WILDLIFE GARDENS AND PONDS

So I've got a question for any of the GC wildlife gardeners......which summer flowering bulbs do you think are the best for our pollinators?

 

@Fern4 you seem to be asking specifically about summer bulbs; I would classify some of the later alliums as summer flowering and they are excellent for bees and other pollinators. Chives and garlic chives are popular. I’m not a big summer bulb gardener. Maybe @BeeHappy can advise on this. Avoiding any double flowers is usually good advice or any that have particularly long thin tubular flowers as pollinators find it more difficult to get in.

 

Thanks @Redwing .....I'll look into alliums this autumn I think and plant them then.

 

@Redwing LUV luv Luvv Alliums and sooo easy to grow provided they have plenty of good gritty drainage. There are quite a few types - like Moly, Nectaroscordum, and Sphaerocephalon.
Also Anemone Blanda, Anemone coronaria, Anemone de caan, Anemone nemerosa, Asiatic lily, Bearded Iris, Crocosmia.Freesia, Galtonia, Hemerocallis, Iris, Ixia, Tigridia,, Nerines, Lily of the valley, Oriental Lillies- plus although a tuber, not a true bulb the buzzy's and flutterby's, in fact, so many of our pollinators love Dahlias - The Bishops series in particular as they are open blooms not, ya fancy hybrids
Hope thats a few to consider @Fern4

 

Thanks @BeeHappy ....I've got both freesias and crocosmia bulbs to plant up plus Bishop of York Dahlias so it looks like the bees will be happy!

 

@Fern4 from ME and the

 

Can vouch for allium sphaero-whatsitsface.. bees loved them in my garden last year. More so than the big globe ones (christo...something)

There was a dahlia trial last year called blooms for bees to see which colour of a single flowered dahlias the bees liked best out of white, red and purple. Although the study indicates white were more popular I found they were more attracted to the purple on the allotment.

Dahlia trial results | Blooms for Bees

 

and link

Love your technical terms Linz sounds like me .....Oooo we o know how to get our point across eh!! Butt

 

Useless with names.. I do apologise!

 

Thanks @Linz .....I'm just having a read of that link. It's very interesting. I've grown the Mignon Series Dahlias before and the bees loved them. I think it's interesting that you mention purple flowers because I reckon bees favour purple flowers of other kinds even though in the trial they prefered white dahlias.

 

Agree Fern I too find the pollinators choosing these shades over other colors, its said its to do with ultraviolet light also that the purple and blue blooms are nearer to the original base colors in nature - here's a good info link explaining how Bees see plants
Flowers: What You See Versus What the Bees See Hope you all enjoy it

 

Oooh more good info....thanks

 

@Fern4

 

Hello again fellow WL Gardeners
Another lovely and useful link here, with lots of floral advice
The best garden flowers for bees : Resources : Goulson Lab : School of Life Sciences : University of Sussex