Early flowering insect attractors

[Susie]

Out in the woods today various different types of bees were busy feeding on ground ivy Glechoma hederacea.

It has got quite a pretty flower and I imagine it would be good in a garden. Is it invasive?

It reminded me a bit of bugle, which is another plant the bees like.

[Cotham Marble]

When planting for nectar feeding insects do remember that flower form has a great effect on whether a particular species of insect can/will feed.

Rosemary has already been mentioned and in general all the labiatea are good nectar plants. Following up rosemary with a range of successively flowering lavenders should keep bees, butterflies and moths interested for a prolonged season. I would also suggest germanders - both wall and creeping varieties have a longish flowering season, also geraniums (not pelargoniums) are good for April/May. An early plant not yet mentioned is honesty - sometimes a bit fickle and best raised from seed the year before you want it to flower - still worth the effort.

In my experiance buddleia is very over rated as a butterfly plant and unless someone actually likes this chinese invader I would not recommend it. Also don't forget to keep a pot/patch of nettles going.

CM

[Tursiops2]

Originally Posted by Susie

Out in the woods today various different types of bees were busy feeding on ground ivy Glechoma hederacea. Is it invasive?

Ground Ivy can be invasive if uncontrolled. Best in shady "woodland" type areas, but keep it away from lawns, vegetable patches or formal flower beds.
T2

[Lords and Ladies]

Originally Posted by Susie

I bought some more catmint today, which is almost in flower, and I know that the insects adore it. It is second to only lavender in my books.

Susie, how are you growing your catmint? I bought some today for flowering later in the year but I'm wondering where to put it and how invasive it is. If I just plant it in a sunny border is it likely to take over?

[Susie]

No, it won't take over. It is a lovely plant and it is quite easy to divide if you want to make more of it but it won't become a pest of its own accord, or at least I have never found it to be so.


The only problem I have ever had with it is that the pussy cats love it and love to bite and roll all over it - thus decimating the plant. To get around this I tend to stick some strong twiggy sticks into the ground in amongst the foliage which puts them off but won't do them any harm.

Good luck, I hope it thrives for you.

Thanks Tursiops Luckily for me, I don't do "formal".

[Lords and Ladies]

Thanks, that sounds fine. I think I'll try growing it behind and through the dark blue buddleia, should be a nice contrast

I'll try the sticks trick too as it's a very squashable size at the mo.

[Susie]

Another good thing about it is its long flowering period. Some of mine is flowering already and I will expect it to continue to do so well in the late summer. I might give it a haircut midsummer if it needs it.

The buddleia sounds like a good planting companion

[elleme]

Best attractors at present for me seem to be wallflowers and the flowers on my broad beans. I've also got rosemary, flowering currant, muscari, lungwort in bloom, all of which attract some insects. A previously-unidentified plant which now appears to be honesty is just begining to flower, and it looks like bugle will flower pretty soon too. Some plants seem variable some years - usually my berberis darwinii gets plenty of bees visiting it, but I haven't had so many on there this year despite being smothered in flowers. I guess there's something else nearby which is more appealing right now.

[Gill Catton]

I would recommend gettng out into the countryside and look at what is flowering there as these are the plants our insects have evolved to seek out at this time of year - plus they are more likely to be of more than just nectar value - perhaps being an appropriate larval food plant too?

for example, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) good for orange tip butterflies and if all else fails you can eat it too!! (It likes shade though). Orange tips like the cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) that has already been mentioned too which is perhaps a prettier plant! (but this plant likes it damp too)

[Lords and Ladies]

Well I've gone for a pink bell heather that's flowering well at the moment, some blue and pink forget-me-nots, some grape hyacinths, a saxifrage (Peter Pan) which at least looks nice, and a couple more Arabis which seem to work well. That should do for now, it's certainly a lot more colourful .

I'll see if I can get some more natives in there as and when. Thanks for the help.