Friends Of The Garden

Hello Lovelies!

Today I wanted to talk about the wonderful insects and their place in the garden! Pollinators are so important to the life of a garden. Without pollinators garden production would drop by 40%. Especially for a verity of fruit trees that rely completely on bees and insects for pollination

You can thank a bee for 1 out of every 3 bites of food! So how can we attract these garden friends and keep them happy!

Lets start By planting some perennials! Perennials are a investment for your garden as they’ll re bloom every year. They give the garden an established look quickly. Some perennials such as cone flower can be used for tea and other medicinal purposes. Many herbs are also perennials mint, rosemary, and parsley just to name a few will make a lovely appearance in your landscape year to year. Depending on your zone and the verity of rosemary you choose you many need to winter it over indoors. Rosemary can be frost tender and doesn’t like the cold these slow growers can handle the heat though!

Pictured is another perennial in the herb family! Pineapple sage is a wonderful addition to the garden for anywhere you have space. It grows quickly producing these beautiful red flowers. I would suggest planting it where it can grow freely in a large landscape. It was constantly covered with butterflies this summer. You can use pineapple sage in a simple syrup for a refreshing summer cocktail!

Honey bees will travel up to 3 miles in search of food and water. Once they find your welcoming garden you’ll be sure to have plenty of visitors! Some of the best perennials for bees are salvia, lavender, nepeta, and coneflower! These perennials are big pollen producers and are sure to keep your garden friends happy. They’ll also attract a wide verity of butterflies and hummingbirds!!

Shown here is a hyacinth bean! These will GROW!!! I planted this to climb a panel arch in my kitchen garden. Last season and I was gifted this beautiful plant and thought that would be the perfect spot! It grows like wild fire producing beautiful dark green and purple foliage. They shoot out these wonderful stems with dark purple bean pods and bright pink and purple flowers! These shoots are wonderful for cut flower arrangements as well. By the end of the season it had grown down the other side of the arch and filled in the middle faster then i could prune it! It was a constant buzz and humm of life the bees and butterflies swarmed the magnificent shoots all season well into the fall. I also found a few praying mantis tucked in its large leaves.

Basil is another wonderful plant for the bees! Although its not a perennial its definitely worth planting in your garden. I always plant a few extra and let them go to flower. Typical you don’t want your basil to flower as it will change the taste from a sweet summer freshness to something a little more bitter. Its wonderful to plant around your tomatoes as a companion! The bees and butterflies make it a frequent stop during the spring and summer! Surrounding your vegetables with bright flowers will grab the attention of our garden friends!

Lets talk water! Are hard working garden friends deserve a drink. So lets set up the perfect watering hole! Bees can swim and likely if you just set of a bowl of water they’ll drown. Keep them safe and hydrated by simply taking a saucer filling it with pebbles and fill it with water but not so much that it will cover the tops of the pebbles. This way the bees can light on the stones and take a drink with no fear of drowning! Or if you have a fountain in your garden they’ll love that too!

Happy Gardening!!!