Flowers for insects.

[Kayleigh]

I was watching the Chelsea flower show when they announced the garden centrers are now putting labels on the plants to inform people of what plants are good for pollinating insects..
This is a good thing but when will they stop spraying crops and killing them all.
Also a lot of flowers sold are useless for insects at least if your like me and know nothing about plants you can look out for the labels they have a big bumble bee on them and you cant miss them..
Chelsea Flower Show 2011: Plant with bees in mind - Telegraph

I have more insects in my garden than I see out and about in the fields, most if not all the pics I have taken of insects this year are in my garden so I must getting something right.

[bigdave60dog]

Yeah! it`s a sad fact that there is often more wildlife on roadsides and in gardens than on ALL of the farmland between these.
Dave

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by bigdave60dog

Yeah! it`s a sad fact that there is often more wildlife on roadsides and in gardens than on ALL of the farmland between these.
Dave

... and many (most) horticulturalists are as bad. Go into a garden centre where all the 'help bees and butterflies' signs are displayed and see them spraying all their seedlings with insecticide!

[b0mbus]

yes, I think that putting out some indicators will help. But as a result of my reading around it appears to be that native wildflowers are the best for bumblebees and while there are some exotics that supplement these well e.g. pulmonaria, cerinthe, cotoneaster, buddleia, cardoon etc, these are the exceptions rather than the rule. Our natives are perfect for specific types of bugs whereas the good exotics just support a general type.

Some of the studies I've read that looked at the depletion of nectar volumes during a typical day looked at British native flowers (like ragged robin, red campion, betony, marsh woundwort, common toadflax, wood sage) against exotics. The results showed that the natives were far superior for catering to some of our rarer insects and pollinators that have unique capabilities (like bumblebees with long tongues). The exotics it was suggested are more of a free-for-all resource were the first insect to visit them gets the nectar and everyone else, thereafter, has to make do with morsels of nectar for the rest of the day. So, if you have a choice, growing native plants seems best.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by b0mbus

yes, I think that putting out some indicators will help. But as a result of my reading around it appears to be that native wildflowers are the best for bumblebees and while there are some exotics that supplement these well e.g. pulmonaria, cerinthe, cotoneaster, buddleia, cardoon etc, these are the exceptions rather than the rule. Our natives are perfect for specific types of bugs whereas the good exotics just support a general type.

Some of the studies I've read that looked at the depletion of nectar volumes during a typical day looked at British native flowers (like ragged robin, red campion, betony, marsh woundwort, common toadflax, wood sage) against exotics. The results showed that the natives were far superior for catering to some of our rarer insects and pollinators that have unique capabilities (like bumblebees with long tongues). The exotics it was suggested are more of a free-for-all resource were the first insect to visit them gets the nectar and everyone else, thereafter, has to make do with morsels of nectar for the rest of the day. So, if you have a choice, growing native plants seems best.

That's a very good point I have noticed a lot more insects in my garden as the more plants I collect and have seen the most varied insects on the oxeye daisy, foxgloves and red robin.
I have only planted these recently the red robin has been in flower for about a month ever since I planted it.

[Hedera]

Single flower varietes are also best - the bees can get at the pollen and nectar. Any daisy family plant, nettle-flowered types and cabbage family work best.

[paddy]

It takes a fair bit of planning, though, using natives only. I thought when watching the Chelsea thing that it was all very well showing it off for one week in May, but getting a whole season's worth of nectar, without the mass of environments found outside the garden, was a different matter.
Also, you need a wide range of flower types, for access to the range of pollinators you are hoping to attract.
If you're dealing with 35ft of back yard, a compromise has to be found...but can be, fortunately!

[jeremiah]

In their defence, it has to be said that some "garden" shrubs go on for a remarkably long time and some flower very early, especially in towns.

In particular:
Hebes - can flower as early as January, I have seen bumblebees on them then, and they flower into the autumn.
Rosemary - another early flowerer.
Snowberry bush - a boring suckering plant, with white berries that nothing eats, as far as I know, but the tiny (match-head size) flowers drip nectar for ages during the summer and are full of bees and hoverflies.
Fuchsias - the smaller flowered sorts like magellanica. I've seen one covered in bees - but only because bumblebees had got there first and bitten holes into the base of the flowers where the nectary is.
Escallonia - flowering now (where the owners haven't "tidied" all the buds off), bumblebees love it.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by jeremiah

In their defence, it has to be said that some "garden" shrubs go on for a remarkably long time and some flower very early, especially in towns.

In particular:
Hebes - can flower as early as January, I have seen bumblebees on them then, and they flower into the autumn.
Rosemary - another early flowerer.
Snowberry bush - a boring suckering plant, with white berries that nothing eats, as far as I know, but the tiny (match-head size) flowers drip nectar for ages during the summer and are full of bees and hoverflies.
Fuchsias - the smaller flowered sorts like magellanica. I've seen one covered in bees - but only because bumblebees had got there first and bitten holes into the base of the flowers where the nectary is.
Escallonia - flowering now (where the owners haven't "tidied" all the buds off), bumblebees love it.

My Weigela is covered in bees flowers early.

[jeremiah]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

My Weigela is covered in bees flowers early.

Never had any success with Weigelas, though I see them growing nearby. One I planted and cherished for months had in fact died and its "support stick" grew - it was a willow - a big no-no next to a house on London clay....