Bee-Friendly Plants for Your Yard or Garden
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Bee-Friendly Plants for Your Yard or Garden
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What would happen if one day 80% of flowering plants disappeared? If bees and pollinators die out, that’s exactly what would happen. Bee-friendly garden plants are a simple way to save the honey bees and make the world a better (and more beautiful) place.
Why Are Bees So Important?
In recent years there’s been more awareness to save the dying bee populations. But how important are bees really? Although they’re tiny, bees play a big role in our ecosystem.
According to the USDA Forest Service, over 80% of flowering plants need bees and pollinators to reproduce. This includes flowers, fruit trees, and many other fruits and vegetables. Bees also help pollinate flowers and plants other animals rely on for food.
Basically without bees… there is no us!
The Time to Act Is Yesterday
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service releases their honeybee surveys and reports every year. They’ve found bee colonies took a nosedive in the early 90s, but there’s been a slow uphill climb the past few years. While bees are still at risk of becoming endangered, it seems more people are addressing the issue. We need a whole lot more though!
We’re losing about 30% of bee colonies every single year. There’s only so much time before the clock runs out and we’ve lost our most important pollinators for good.
Build a Bee-Friendly Yard
One of the biggest changes we can make is to create a bee-friendly environment in our own backyards (and front yard, and side yard…). It may not seem like much, but the more people chip in the more of a difference we can make.
Here are some simple ways to create a haven for bees:
Get Lazy with the Lawnmower
Flowering “weeds” like dandelion and clover are food for hungry pollinators. A picture-perfect patch of green grass may look good in a magazine, but for a bee it’s like an empty buffet. Keeping grass higher and ditching the weed killer means more flowers and wild plants have a chance to grow.
Filling your yard with bee-friendly plants and not mowing wildflowers is a big first step. When a neighbor makes a comment about the “weeds,” that’s a golden opportunity to spread the bee-saving message.
Variety Show
Just like we don’t want to eat only broccoli all day every day, bees also need a variety of foods. Diverse plant life also makes for healthier soil and attracts beneficial insects that feed on the bad bugs.
GMO monocrops, like corn and soy, rely on pesticides that kill wildflowers and decimate friendly insects. Other farms rely on bees to pollinate, but unfortunately many of them still use bee damaging/killing pesticides. Almond groves are a prime example.
We can advocate for better forms of bug control by voting with our dollars and supporting organic farms. Some small farmers don’t use pesticides but aren’t certified organic. It’s worth asking around at the local farmer’s market!
We can also use natural, pollinator-friendly pest control methods in our home gardens.
Not All Plants Are Created Equal
There’s more to making a pollinator garden than setting out some flowers. Certain bees prefer certain plants, and some colors are more attractive than others. Bright colored flowers, especially purple, are more likely to bring bees.
Avoid Neonics
Aka neonicotinoids, this class of pesticides was developed in the 1990s and is widely used. Unfortunately there’s evidence neonics are harming our eco-system, including the bee population. Seeds are coated in the neonicotinoids and as the plant grows the pesticide becomes part of the plant. The pollen and nectar are then poisonous to bees and other pollinators.
Plants and seeds treated with neonics should be clearly marked, so be sure to carefully read any labels before purchase.
A Pollinator Garden for Every Season
While dandelions and purple dead nettle are great for spring and early summer bee food, there’s the rest of the year to think about. It helps to plant different flowers that will be in bloom throughout the summer and into the fall.
In the plant lists below, many are marked with when they’re in bloom. By planting a variety, bees can eat throughout the seasons before they go dormant in winter.
Plant by Zone
Many plants work in most growing zones, but if possible, native plants are the way to go. This website has details on native species for pollinators tailored to each area of the US.
Best Plants for Bees and Other Pollinators
Flowers usually come to mind when we think about food for bees. However, flowering trees are the biggest food source for pollinators. The Arbor Day Foundation recommends the following trees for a pollinator garden.
Trees
Maple
Serviceberry – prefers areas with cold winters
Koelreuteria – a popular variety is the goldenraintree
Fruit trees – plums, apples, crabapples, peaches, cherries, and pears are good options.
Crapemyrtle – Flowers late spring through summer
Liquidamber – a popular variety is American Sweetgum
Black tumelo – Native to eastern states and yields especially good honey for honey bees.
Sourwood – native to eastern states and produces seed capsules into winter.
