.com is created by Daniel Iseli - Taking care of houseplants and gardening are my greatest passions. I am transforming my apartment into an urban jungle and am growing veggies in my indoor and outdoor garden year-round.

Jun-Sep

Pink, White, or Red

12 x 12
(30 x 30) Spacing 6-12 (15-30)

Bedding,
Companions
Dark green, mound-forming, Well-drained sand, peat or chalk soil, but moisture retentive, so mulch round them,
Full Sun

Mass planting as ground cover covers bald patches in your garden that are too sunny for other plants and since it is herbaceous it dies down at first frost. So, bring pots of it into frost-free greenhouse during autumn, winter and spring until it the garden becomes frost-free.
If grown indoors in a pot, then you’ll need to at least arrange a south-east facing window or growlights. If you go the growlight way, some 10 to 12 hours of exposure is ideal for Begonia x semperflorens care.

P

Calendula officinalis 'Single Flowers'

Single flowers of this plant are usefull for bees, doubles are useless.

Calendular officinalis
(English Marigold, Marigold,
Pot Marigold, Common Marigold, Ruddles,
Mary's Gold, Scotch Marigold)

Jun-Sep

This is one of the edible flowers

Yellow to Deep Orange , double or single flowers

Calendular officinalis

18 x 12
(45 x 30)

Bedding,
Companions

Full Sun

Hardy Annual
Daisy-like flowers are excellent for cutting from Patio containers, Cottage Garden, Wildlife Garden or Coastal Garden. Use in drifts on rich, well-drained soil.

It self-seeds very easily.

N P B

Calluna vulgaris 'Annemarie'

See Calluna vulgaris (Ling) in Unusual Colour Flowers in July

Native in
Heath Family

Bell Heather

Sep-Oct

Double
Rose Pink - H7

20 x 24 (50 x 60)

Heather
Dark Green foliage

One of the more outstanding double red Callunas.
See the 18 Heather Flower Colour in the table.

N P B and Honey

See Table from Shrub Calluna B Gallery on the right

Caltha palustris
and it's cultivars

Marsh Marigold, Kingcup, Mayflower

Native UK plant

Mar-Jun

Buttercup Yellow /
Full Sun

As marginal plants they will grow up to 20cm (8ins) under water; and can grow up to 50cm (20ins) in height.

Herbaceous Per
Dark Green.
Wet

Bog and Marginal Pond Aquatic Perennial /
Pond margins and bog gardens

N P B

Nectar and Pollen is also collec-ected from its culti-vars

Campanula carpatica and its cultivars

See large photo of Campanula carpatica.

Bellflower, Tussock Bellflower, Carpathian Bellflower

Jun-Sep

Need to regularly deadhead

Blue, Violet-purple or White

large, upturned, open-bell-shaped flowers.
Full Sun.
Part Shade in warmer climates than in UK

12 x 24
(30 x 60)

Herbaceous Per. Toothed, mid-green, basal leaves.

Moist

From Central Europe (Carpathians).

Well-drained Chalk or Sand soil. Clump-forming and use in Rock, Gravel or Cottage garden, edging, wall crevices, troughs and in container. Underplant roses and shrubs.

Companion plants from Gardenia

N P B

Carpobrotus edulis - It has been reported as a severe threat to native plant communities and ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin.

Kaffir Fig

Slide taken by Mr or Mrs Foord of this Kaffir Fig on 22 5 1969 at Lizard, Cornwall

6 x indefinite
(15 x indefinite)

Herbaceous Per

Please do not grow this plant.

N P

Centaurea cyanus and it's cultivars

Native in
Daisy Thistle Family - the native plant is almost extinct

Cornflower (Bachelor's Button)
which is very scarce in cornfields and more often seen as a garden escape

Jul-Sep or May-Jul dependent on when sown

Blue

There are varieties with blue, white, purple, pink or even black petals.
Full Sun

23 x 6
(57 x 15)

Seeds are favourite food of the European Goldfinch.

Wildflower Annual with narrow, lance-shaped, mid-green leaves. Mulch to prevent drying out of soil.

Naturalise in a sunny wildflower meadow.
Attracts butterflies.
The nectar of Centaurea cyanus is very sweet with a sugar content of 34%. Due to its high sugar production of up to 0.2 mg sugar per day and flower, the species is highly appreciated by beekeepers.

N P

Centaurea montana

Mountain Bluet, Perennial Cornflower, Mountain Cornflower, Montane Knapweed.

May-Sep

Violet-Blue

Full Sun,
Part Shade

18 x 24
(45 x 60)
This plant has become an invasive species in British Columbia, Canada.

Evergreen Per, so it can prepare to flower while deciduous trees and shrubs are bare of leaves.

They are so good for wildlife and bio-diversity that  farmers are advised to plant them in and around their fields and crops

Grows in meadows and open woodland in the upper montane. Well-drained sand or chalk soil, which does not dry out, so mulch it in the spring.
Suitable for cutting and groundcover.
Mound-forming plant goes well with Campanula glomerata 'Superba', Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low', Geranium himalayense 'Baby Blue', Pulmonaria 'Opal'. Also with Erigeron, Perovskia and Dianthus.

