The Bee Project - Plant a Wild Seed Initiative

 

Planting Wildflowers

Seed planting can take place in the fall or summer. When planting wildflowers whether in the field or in your home garden, amass seeds so they grow into a group of many smaller flowers. It will provide our little busy friends with a 'landing platform' to stand upon while they drink nectar or collect pollen.

Many wildflowers adapt to different regions easily. But use the climatic zone maps as a guide because growing conditions do vary. Please click on specific colours for further wildflowers information. Most native seeds can be found at your local nursery.

Planting Tips - Fall or Spring

1. Choose your site. Full sun is best. Try to create 'border areas' between lawns and woods for a natural look.

2. Clear the ground of existing growth. You can turn the soil with a shovel. For large areas use a roto tiller tilling just deep enough to remove old growth. Deep tilling encourages more weed seed onto the surface soil.

3. Spread the seed over the bare soil. If you are spreading over a large area, split the seed in two mixing each with white builders sand. Using the first half, walk the prepared area hand-broadcasting the seed evenly over the prepared site. Using the second portion walk back over the same area in the reserve direction.

4. Don't cover the seed, just compress the whole area. For small areas just walk over it. For larger areas a lawn roller is very effective. Just make sure you compress the entire area.

5. That's it. Don’t rake, don’t water, don’t worry about the birds. And don’t use peat moss. It is not needed. If the soil is well compressed, your work is done.

What to plant

See wildflower section. Clover is a great choice. Bees love it and clover makes attractive and robust ground cover. Try to select certified organic seed like a medium or marathon red clover. Clover has another benefit. It's high in nitrogen which benefits your soil. Remember: Plant in areas where you or your children do not go barefoot. Attracting bees to your garden means being mindful of where you put your feet and hands.

Other bee-friendly plants: sage, salvia, oregano, lavender, ironweed, yarrow, yellow hyssop, alfalfa, honeywort, dragonhead, echinacea, bee balm, buttercup, goldenrod and English thyme. Flowering trees are also attractive to bees. Don't forget that bees need sources of shallow water to rehydrate.

Unlike their cousins, the wasp and yellowjacket which die out each winter, bees slow down and wait for spring to continue to collect nectar and pollen. So bees collect well into fall. If at all possible, allow a few leafy vegetables in your home garden to 'bolt' or go to seed after harvest. Seeding plants are a bee's best chance to stock up on food before the colder months.

 

 

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