Linden – Silver linden and littleleaf linden are popular species
Hawthorn
Tulip trees
Southern magnolia
Privets
Pollinator Garden Flowers
Here are some flowers bees, butterflies, and other pollinators rely on. Not every plant will grow in every area. Be sure to check which growing conditions a plant prefers before planting.
Columbine – blooms mid spring to early summer
Lupine – spring
Dandelion – spring through fall.
Clover – early spring through summer, depending on the variety
Irises – early summer
Milkweed – blooms throughout the summer
Marigold – blooms throughout the summer
Rocky mountain iris – summer
Aspen fleabane – summer through fall
Gentian – mid summer to fall
Sunflowers – summer and into fall
Wild bergamot (also known as bee balm) – blooms late summer through early fall
Rose – begins blooming in May. Depending on the variety it may only bloom once per season.
Goldenrod – end of summer through fall
Joe pye weed – blooms late summer through fall
Fruits and Vegetables
Blueberry
Eggplant
Legumes
Watermelon
Tomatoes
Pumpkin
Strawberry
Edible and Medicinal Herbs
Where to Buy Pollinator Plants
Check your local garden store, neighborhood plant swap, or grow them from seed!
Our pollinator friends still may be in danger, but there’s plenty we can do to help them out! You can read lots more about gardening and get tons of tips for how to grow and maintain a garden here.
Sources:
Anderson, C. (2020, April, 21). 7 Flowering Herbs for Bees. Carolina Honey Bees. https://carolinahoneybees.com/best-herbs-for-bees-and-homesteading/
Arbor Day Foundation. (N.D.). Trees for Bees and Other Pollinators. Arbor Day. https://www.arborday.org/trees/health/pests/article-trees-for-bees.cfm
Kaplan, K. (2020, March 13). Fact Sheet: Survey of Bee Losses During Winter of 2012/2013. USDA. https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/br/beelosses/index/
Pollinator Partnership. (N.D.). List of Pollinated Food. Pollinator. https://pollinator.org/list-of-pollinated-food
USDA. (2020, April, 4). Surveys. United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/Bee_and_Honey/
Source: https://wellnessmama.com/426197/bee-friendly-plants/
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~ Tulip in a garden ~ The tulip is a Eurasian and North African genus of perennial, bulbous plants in the lily family.[1] It is a herbaceous herb with showy flowers, of which around 75 wild species are currently accepted. The genus's native range extends west to the Iberian Peninsula, through North Africa to Greece, the Balkans, Turkey, throughout the Levant (Syria, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Jordan) and Iran, north to Ukraine, southern Siberia and Mongolia, and east to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of diversity is in the Pamir, Hindu Kush, and Tien Shan mountains. It is a common element of steppe and winter-rain Mediterranean vegetation. A number of species and many hybrid cultivars are grown in gardens or as potted plants. Tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can be between 4 inches (10 cm) and 28 inches (71 cm) high. The tulip's large flowers usually bloom on scapes with leaves in a rosette at ground level and a single flowering stalk arising from amongst the leaves.Tulip stems have few leaves. Larger species tend to have multiple leaves. Plants typically have two to six leaves, some species up to 12. The tulip's leaf is strap-shaped, with a waxy coating, and the leaves are alternately arranged on the stem; these fleshy blades are often bluish green in color. Most tulips produce only one flower per stem, but a few species bear multiple flowers on their scapes (e.g. Tulipa turkestanica). The generally cup or star-shaped tulip flower has three petals and three sepals, which are often termed tepals because they are nearly identical. These six tepals are often marked on the interior surface near the bases with darker colorings. Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue (several tulips with "blue" in the name have a faint violet hue). Tip of a tulip stamen. Note the pollen grains The flowers have six distinct, basifixed stamens with filaments shorter than the tepals. Each stigma has three distinct lobes, and the ovaries are superior, with three chambers. The tulip's seed is a capsule with a leathery covering and an ellipsoid to globe shape. Each capsule contains numerous flat, disc-shaped seeds in two rows per chamber. These light to dark brown seeds have very thin seed coats and endosperm that does not normally fill the entire seed. Follow me http://ift.tt/2aBo1IP http://ift.tt/29QO41b Location Kropyvnytskyi (Kirovograd), Ukraine
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When It Comes to Gardening Tulips Put a Spring in Your Step!
A mosaic celebrating the tulips in our garden taken last spring and early summer.
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, of which around 75 wild species are currently accepted and which belongs to the family Liliaceae.