N B

Chionodoxa forbesii and it's cultivars

Chionodoxa forbesii 'Pink Giant',
Chionodoxa forbesii 'Blue Giant'

Glory of the Snow

Mouse, Rabbit and Deer resistant

Feb-Apr

Pink, or Blue varieties, Star-shaped

Full Sun,
Part Shade

4-8 x 2-4
(10-20 x 5-10)

Bulb with dark green leaves

Free-draining sand, chalk.
Excellent upright naturaliser which gradually spreads over the years to produce groundcover swathes. Also plant under trees, in pots, gravel garden, coastal garden and cottage garden

N P

Chrysanthemum coccineum and it's single cultivars
(Tanacetum coccineum, Pyrethrum coccineum, Pyrethrum roseum, Chrysanthemum roseum)

Painted Daisy, Pyrethrum

Jul-Aug

White, Red, Purple or Pink ray petals with large central golden disc

Tanacetum coccineum 'Duro'

Full Sun (prefered),
Part Shade

24-36 x 12-24
(60-90 x 30-60)

Attracts butterflies, deer resistant

Herbaceous Per.
Strongly aromatic foliage mound of finely-divided, fern-like bright green foliage in rounded clumps.

Moist

Well-drained Sand. Use for dried arrangements, cut flowers in Coastal garden, Informal Garden, Rock Garden or Cottage Garden in beds, edgeing, Patio and pots.

Companions - Geranium x magnificum, Iris sibirica 'Silver Edge'

P

Colchicum autumnale and it's cultivars

See other Colchicums in their Gallery.

Native UK Wildflower

See Colchicum autumnale in Pink Flowers in August and September

Aug-Sep Flowers before the leaves are produced

Poisonous plant to cats

Goblet-shaped, Lavender-Pink

Full Sun

4-6 x 10
(10-15 x 25)

Bulb

5-10 green leaves about 10 (25 cms) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide

Moist

Corm.
Sharp-drained
Sand, Chalk
Use in deciduous woodland edges as companion planting to other low planting in autumn but where the taller spring foliage will not interfere with other perennials.

N P B

Convallaria majalis (highly poisonous) and it's cultivars

See Convallaria majalis in White Flowers in May and June

10 x 12
(30 x 25)

Herbaceous Per,
Companions

P

Cotoneaster conspicuus

Trees and Shrubs Online is a project to create a truly modern reference to temperate trees and shrubs. The International Dendrology Society is dedicated to promoting the knowledge of trees and shrubs and is pleased to be able to stand behind this important project.

Tibetan cotoneaster,
大果栒子 da guo xun zi

May-Jun

Cup-shaped White

Full Sun for best berry production and shelter from strong winds, Part Shade

60 x 96
(150 x 250)

Evergreen Shrub. Small, narrowly-elliptic, dark green

Native in South-East Tibet.
Sand or Sandy Clay.
A dense, mound-forming arching shrub. Produces flowers singly or in clusters of 5 followed by shiny red berres that persist into winter. Although birds love the ripe berries do not eat them yourself unless you want a stomach upset.

Hortipedia, the plant database that lets you search and find plants by life-form, bloom color, bloom time, size, and many more criteria. Our database currently holds entries about more than 32000 plants.

N P B

Cotoneaster dammeri

Bearberry Cotoneaster

May-Jun

Fragrant White with pink outer sides
followed by bright red, purple and black globose berries providing food for wildlife

Full sun,
Part Shade

8 x 72 (20 x 180)

Evergreen Shrub. Elliptical, leathery, dark green with underside of gray-green. The leaves turn purple in the autumn. Root system of finely branched and very shallow roots, so do not hoe under this plant.

Grows in mountainous regions, on cliff sides and in open, mixed forests on dry and chalk soils.

Use as weed-suppressing evergreen groundcover on well-drained clay, chalk or sand. It stabilises banks of soil, because it can lay down its roots quickly. Replace lawn with this if you do not have the time to cut the lawn every 2 weeks or you do not use the lawn for any activities. You can use it as a groundcover between trees and tall shrubs.

N P B

Cotoneaster horizontalis 'Variegatus'

Herringbone Cotoneaster,
Wall Spray Cotoneaster,
Rock Cotoneaster

May-Jul

Red

Cotoneaster horizontalis.

flowers are followed by berries, which are eaten by birds.
Performs best in Full Sun, but is okay in Part shade

18 x 40
(45 x 100)

Deciduous Shrub. The long arching stems are clothed in small oval shaped green leaves with a soft cream margin. These turn red and pink in Autumn.
Excellent shelter for wildlife.

Moist

Fertile, well-drained chalk or Sand.
Use as low growing edging in beds or woodland shadier areas. Use as a weed-suppressing groundcover carpet or trained against a wall to showcase its herringbone pattern.

Companions - try planting under Lilac or Spiraea, or in a mixed border with eoonymus and a splash of colour with some Heucheras.

N P B

Crocus and it's cultivars like
Crocus vernus
(Crocus purpureus, Spring Crocus, Purple Crocus) -
Crocus vernus 'Flower Record'

From Bee pollinated flowers in winter Nov-Feb in Plants Folder

Other Crocus cultivars in Colchicum/ Crocus Gallery

Crocus

Feb-Apr

Purple

in Native Iris Family

5 x 2
(13 x 5)

Bulb ,
Companions

The Dark Green - with a White band in the centre - leaves appear with the flowers.
It is also good for the bees. Good for naturalizing and planting under turf

Corm.
Full Sun, Part Shade.
Sand, Chalk. Can be planted under trees, under shrubs, in borders and containers. Plant in groups for the best effect.

