Top 5 Ways to Make Your Garden More Bee-Friendly
There are many ways in which you can add life and greenery to your house. You could plant a little garden in your backyard and even install a small pond in it. Alternatively, if you have some time on your hands and want to do something good for the planet, you could plant a bee garden in your backyard!
Bees are hard-working and reliable pollinators who love flowers just like you do. Unfortunately, as of late, they have been struggling to find the food they need, which caused their numbers to start declining. Planting a bee garden is one of the best ways to do something about it.
In order to go through with it, you will need to choose bee-friendly trees, flowers, and vegetables to plant and ensure that they have different blooming schedules, as well as avoid using pesticides.
In addition to that, you should avoid plants with lots of petals, make bee hotels, and provide its guests with a source of water. If you want to learn more, read on! Here, you will find a short guide to making your garden more bee-friendly.
Pick the Right Plants
Trees
The first step to making your garden more bee-friendly is to pick the right trees to plant. Some of the best trees for bees are fruit trees, such as apples, pears, and plums. In addition to fruit trees, bees also love maples, lindens, and crape myrtles.
When planting such trees, make sure to go for varieties that are native to your area, as other varieties might end up having trouble adapting to the local conditions.
Flowers
The next step that you need to take is to choose the right flowers. You could use a Prestige Flowers discount code and order a beautiful bouquet or head to a nearby Target and buy a few live houseplants. The best flowers for bees are bee balm, coneflower, oriental poppy, lavender, and chives.
Ideally, you should pick a set of flowers with different blooming schedules. That way, your garden will be helpful to bees all year round, as there will always be something in there that is blooming!
Vegetables
Vegetables are a great addition to any bee-friendly garden, as quite a few of them need bees for pollination. So, if you want to attract bees to your garden, make sure to plant some vegetables in there as well! Vegetables that bees find to be appealing include cantaloupes, watermelons, cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplant, gourds, and hot peppers.
Steer Clear of Pesticides
One of the worst things that you can do to bees is to use pesticides in your garden. Pesticides are designed to kill insects, and bees are no exception. If you must use pesticides in your garden, make sure to choose ones that are specifically designed to be safe for bees. In case you are not sure which pesticides are safe, it is best that you avoid them altogether.
Avoid Flowers with Lots of Petals
In general, flowers with lots of petals, such as roses and peonies, have little to no pollen, which many pollinators depend on as a food source. So, when a bee does approach such a flower and lands on it in search of pollen, it usually ends up wasting its much-needed energy.
For that reason, you should not plant double flowers and flowers with large numbers of petals in your bee garden. And if you already have a few such flowers in your garden, do not worry! Instead, just plant a few “simpler” flowers in there as well.
Make Bee Hotels
If you really want to go above and beyond in your efforts to attract bees to your garden, you can invest in a few bee hotels. Bee hotels are simply structures that provide bees with a place to nest.
You can make one yourself out of a block of wood, or you can buy one online or at a garden center. Once you have your bee hotel, simply place it in a sunny spot in your garden and wait for the bees to move in!
Provide a Source of Water
Bees need water just like any other living creature, and they will often visit birdbaths, ponds, and other sources of water to quench their thirst. So, if you want to attract bees to your garden, make sure to provide them with a source of water.
It does not need to be anything fancy! A simple birdbath or a small basin of water placed in a shaded spot in your garden will suffice. Just make sure to keep the water fresh and clean!
In Conclusion
Making your garden more bee-friendly is a great way to help these important pollinators thrive. Luckily, it is not a difficult thing to do. You just need to choose the right trees, flowers, and vegetables to plant, avoid using pesticides, and provide bees with a source of water.
In addition to that, you might want to invest in a few bee hotels and avoid planting double flowers and flowers with lots of petals. By following the tips listed here, you should be able to create a garden that bees will love in no time!