The genus’s native range extends west to the Iberian Peninsula, through North Africa to Greece, the Balkans, Turkey, throughout the Levant (Syria, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan) and Iran, North to Ukraine, southern Siberia and Mongolia, and east to the Northwest of China. The tulip’s centre of diversity is in the Pamir, Hindu Kush, and Tien Shan mountains. It is a typical element of steppe and winter-rain Mediterranean vegetation. A number of species and many hybrid cultivars are grown in gardens, as potted plants, or as cut flowers.
Tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can be between 4 inches (10 cm) and 28 inches (71 cm) high. The tulip’s large flowers usually bloom on scapes with leaves in a rosette at ground level and a single flowering stalk arising from amongst the leaves.Tulip stems have few leaves. Larger species tend to have multiple leaves. Plants typically have two to six leaves, some species up to 12. The tulip’s leaf is strap-shaped, with a waxy coating, and the leaves are alternately arranged on the stem; these fleshy blades are often bluish green in color. Most tulips produce only one flower per stem, but a few species bear multiple flowers on their scapes (e.g. Tulipa turkestanica). The generally cup or star-shaped tulip flower has three petals and three sepals, which are often termed tepals because they are nearly identical. These six tepals are often marked on the interior surface near the bases with darker colorings. Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue (several tulips with "blue" in the name have a faint violet hue).
The flowers have six distinct, basifixed stamens with filaments shorter than the tepals. Each stigma has three distinct lobes, and the ovaries are superior, with three chambers. The tulip’s seed is a capsule with a leathery covering and an ellipsoid to globe shape. Each capsule contains numerous flat, disc-shaped seeds in two rows per chamber. These light to dark brown seeds have very thin seed coats and endosperm that does not normally fill the entire seed.
Etymology
The word tulip, first mentioned in western Europe in or around 1554 and seemingly derived from the "Turkish Letters" of diplomat Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, first appeared in English as tulipa or tulipant, entering the language by way of French: tulipe and its obsolete form tulipan or by way of Modern Latin tulīpa, from Ottoman Turkish tülbend ("muslin" or "gauze"), and may be ultimately derived from the Persian: دلبند delband ("Turban"), this name being applied because of a perceived resemblance of the shape of a tulip flower to that of a turban. This may have been due to a translation error in early times, when it was fashionable in the Ottoman Empire to wear tulips on turbans. The translator possibly confused the flower for the turban.
Tulips are called laleh (from Persian لاله, lâleh) in Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and Bulgarian. In Arabic letters, "laleh" is written with the same letters as Allah, which is why the flower became a holy symbol. It was also associated with the House of Osman, resulting in tulips being widely used in decorative motifs on tiles, mosques, fabrics, crockery, etc. in the Ottoman Empire
Cultivation
Tulip cultivars have usually several species in their direct background, but most have been derived from Tulipa suaveolens, often erroneously listed as Tulipa schrenkii. Tulipa gesneriana is in itself an early hybrid of complex origin and is probably not the same taxon as was described by Conrad Gesner in the 16th century.
Tulips are indigenous to mountainous areas with temperate climates and need a period of cool dormancy, known as vernalization. They thrive in climates with long, cool springs and dry summers. Tulip bulbs imported to warm-winter areas of are often planted in autumn to be treated as annuals.
Tulip bulbs are typically planted around late summer and fall, in well-drained soils, normally from 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) deep, depending on the type. Species tulips are normally planted deeper.
Propagation
Tulips can be propagated through bulb offsets, seeds or micropropagation. Offsets and tissue culture methods are means of asexual propagation for producing genetic clones of the parent plant, which maintains cultivar genetic integrity. Seeds are most often used to propagate species and subspecies or to create new hybrids. Many tulip species can cross-pollinate with each other, and when wild tulip populations overlap geographically with other tulip species or subspecies, they often hybridize and create mixed populations. Most commercial tulip cultivars are complex hybrids, and often sterile.
Offsets require a year or more of growth before plants are large enough to flower. Tulips grown from seeds often need five to eight years before plants are of flowering size. Commercial growers usually harvest the tulip bulbs in late summer and grade them into sizes; bulbs large enough to flower are sorted and sold, while smaller bulbs are sorted into sizes and replanted for sale in the future. The Netherlands are the world’s main producer of commercial tulip plants, producing as many as 3 billion bulbs annually, the majority for export.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip
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Posted by antonychammond on 2019-10-29 15:50:44
Tagged: , fdsflickrtoys , Tulip , Flower , Garden , genus Tulipa , family Liliaceae , Spring , Perennials , ContactGroups , THE GALAXY , Floral Fantasy , “DoubleFantasy”
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