Crocuses provide an excellent and important source of early pollen for honeybees.

N P

Crocus chrysanthus like
Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl'

See other Crocus chrysanthus cultivars in Colchicum/ Crocus Gallery

Crocus

Jan-Mar

Light Lobelia-Blue with White margin

4 x 3
(10 x 8)

Rock Garden,
Companions

The Dark Green leaves are produced with the flowers

If placed near the root crowns of deciduous shrubs, winter-flowering crocus get the sun they need in late winter & early spring when they bloom, then when they are dormant, the roots of the shrubs will soak up the water to keep the corms from steeping in too much moisture, so not at risk of rot.

N P

Crocus
tommasinianus

Early Crocus

Jan-Mar

Cobalt-Violet with outside Silvery-Grey

4 x 1
(10 x 3)

Perennial Corm

The 8-9 inch (20-23) long Grey-Green leaves are produced with the flowers.

Full Sun (Full Sun for 4 hours a day)and Part Shade. Full Sun will make the blooms open fully.
Sand, Chalk.
Crocus tommasinianus reproduces rapidly by self-seeding and by corm offsets. The cormlets are much too tiny to ever sieve out of the soil, and wherever the tommies spread on their own, that's where they will always remain.

P

Cytisus x beanii

Broom

Apr-May

Rich Yellow

arching sprays of pea-like flowers appear on last on previous year's wood.

24 x 36
(60 x 90)

Deciduous Shrub. Mid Green leaves, divided into 3 leaflets, are small.

Dry

Full Sun and well-drained soil for this mat to hummock-forming shrub, which is too large for the smaller rock garden. One of the brooms that tolerate alkaline soils, but prefers poor, acid soils.. Grow in shrub border

N P B

Cytisus x kewensis like Cytisus x kewensis 'Niki'.
See Cytisus Shrubs Plant Catalogue with their Plants for a Purpose lists. Perryhill Nurseries is only open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Broom

May

Pea-like Yellow Flowers

18 x 60
(45 x 150)

Semi-prostrate
Deciduous Shrub. Tiny green leaves held on long thin stems.

All Cytisus like well drained soil in full sun, but dislike shallow chalk and very acid soils, but prefers poor, acid soils. Use as ground cover.

N P B

Dahlia 'Piccolo'

(Dahlia variabilis)

Visit The American Dahlia Society, where the courses or references listed in Dahlia University page cover a single topic pertinent to growing beautiful dahlias. This includes Growing Dahlias in containers and Color classes, assigning colors and ADS Color Guide

Mignon dahlia, which are dwarf and single flowered

Jun-Oct

Mixed Colours

Full Sun,
Part Shade

12 x 12
(30 x 30)

Bulb ,
Companions

Dahlia Piccolo form a group of 90 seeds of different flower colour, that look good in a small or medium-sized garden. It provides early and rich single flowered blooms. Sow in a greenhouse or later in the final spot of the garden, when there is no more risk of frost.

Moist

Dahlias usually suitable for cutting, as a bedding plant and in pots

See their FORM and USE
Clump-forming
Use in Pots
Use for Cut-Flower
Use in Bedding

Plant 12 inches (30 cms) deep and 20-30 inches (50-75cms) apart. Loved by butterflies and bees. 
For best flowers, disbud by removing two of the three blooms at the end of each branch. Only pick dahlias in full flower. Recut the hollow stem ends under water to avoid airlocks. Cutting flowers is best done early in the morning or late in the afternoon. As dahlia buds do not open in water, cut the flowers only when completely developed.
Other care instructions. The Culture and Care page from Verwer Dalias BV of The Netherlands who breed and grow Dahlias provides more growing information.

Instructions with photos for planting dahlias in a pot or tub from the International Flower Bulb Centre in Holland and from Growing Dahlias in Containers written by Barbara Jenke between 1995-2000.

N P B

Dahlia 'Preston Park'

Visit The National Dahlia Collection

Dwarf Bedding Dahlia Single Flowered

Jun-Oct

Scarlet flower with gold centre

Full Sun

18 x 18
(45 x 45)

Bedding Bulb,
Companions

Moist

See their NDS CLASSIFICATION GROUP
1 Single-flowered
2 Anemone-flowered
3 Collarette
4 Waterlily
5 Decorative
6 Ball
7 Pompon
8 Cactus
9 Semi-Cactus
10 Miscellaneous
11 Fimbriated
12 Single Orchid/Star
13 Double Orchid

N P B

Dahlia all 'Single Flowers' cultivars - Plants for Bees

See list of cultivars in Bulb Dahlia Gallery

Dahlia

Different Dahlias are in flower within
Jun-Nov

See their FLOWER COLOUR
Bicolour
Blue
Green
Orange
Pink
Purple
Red
Unusual Colours
White
Yellow

as can linked to in Bulb Dahlia Gallery

Full Sun

18 x 18
(45 x 45)

Bulb ,
Companions

Moist

See their ADS CLASSIFICATION GROUP
1 Formal Decorative
2 Informal Decorative
3 Semi-Cactus
4 Straight Cactus
5 Incurved Cactus
6 Laciniated
7 Ball
8 Miniature Ball
9 Pompon
10 Stellar
11 Waterlily
12 Peony-flowering
13 Anemone-flowered
14 Collarette
15 Single
16 Mignon Single
17 Orchid-flowering
18 Novelty Open
19 Novelty Fully Double

N P B

Daphne cneorum and its cultivars

All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans, dogs, cats and horses.

