The Latest Buzz...

Dear All,

Congratulations to Ollie and Miranda for representing the garden so well and at short notice on BBC Radio London.   The station had another interesting guest on the Fiona Phillips Show on Sunday 20th October.  Naomi Schilinger is a London gardener and author of Veg Street.  Have a listen on the BBC radio player.

We had a useful and well attended garden planning meeting on Wednesday last week.  Thanks to all who attended and for the work involved coming up with ideas, taking notes and making plans. This was followed by a weeding and 'cutting back' session in the garden last Sunday.

My current pet idea is the creation of a bee-bed to be ready for the Summer of next year.  The plan is for one of the raised beds to be planted with a rainbow spectrum of bee-friendly flowers to act as a conversation piece for visitors to the garden and to identify a few plants and flowers which will aid our ailing bee population so they can be replicated in local gardens if people are interested. 


 

I added a section to the plant wish-list, which were from suggestions in a book called "Plants and Planting Plans for a Bee Garden" by Maureen Little (2012).  The book is in Wandsworth library if anyone would like to read up further, but give me a week or so to return it!
 

So what makes a plant bee-friendly? The main aspects are the form and colour of the flower and the time of the year the plant blooms.  The plants in the suggested list have a range of flowering times, so there should be something in flower throughout most of the season, and with our Spring-flowering  bulbs that we are planting, the bees should have no problems accessing the nectar and pollen they require for food.  The pollen provides the main protein food source for them, allowing growth and repair (and the plant's method of distribution), and the nectar is a sugary carbohydrate for energy which attracts the bees and other insects to the flower.


 

The form of the flower is important so that the bees can access the nectar and pollen.  Modern hybrid flowers with double blousy flowers do not often provide much sustenance for the bees; it is always preferable to aim to plant single flowers with an open "daisy style" shape so the bees can easily land on the platform.  Tubular shaped flowers can sometimes be too long for the proboscis to reach the nectar at the bottom.  So size IS important and don't listen to any contrary opinions!



Colour is a tricky subject as bees see colours in a different spectrum to us, but generally a good range of colours and shapes will always provide visual appeal to humans and insects. 

We discussed the possibility of combining this rainbow bed with some natural British wildflowers.  This is a great combination because British bees are naturally adapted to British flowers, so let's aim to give them what they like best.  Ollie met Paul Pulford, a wildflower expert and head gardener at Grounded Eco-Therapy and The Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden on the Southbank, who kindly donated some wildflowers for our garden, and maybe nearer the time we could invite him to see the bed in all its glory and offer some advice on our project.
 

As mentioned previously, we are participating in Wild About Gardens Week   with our Spring Bulb Planting event on Sunday.  Come along from 12 -2pm to lend a hand and / or share ideas for encouraging more wildlife into the garden.

Looking forward to seeing you for our "bring a trowel party" on Sunday, don't forget, the clocks go back on Saturday night so one more precious hour for lying in b....er, planting bulbs!

Best Wishes,
Kelly and Ollie