Bee friendly gardens

Bee friendly Plants at the Botanical Gardens plant shop in Swansea

1. Grow a range of plants, with different flowering times:

try to cover autumn to early spring in particular.

2. Choose simple flowers such as primroses and cranesbill:

easy for pollinators to access and more likely to have nectar and pollen.

3. It’s not just pretty flowers:   trees, shrubs, vegetables and herbs all provide food.

4. Plant in blocks:  pollinators expend less energy going from flower to flower, rather than tracking across your garden.

5. Native or non-native:   pollinators don’t know the difference.

6. Let one vegetable or herb plant flower and then seed: 

pollinators will love your garden.

7. Leave the seed heads over winter:   these give pollinators both food and shelter.

8. Provide water:   a bird bath or any shallow container which never dries out or freezes over.

9. Most wild pollinators nest in holes, in the ground or in crevices:   spend your money on a range of plants not on “bee boxes”.

10. Do not use pesticides:    live with imperfection.