Garland Flower,
Rose Daphne

Apr-May

Clusters of strongly scented Rose-Pink or White

Full Sun,
Part Shade

6 x 72
(15 x 180)

Evergreen Shrub with smooth dark green leaves with trailing and branching stems

Grow in Rock Garden in slightly acid to slightly alkaline soil. Also grow in Gravel Garden or Coastal Garden.

N P

Eranthis hyemalis (Buy "in the Green",
Winter Aconite)

From Bee pollinated flowers in winter Nov-Feb in Plants Folder

Native in
Buttercup Family

Winter Aconite

Jan-Mar

Flowers opening above 10 degrees Centi-grade.

Yellow /

Full Sun or Part Shade

6 x 12
(15 x 30)

Wildflower Rhizome,
Companions

Mid Green, which dies back in the summer / Moist.
Glossy green horizontal foliage appearing after the flowers.

A small, tuberous perennial, dying back in summer. It is naturalised, sometimes in large numbers, in open woodland, grassland and scrub associated with habitation, under park trees, in gardens and on road verges. Visited by hive-bees and flies.

PNB

Erica carnea and its cultivars

Erica carnea cultivars are listed in the
Erica carnea Index

Winter Heath,
Mountain Heath

Oct-May

18 Heather Flower Colours shown in Erica carnea Site Map

9 x 23
(23 x 58)

Heather
Plants can be sheared lightly after flowers fade but not any later as flower buds are formed as early as July in the UK.  Annual light shearing, especially while plants are young, makes for a bushier plant that does not form a bare, woody center with age. 

Erica carnea is one of the hardiest of heathers.  Provides good winter color with its long blooming season. When spaced properly, they form a carpet for a good ground cover. Established plants need little care. Most carneas are prostrate in habit and grow quickly.  These are excellent for rock gardens, slopes and drifts of much needed winter colour.  New tip growth is often cream colored.  Erica carnea are some of the easiest heathers to grow and thrive in almost any soil.  Any winter damaged stems can be pruned in spring. 

N P B

Erica tetralix and its cultivars

Cultivars of
Erica tetralix are listed in the Erica x tetralix Cultivar Page

Native in
Heath Family

Cross-leaved Heath

Jun-Nov

18 Heather Flower Colours shown in Erica x tetralix Cultivar Page

12 x 20
(30 x 50)

Heather

Erica tetralix are "The third most widespread native UK heath, often found in boggy areas. In the garden, however, it is tolerant of drier conditions but does require acid soil. The flowers of this very hardy species are typically held in terminal umbels."

N P B

Erica vagans
'Mrs D.F. Maxwell'

Cornish Heath,
Wandering Heath

Aug-Oct

Deep Rose-pink

Full Sun,
Part Shade

12 x 18
(30 x 45)

Heather

Dark Green.
 

Dry or moist

Perhaps the most popular heather world wide of all species. Recommended by the Heather Society.

Well-drained acidic sand

N P B

Erica vagans and its cultivars

More cultivars of
Erica vagans are listed in the Erica vagans Index Page

Native in
Heath Family

Cornish Heath,
Wandering Heath

Jul-Nov

18 Heather Flower Colours shown in Erica vagans Index Page

18 x 32
(30 x 70)

Heather

"Erica vagans is a native UK species found on the serpentine and gabbro rocks of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, but will be successful in any soil containing a high content of magnesium. It provides a very useful range of colours during September and October. The faded bells of many cultivars become an attractive russet in winter."

N P B

Erigeron and its cultivars like
Erigeron acer
(Blue Fleabane, Erigeron acer name has been replaced by Erigeron acris)

Native in
Daisy Cudweeds Family

Fleabane

Jun-Sep

Lilac-Pink

Flower never opens flat, just like Groundsel. It is followed by seeds

18 x 18
(45 x 45)

Rock and Wildflower

An annual or perennial herb of open, well-drained, skeletal neutral or calcareous soils, often on warm, South-facing slopes. Habitats include sand dunes, sand-pits, spoil and waste heaps from quarries, railway ballast, industrial waste and cinders. It also grows on rock outcrops, especially of chalk and limestone and on mortared walls.

N B

Erysimum cheiri and it's cultivars
(Cheiranthus cheiri)
 

Native in Crucifer (Cabbage/Mustard) 2 Family

Wallflower, Fleur de Nostra-Dama, Flor de pasque, Gillflower, Goldlack, Saint Geourges, Saint Jean, Todrilal,
Wild Wallflower

Mar-Jun

Fragrant, Orange-Yellow, Yellow, Brick Red or Orange

followed by cylcindrical pods containing yellow-brown seeds

Full Sun

18 x 6
(45 x 15)

Wildflower Bedding.

Stiff untoothed narrow lanceolate grey-green leaves covered with branched appressed hairs in a rosette.

Dry

Biennial on cliffs, old walls and rocks on chalk.

The gardener's mainstay for spring bedding.

