Plants to attract bees
Bee is for Birdhill
Be a wild flower seed saver and do your bit for the bees. Now is harvest time for many seeding wild flowers.
How to collect and save and plant:
Choose a sunny day.
Take a friend or your family.
Choose a local walk/place where you know the wild flowers grow – where you’ve seen the bees feeding on Spring or summer days.
Take some paper bags, envelopes or cloth bags.
Choose flowerheads that are full and brown.
Don’t pick seeds off the ground.
Pick a variety of flowerheads (brown) here and there along the way.
Leave at least two thirds in the clump. Some flowers will still be in bloom.
Label them if you know the names.
Take them home and sieve out the chaff, tiny insects and dust.
Spread them on a tray to dry out for two weeks or so.
Plant out your seed in seed trays of compost or in small pots.
When they are big enough plant out in your garden, farm, school wildflower patch, wildflower meadow or local hedgerow.
Just plug them in with a trowel.
Check the website for tips on when to plant out, Autumn or Spring: Website: Biodiversityireland Pollinator Plan How To Guides
Meanwhile don’t forget to let the dandelions grow – for most of the year they are a great source of pollen for bees.
The 98 species of wild Irish bees will come to feed on your wildflowers.
Bees love blue, pink and purple flowers especially.
The butterflies will come too.
The wildflowers below are blooming, seeding and feeding bees locally now.
