Get The Buzz – Planting for Bees

There are many reasons why bees are so very important to us, but one fact really stands out to us and makes us appreciate how hugely important our buzzy friends are:

“It is estimated that one third of the food that we consume each day relies on pollination, mainly by bees, and it is often said that if bees died out, humans would follow just four years later.”

Wow! There you have it. So now do we have your attention?

The bees loving the echinops in our garden

Now we know you have heard lots of times that bees are on the decline and we are not here to bore you with the whys and whatnots of that. We simply want to share with you our Top Ten bee friendly plants to include in your garden which look great, are easy to look after and importantly, bees just LOVE. So next time you are down the garden centre or browsing online why not get yourself some of these beauties and know that you are doing your bit to keep the food on your plate?

First of all bees love diversity so make sure you have a few different options for them and also ones which are flowering at different times of the year to encourage them to keep coming back. Secondly, go for native plants wherever you can and ones which will thrive in your conditions. The more bees you attract into your garden the better your garden will grow too as many plants and vegetables rely on pollination.

1. Lavender

A favourite with so many of our clients. It loves dry, sunny positions so if you don’t have the correct sort of soil in your borders consider having a pretty pot filled with lavender on a sunny corner of our patio where you can enjoy the
sights, smells and buzzy sounds from it!

2. Catmint

Nepeta is loved by cats and bees alike! It is similar to lavender with its pretty flowers and silvery blue leaves and gives off a lovely aromatic scent as you brush past.

3. Verbena

We love verbena, particularly verbena bonariensis. It grows really easily, even in our heavy clay soil and gives statuesque height to the border. You may need to give the plant a bit of support if your garden catches the wind and be warned, this plant does like to self seed. It provides beautiful winter interest if it’s not cut down in Autumn.

4. Sedum

Another favourite in our garden and one which grows really easily and provides great structure to a mixed border. We love the dark red colour which appears late Autumn when the garden is starting to need a little bit of a boost and
continues to provide interest through the winter. It’s easy to split and create new plants so if you know a friend who has some then go ask for a piece now!

5. Eryngium

Bees love all thistle-like plants and it’s hard to choose from the array of wonderful, architectural plants. We love eryngium big blue but there are many beautiful varieties to choose from. Eryngium is another great plant for winter
interest if you don’t cut it down after it has flowered.

Bees on eryngium

6. Buddleja

Probably best known for attracting butterflies but bees are also partial to a buddleja. The long cone-like flowers prove too irresistible for them.

7. Sunflowers

Now, who can resist the big yellow smiley face of a sun flower? It’s the perfect plant to get kids involved in gardening. Get them to have a competition with their friends to see who can grow the tallest plant and use it to explain to them the importance of encouraging bees into the garden.

8. Hebe

Hebes are a great structural shrub which can be a lovely alternative to buxus in your garden if you are looking for a rounded shape to provide an interesting form. But bees love their flowers too making it a well rounded (excuse the pun) plant for the garden.

A bee on sedum

9. Foxgloves

We regularly see foxgloves growing profusely at the sides of the road so it shows just how easy they are to grow. They will self seed furiously so once you have them you will get free plants forever. Bees just love snuggling up inside one
of the bell like flowers and having a nice big feed.

10. Heathers

Again, a plant we often see growing in the wild in Scotland and if you have acidic soil in your garden you will be able to grow these well and keep our fuzzy friends happy.

If we have whetted your appetite, then there are literally THOUSANDS of plants* which bees will love and there will be plenty to suit your garden and soil. The perfect for pollinators list published by the RHS gives you more information than you could ever wish for.

If you want any advice on creating a bee or wildlife friendly garden please get in touch.

Happy planting!

Lulu & Tilda xx

* Honourable mentions also go to echinops and fennel. Both of these statuesque plants are magnets to bees as well as being stunning plants to add some height and structure to a garden.

Pumpkins – Lanterns and Mini Pies

Hey everyone, it’s Halloween this week. What are you dressing up as? I am going to be a cat and I have a brilliant cat joke to share with you later! As well as dressing up and trick or treating (or guising as we call it up here in Scotland!) with your friends it’s also pumpkin time! In my special Halloween blog I share some perfect pumpkin facts, let you see this year’s lantern and share a wonderful pumpkin recipe (ooh and I’ll maybe squeeze in a wee book review while I am here too!…)

Me and my Jack Skellington pumpkin

Pumpkin Facts

Most of the pumpkins we see and use as lanterns or for eating are orange but did you know they can be yellow, white, green and even red!
Carving Halloween lanterns is a tradition that originates from HUNDREDS of years ago in Ireland (that is even older than M&D!) They were originally made from turnips or potatoes which is waaaay harder to carve than a pumpkin!
Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family (isn’t that a funny word!) which also includes melons, cucumbers and courgettes!
The heaviest recorded pumpkin weighed in at a massive 1,810 lb 8 oz!
If you want to grow your own pumpkin you should plant your seeds in late May.

Carving pumpkins is a lot of fun and I love seeing them lit up in the dark evenings. Here is ours this year:

Doesn’t my pumpkin lantern look great all lit up!

Book Review

The very lovely people at the RHS sent me a copy of their “Grow It, Eat It” book. It is perfect for little gardeners like me who love growing their own fruit and veg. Not only is it packed full with tips on how to grow all sorts, from tomatoes and aubergines to spinach and strawberries, it also features lovely recipes using what you have just grown.

grow it eat it

Some of my favourite recipes are carrot and orange muffins and potato fish cakes. I am definitely going to try the sunflower bread soon too which you bake in flower pots, how cool! It’s a perfect book for all weathers and all times of year so I definitely recommend adding it to your collection. My “Lulu’s Rating” for this book is:

Another 5 star book, hurray!

Today, to keep with the Halloween theme, I have chosen to share one of the recipes from the book which is…

MINI PUMPKIN PIES

You will need:

500g pumpkin
1 tbsp oil
375g puff pastry
1tbsp plain flour
90g treacle
1 egg
3 egg yolks
300ml milk
1/2 vanilla pod
pinch of salt

To make:

(Pre heat oven to 190C, 375F, Gas 5)

1. Ask a grown up to cut the pumpkin into large chunks, coat in the oil and roast for about 20-30mins until tender. Cool and mash with a fork.

Wow, two pumpkins!

2. Shape the puff pastry into 16 small balls then roll them until about 6cm in diameter and press into a bun tin.

Roll out your pastry balls

3. Place parchment paper into each pastry and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15mins.

4. Pour the milk into a pan. Add the vanilla seeds and heat until almost boiling. Leave to cool a little.

5. Lightly beat the egg yolks, whole egg and treacle in a bowl. Add flour and salt and beat until smooth. Add the milk mixture.

Mixing it up!

6. Pour the smooth mixture into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin puree.

7. Spoon the mixture evenly into the pastry cases. Bake in the over for 20-25 mins until just firm and slightly puffed up.

Ready for the oven

A yummy, healthy treat to impress your friends with this Halloween.

The mini pumpkin pies

Oh and I almost forgot, here is my Halloween joke:

What is a cat’s favourite colour?
PURRple of course!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Lulu xx