N P B

Eschscholzia californica and Thai Silk Series cultivars

California Poppy, Golden Poppy, California Sunlight, Cup of Gold

Feb - Sep

Yellow to Orange with
'Appleblossom Bush' - Pink
'Dali' - Red
'Lemon Bush' - Pale Yellow
'Rose Chiffon' - Pink and White
Thai Silk Series - mixed colours

Full Sun

60 x 20
(150 x 50)

Bedding

Blue-Green /
Dry

Annual /
Sandy, well-drained, poor soil

N P B

Fritillaria meleagris

Native in
Lily Family

Fritillary,
Snake's Head Fritillary

Apr-May

Purple to White

 

12 x 6
(30 x 15)

Wildflower ,
Companions

A bulbous perennial herb of damp, sometimes winter-flooded, neutral grasslands, usually those managed for hay with aftermath grazing. It is frequently planted in other grassland habitats and sometimes becomes naturalised.

N P B

Fuchsia
'Tom Thumb'

Fuchsia

Further details in The British Fuchsia Society. and Thompson-morgan states How to Grow Fuchsias.

Jun-Sep

Flowers followed by berries containing many seeds

Semi-Double Cerise

5-7 petal, flowers with Violet Corolla.

Full Sun,
Part shade

6-12 x 6-12
(15-30 x 15-30)

Fuchsia magellanica (fuchsia) is a native in
Willow-Herb Family,
Companions
Mid-green leaves. It will take 4 degrees C of frost but in the UK, I would advise that this is grown in a window-box or trough that is overwintered in a cool or temperate greenhouse.

Moist

Extremely free-flowering, early-flowering, upright deciduous shrub as an extra dwarf bush variety in a well-drained soil.

There's a wide choice of evergreen or deciduous fuchsia varieties. For hanging baskets choose a trailing fuchsia. Upright/bush fuchsias are ideal for growing in borders and patio containers. And climbing fuchsias can be trained onto obelisks or against walls and fences for a spectacular vertical display.

N P

Galanthus nivalis and its cultivars (Buy "in the Green")

From
Bee pollinated flowers in winter Nov-Feb in Plants Folder

Native in Daffodil Family

Snowdrop - single flowered forms

Feb-Mar

Very fragrant Creamy- White
followed by black berries. 
Part Shade,
Full Shade

8 x 4
(20 x 10)

Wildflower Bulb

Narrow, grey-green.

Moist, but well-drained, chalk, sand, clay

A bulbous perennial herb of moist woodlands and other shaded places. It is especially frequent in parks, large gardens and churchyards, but also occurs on road verges, by watercourses and in damp grassland. Spread is mainly by division of the bulbs, as seed production is poor.

N P B

Pollen is collec-ted from the Wild-flower but not from the double flowers of the garden varie-ties.

Genista hispanica and its cultivars

Companions - Santolina chamae-cyparissus, Stachys byzantina, Erica carnea 'December Red', Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation'

Spanish Gorse

is drought-tolerant, with deer and rabbit resistant. Plant on edge of raised bed to cascade over the bed. New growth will not rejuvenate from old wood.

May-Jun

Golden-Yellow

pea-like flowers in clusters.

Full Sun

30 x 60
(75 x 150)

Space at 60 (150)

Ovate-oblong, mid-green prickly leaves, only present on flowering branches.

Dry

Dense, mound-forming, spiny, deciduous shrub.

Suitable in poor infertile, well-drained Chalk or Sand.
Use on banks, slopes and wall-side borders in coastal garden, Gravel and Rock garden, Cottage Garden and Mediterranean Garden.

B

Geranium ibericum

Caucasian Cranesbill, Iberian Geranium, Caucasus Geranium

May-Jun

Violet-blue
upward-facing, cup-shaped, flowers

Full Sun,
Part Shade

20 x 24
(50 x 60)

,
Companions

9-11-lobed, basal leaves.

Dry to Moist

Clump-forming, hairy herbaceous perennial, from Caucasus, North-east Turkey and Northern Iran.
Well-drained soil.

Use as ground cover in dry sites

N P

Geranium versicolor
(Geranium striatum,
Geranium versicolour)

Native in Geranium Family

Pencilled Cranesbill

Do you fancy Beeswax Wraps or Seedballs for Wildlife?

May-Oct

Pale Pink, funnel-shaped

Full Sun,
Part Shade

18 x 18
(45 x 45)

Wildflower ,
Companions

Brown-marked, light green, basal leaves.

This semi-evergreen perennial grows in large tufts. A garden escape, usually in isolated clumps on hedge-banks in most well-drained soils. Use as edge, in pots, cutflower, groundcover, cottage garden, wildflower garden and rock garden

It is possible to find a geranium to suit most parts of your garden

N

Geum and its cultivars

Native in Rose 2 and Rose 4 Family

Water Avens
(Geum rivale,
Nodding Avens,
Drooping Avens,
Cure-all,
Water Flower,
Indian Chocolate,
Purple Avens)

May-Sep

Seeds are burr-like and caught in the coats of rabbits and other small mammals.

Red

 

Full Sun,
Part Shade

6-18 x 18-30
(15-45 x 45-75)

Clump-forming, evergreen and bushy

Wildflower

Companions - Geraniums, Grasses. Potentilla and Fragaria. Also try Dryopteris, Epimedium, Polygonatum, Trollius, Euphorbia and Primulas.

A perennial herb of mildly acidic to calcareous, slow-draining or wet soils, in shaded or open habitats, including streamsides and flushes in deciduous woodland, carr, herb-rich hay meadows and montane willow scrub and tall-herb communities on ledges. Reproduction is by seed and by rhizomatous spread.
When grown in pots they are very straggly, but when planted in the ground they will be much more compact, bushy and upright.

N P

Gilia capitata

Native plant of North America and common component of wildflower seed mixes

Queen Anne's Thimbles, Blue-thimble-flower, Bluehead gilia, blue field gilia, globe gilia

May-Aug

Lavender-blue, in terminal pincushion like heads of 50-100 flowers

Full Sun

18-24 x 8-9 (45-60 x 20-23)

Feathery, 2-pinnate dark green leaves.

Companions - Eschscholzia caifornica, Clarkia species, Nemophila menziesii, Delphinium cardinale, Allium species and native to North America grasses

Erect Annual from Eastern North America on open, dry slopes.

Use as bedding in sandy or rocky soils and as a cutflower. It also attracts butterflies, so use for butterfly Garden and for Bee Garden. Suitable for Coastal Garden.

N P

Gypsophila repens and its cultivars

Creeping Gypsophila, Alpine Gypsophila, Creeping Baby's Breath

Jun-Sep

White, pink or pink purple, star-shaped, 5-petalled flowers

Full Sun

8 x 12-20
(20 x 30-50)

Linear, bluish-green leaves in sharply drained , dry, chalky slopes.

Dislikes winter wet.

Mat-forming, semi-evergreen perennial from mountains of Central and Southern Europe. Use in a raised bed, dry-stone wall, rock garden, alpine house or scree bed and for flower arranging

P

Hebe 'Carl Teschner'
(Hebe 'Youngii')

Detailed cultivation data

Shrubby Veronica

Jun-Aug

Violet-Purple

 

Full Sun,
Part Shade

6 x 9
(15 x 23)

Rock Garden

Compact, mat-forming with dark green leaves. Can be used in coastal conditions, as hedging and ground cover

Evergreen Shrub in equal parts of loam, leafmould and sand. This is a suitable mixture for plants which require a light, open, porous soil with good drainage. A good mixture for troughs in a sheltered position in part shade. All bulbs and conifers do well in this medium.

N

Hebe pinguifolia 'Pagei'

Burncoose Nurseries provides this Hebe Growing Guide.

Shrubby Veronica

Butterfly friendly. Companion - Hebe 'Silver Dollar'

May-Jun

White flowers in dense, axillary spikes

12 x 36
(30 x 90)

4-ranked, obovate-elliptic, leathery, blue-green leaves.

Erect then semi-prostrate shrub in rock garden and in coastal regions from New Zealand.

Use as ground cover to inhibit weed growth in moist chalk or sand soil in Full Sun or Part Shade with shelter from cold winds..

N B

Helianthemum nummularium 'Amy Baring'

6 x 8 (15 x 20)

P B

Helleborus and its cultivars

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

N

Helleborus niger

12 x 12 (30 x 30)

N

Helleborus orientalis (Purple form)

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

N

Heuchera and its cultivars

20 x 16 (50 x 40)

N

Hyacinthus orientalis and its cultivars

8 x 3 (20 x 6)

,
Companions

N P

Hypericum calycinum

Rose of Sharon

Jun to first frosts

6 x 60 (15 x 150)

Wildflower

P B

Hypericum olympicum

12 x 8 (30 x 20)

N P

Iberis umbellata and it's cultivars

9 x 12 (22 x 30)

P B

Iris unguicluaris

12 x 4 (30 x 10)

,
Companions

N

Lavandula stoechas

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

,
Companions

N P B

Leucojum vernum

Snowflake

Feb-Mar

6 x 6 (15 x 15)

Wildflower ,
Companions

N P B

Limnanthes douglasii and it's cultivars

12 x 3 (30 x 8)

N P

Limonium and its cultivars like
Limonium vulgare
(Common Sea-Lavender)

Native in
Sea Lavender Family

Sea-Lavender

Jul-Aug

Lilac

small, very closely crowded and overlapping in much branched, rather flat-topped heads, only at the end of spreading leafless branches, which usally start well above the middle.

4-12 x
(10-30 x )
 

Rock Garden

A rosette of long-stalked, broad lanceolate Green leaves with pinnate veins

Perennial in ungrazed or lightly grazed muddy saltmarshes, amongst nearby rocks and on the stonework of sea-walls. Limonium humile often grows with it.

N

In coastal regions sea lavander will yield good nectar produc-ing a light coloured honey.

Linum and it's cultivars

Flax

18 x 12 (45 x 30)
 

Rock Garden , Wildflower ,
Companions

N P

Lithodora and its cultivars

12 x 16 (30 x 40)

N

Lobelia erinus and it's cultivars

6 x 6 (15 x 15)

N

Lobularia maritima and its cultivars

Native in
Cabbages Family

Sweet Alison

Jun-Aug or all year in areas free of frost

White (or pink, rose-red, violet, or yellow and lilac in different cultivars) in dense clusters followed by seeds.

Self-seeds.
Part Shade

2-12 x 8-12
(5-30 x 20-30)

The petals, leaves, and tender stems of the plant can be eaten raw or cooked.

Wildflower

Hairy, oval to lanceolate, pale green

Annual
On sandy coastal beaches, dunes, cracks in walls and paving, edging, rock garden, bedding on slopes and on chalk soil. Use as groundcover and in pots.

P

Marrubium vulgare

White Horehound

June to first frosts

12 x 24 (30 x 60)

Wildflower

N

Mentha and it's cultivars like
Mentha aquatica
(Water Mint,
Mentha hirsuta)

Native in Thyme 2 Family

Mint

Jun-Sep

Spreads and attracts butterflies and newts

Purple, pinkish to lilac

forming a terminal hemi-spherical inflorescence

12 x 12
(30 x 12)

How to build the perfect container pond by Waterside Nursery

Wildflower ,
Companions

Green sometimes purplish with distinctly minty smell.

Used to make a herbal tea.

Rhizome partially or wholly submerged by ponds, rivers, in marshes and wet woods on chalk or limestone

N

Fields of mint are harve-sted before they flower.

Moltkia and its cultivars

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

N

Muscari azureum

4 x 3 (10 x 7)

Rock Garden

P

Muscari botryoides

6 x 3 (15 x 7)

Rock Garden

N P

Myosotis and it's cultivars like Myosotis arvensis
(Field Forget-Me-Not)

Native in Borage Family

Forget-me-not

Apr - Oct

Blue-grey with some Pink

Full Sun

10 x 6
(25 x 15)
 

Rock Garden and Wildflower

Pale Green

Dry

Cornfield Annual .
Prefers shallow calcareous (chalky) and dry sandy soils

N P B

Nemophila menziesii and it's cultivars

8 x 12 (20 x 30)

,
Companions

N

Nepeta faassenii

18 x 18 (45 x 45)

N

Ocimum basilicum

18 x 12 (45 x 30)

,
Companions

N

Papaver and it's cultivars like
Papaver dubium
(Long-headed Poppy)

Native in Poppy Family

Poppy

Jun-Aug

Flowers are followed by long hairless seed-pods with purplish-black seeds

Pale Scarlet

Full Sun

The commonest poppy in the North of England is also a native weed.

9-18 x 18
(23-45 x 45)

Wildflower ,
Companions

Light green basal leaves, divided with narrow acute toothed bristle-pointed segments. Upper leaves usually 3-lobed, cut or toothed. All leaves stiffly hairy.

Dry

Annual /
In arable fields on both light and heavy chalk soils. Also on roadsides and ground beside railways.

P

Persicaria affinis and its cultivars

9 x 24 (23 x 60)

N

Phacelia campanularia

6 x 6 (15 x 15)

N P

Primula vulgaris and its cultivars

Primrose

Mar-May

8 x 14 (20 x 35)

Wildflower ,
Companions

B

Pulmonaria saccharata and its cultivars

12 x 24 (30 x 60)

B

Reseda odorata and it's cultivars

23 x 10 (57 x 25)

N P B

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus'

6 x 12 (15 x 30)

,
Companions

N P B

Salvia viridis and it's cultivars

18 x 10 (45 x 25)

B

Satureja and it's cultivars

12 x 12 (30 x 30)

N B

Saxifraga and its cultivars

Saxifrage

6 x 6 (15 x 15)
 

Rock Garden and Wildflower

N P

Scabiosa and its cultivars

Scabious

18 x 12 (45 x 30)

Wildflower

N

Scilla siberica and it's cultivars

8 x 2 (20 x 5)

Rock Garden ,
Companions

N P

The remainder of the entries for this table have been transferred to the second table across and down on the right.

Site design and content copyright ©December 2006. Page structure changed September 2012. External and Internal links added May 2015. Data added to existing pages December 2017. Chris Garnons-Williams.

DISCLAIMER: Links to external sites are provided as a courtesy to visitors. Ivydene Horticultural Services are not responsible for the content and/or quality of external web sites linked from this site.  

Height in inches (cms):-

25.4mm = 1 inch
304.8mm = 12 inches
12 inches = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
914.4mm = 1 yard

I normally round this to
25mm = 1 inch
300mm = 30 cms = 12 inches =1 foot,
900 mm = 3 feet = 1 yard and
1000mm = 100 cms = 1 metre = 40 inches

The bee can pollinate the flower, which can then produce a seed. Hymn 881 then instructs the seed:-

Push, little seed,
push, push, little seed,
till your head pops out of the ground.
This is the air,
and now you are there
you can have a look round.
You'll see God's sky,
you'll see God's sun,
you'll feel his raindrops one by one,
as you grow, grow, grow, grow,
grow to be wheat for bread.
So push, little seed,
push, push, little seed,
that the world may be fed.

"Plants For Bees BOOK

(By WDJ Kirk and FN Howes; Published by IBRA)

This is a ‘must-have’ book for anyone serious about gardening for bees

This would make an ideal gift for any budding gardener, with some emphasis on which plants are suitable for growing in the British Isles, though would be applicable to any country with a similar temperate climate, as honeybees around the world have pretty much the same tastes and tongue-length. Bumblebees will also forage on any plant which provides nectar, and pollen, to their liking within reach of their tongue, regardless of the origin of the plant. So bees are not prejudiced against non-native plants. Nor should we be, as long as their benefits outweigh any capacity to become invasive weeds, of course.

It is an extremely well researched work; though the author is quick to remind us that this volume by no means contains all the bees favourite plants; though it contains enough to keep us very busy and bees very happy (review by Sarah Holdsworth)" from Bee Happy Plants.

"Bee Happy Plants based at Lakehayes Organic Nursery, is a small family run business, established and put into Soil Association organic conversion in 2002. Now run by Sarah and daughter Joy, with help from other family members, various local part-time and seasonal workers; all have contributed to what has become an efficient production line of seed-raised, organic, wild species plugs, plants and more seeds.

Sarah (with experience on organic farms since the 1980’s and RHS Level 3 at Bicton Agricultural College), would say the inspiration behind Bee Happy Plants began way back on the isolated smallholding of her childhood, in countryside untouched by modern agriculture. Watching parents, Fitz and Brygid and salt-of-the-earth land-worker Fred Shire care for 25 acres: planting trees, wild and formal gardens, fruit and vegetable garden, and maintaining permanent pasture and orchard, with nothing much more than a few grazing animals, a fork, a scythe and a sense of humour. It was this idyllic, magical place brimming with wildlife in all its weird and wonderful forms, from the gentle and regular hoot of owls, to the humming and buzzing of insects.

The shock came later when it dawned that the place of her childhood was unique. Few other places like this jewel of unspoilt countryside still exist. Instead the ‘green deserts’ of monoculture expand; where weeds, insects and wildflowers are no longer welcome, birds no longer gather, and bees go hungry. Understanding that it is down to ordinary people like us, in our own gardens, to nurture something wild or heritage – we can all help to save bees’ favourite plants. Bee Happy Plants was conceived to help us do this. Sarah Holdsworth 2014  ".

From Plants to encourage pollenating insects by the Royal Horticultural Society in the Wilstead Garden Club website:-

"Help for pollinating insects (from the RHS Website)

The RHS has compiled a list of plants that will provide nectar and pollen for bees and many other types of pollinating insects.

Over the last 50 years declines have been noted in many groups of British insects, including those that visit flowers. These include some  common butterflies, moths, hoverflies and bees.

The reasons for this are various and complex but part of the problem may be the reduction in abundance of wild flowers in the countryside that has occurred over this 50 year period. Gardens are increasingly recognised as important habitats where insects can find sources of nectar and pollen.

Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred from one flower to another, allowing flowers to become fertilised and able to produce seeds and fruits. In some plants, such as grasses and conifers, pollen is spread by the wind, but the majority of plants require insects and sometimes other animals to carry the pollen.

Apples, plums, pears, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, red currants, gooseberries and strawberries all rely on insects to bring about pollination. The same is true for some vegetables, such as broad bean, runner bean and plants in the marrow-pumpkin family.

It has been estimated that the value of insect-pollinated fruits and vegetables grown in the UK is about £220 million a year. In addition there is the inestimable value of pollination provided to wild flowers and garden ornamentals, making insect pollinators a vital component of our biodiversity.

Flowers attract insects by providing them with two rich sources of food - nectar and pollen. Nectar contains sugars and provides insects with an energy source, while pollen grains contain proteins and oils.

Pollen and nectar provide the complete diet for both the adult bees and their larvae. Other insects, such as various flies and midges, beetles, wasps, thrips, bugs, butterflies and moths visit flowers to feed on pollen and nectar but may also have other dietary requirements, especially in their immature stages. Some predatory insects visit flowers to feed on other insects attracted to the blooms. All are capable of picking up pollen on their bodies and bringing about pollination when they move to other flowers of the same plant.

How to attract and support pollinating insects

Aim to have plants that are attractive to pollinating insects in flower from early spring to late autumn.

Seek plants at garden centres and nurseries having the RHS symbol pictured left.

Grow garden plants with flowers that attract pollinating insects.

Avoid plants with double or multi-petaled flowers. Such flowers may lack nectar and pollen, or insects may have difficulty in gaining access.

Never use pesticides on plants when they are in flower.

Where appropriate, British wild flowers can be an attractive addition to planting schemes and may help support a wider range of pollinating insects.

Observe the plants in your garden. If you know of plants with blooms that regularly attract insects, let the RHS know.

Encourage bees by keeping honeybees yourself or allowing a beekeeper to place hives in your garden. Nest boxes containing cardboard tubes or hollow plant stems, or holes drilled in blocks of wood will provide nest sites for some species of solitary bees. Such nests are available from garden centres or you can make your own (holes/tubes should be in a mixture of sizes with a diameter of 2-8mm).

Some pollinator insect facts

•Britain has 25 species of bumblebees, of which about 11 commonly visit garden flowers.

•A honeybee hive can contain up to about 60,000 bees in mid summer and they can convert the nectar they collect into over 100 pounds of honey.

•There are about 260 species of solitary bee in Britain.

•There is a similar number of hoverflies, many of which have aphid predator larvae.

•Adult pollen beetles (Meligethes spp.) feed on pollen and are commonly seen in flowers in spring and summer.

•Butterflies and moths, with their long tongues (proboscis), can reach nectar in flowers that is inaccessible to short-tongued insects.

•Unlike humans, honeybees can see ultraviolet light and can detect patterns on petals invisible to us. The markings on the petals guide bees to the nectar-producing parts of the flower and bring the insect into close contact with the pollen-bearing structures.

•When foraging honeybees have located a good source of nectar or pollen, they can recruit other bees to visit the same flowers. A figure-of- eight-dance performed on the combs in the hive tells other bees how far and in which direction they need to fly to find the flowers.
 

Compiled by Andrew Halstead, RHS Principal Entomologist"

For my recommendation on what to do with your prunings, kitchen scraps and grass mowings see Compost Bins in Companion Planting Page C, instead of composting them in a small 1 cubic yard domestic garden compost bin.