floridagardening

So many people are interested in plantings to attract honeybees.  In reality, honeybees go where honeybees want to go.  But, there are some plants that are more attractive to bees than other plants.  In the year and month that we’ve been keeping honeybees, we’re starting to see what they really like and really don’t care about!

First, if there’s a really heavy nectar flow somewhere else in the area (cherry laurel, lugustrum, willow, etc.), the bees won’t care much at all about your pretty flowers.  Sure, they’ll stop there to check things out and make you feel kind of good but don’t put your money on it.  That said, plant those flowers!  When the nectar flow starts to dry up in other areas, your honeybees will need a nice place to come!  I’m writing this from a beekeeper’s point of view but the same is true for folks out there who would just like to have a “bee-friendly” garden.

One of the best flowers you can plant (that is sure to attract the honeybees) is borage.  I planted about 12 borage plants this year and the honeybees swarm these plants.  Supposedly, borage makes an excellent honey as well, so we’re looking forward to that in the harvest!  Borage is an early spring crop so get it in the ground by February.  My borage is already starting to expire but I’m hoping to have a fall crop of it as well.  Did I mention that it tastes delicious as well?  Flowers and leaves can be added to salads and cool drinks (borage has cooling properties).  It is also reseeding itself!

Lately, I have been seeing honeybees on my dill plants.

One day, we saw honeybees flying all about a beautiful plant in Doc and Mrs. Sylvia’s front yard.  It looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure of its ID.  Turns out, it’s a gorgeous variety of vitex.

Marjoram is another much loved plant by the honeybees.  Let some of it go to flower and you’re sure to find a honeybee or two buzzing around it!

 

Bee Balm (of course).  Ours isn’t blooming yet but will be soon!

African Blue Basil: I don’t know much about this basil but once I realized how much all of the pollinators in the yard loved it, I make sure to let it grow and flower every year!  BONUS: it’s resistant to downy mildew.

These next two plants aren’t limited to honeybees.  You also want solitary bees to make your garden their home.  The solitary bees are more reliable pollinators (in my opinion) in that they are more faithful to your garden!  We have bumble bees, carpenter bees, leaf cutter bees AND real life little green bees in our garden.  They’re all solitary (and native) and do a fabulous job of visiting just about every flower they find!

Both solitary bees and honeybees find the oak leaf hydrangea irresistible.  It has a wonderfully sweet fragrance AND is loaded with pollen!

A new plant to our garden, this lovely Rudbeckia (not sure of the variety.  She’s about five feet high and blooming away!  I’ve not seen any honeybees on her but the solitary bees love it!

Of course, never neglect to provide plenty of water for your honeybees.

 

Be sure to click on the photos to see larger and better detail.

Do you have any tried and true nectar/pollen plants in your yard?  Let us know!

 

Related articles

• Bee Sanctuaries – The Melissa Garden (romancingthebee.com)
• Good News For Native British Black Honeybees (romancingthebee.com)

The Saturday night social took place at Crystal Springs Preserve. As we walked to the entrance, we were urged to apply insect repellent and saturated wipes were handed out.

The learning center featured animal skins and a beautifully painted ceiling.

The guides told us that unlike some of Florida's springs, this one doesn't have just one big vent, but instead has several sources of water in the area. No matter, the water is still crystal clear and the surround vegetation is beautiful.

A sandhill crane tends her eggs on a mud bank, while ibises and herons occupy another section of the stream bed.

A cabbage palm, before it starts growing vertically, looks like a rangey palmetto.

There is never enough time to talk to old friends.

A little added ambiance.

A delicious dinner was served in a screened pavillion.

 

After the disaster of TheTree going down,

I thought they would be a goner….

But the nice tree people at Mid Florida worked at protecting it….

When the old pool was being ripped out,the really nice guys at Top Gunn pools worked even harder…..

Their exact words were,”Watch that tree.It’s a survivor.”

And survived it did.And bloomed…

It has survived freezes

and construction work….

And …

…after the blessed rain,this past week,

…it is now,this….

and it has two

count ‘em, 

2!

babies growing along side of it.

What’s not to love about Angel’s Trumpets?

‘cept for the fact they’re poisonous,and psychedelic…..

I can't believe I went there.  Yes, Floridagirl has gone and done it.                What shocking thing has Floridagirl gone and done? Click here to read full article...

Dou Tallamy at the 2012 FNPS conference in Plant City, Florida.

Tallamy suggests that we reverse the “normal” landscaping so that there be turf only where you walk with bunching grasses, perennials, shrubs, and trees—both tall and understory species. For more information see Tallamy's website: http://bringingnaturehome.net/ Purchase your own copy on Amazon: Bringing Nature Home: What You can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants

The FNPS conference Friday night social took place at Gigis Garden in Plant City. The food was great, but the networking even better. Many members stayed late planning their next projects.

While filling the bird feeder today, we found an empty insect exoskeleton clinging to the bottom. (It almost seems to have a golden glow here, but that's just the effect of the camera flash.)

Jeff Klinkenberg, award winning Florida journalist, describes himself as a Charles Kuralt of Florida. He is telling us tales of the "Real Florida."



Lisa Roberts of The Wildflower Foundation.

Prem Subrahmanyam will talk about Florida's native orchids on Saturda at 1:30pm Meanwhile, he's selling some ofhis great orchid photos.

Homeowners: A special two-hour session with Michael Miller on how and why to install native landscapes. You don't need to attend the whole conference to attend this special session just for you and just for $25! After the session, he'll meet attendees outside amongst the native plants.

By Laurie Sheldon After a day of travel, field trips, and an exceptionally well attended Board of Directors meeting, FNPS conference attendees headed over to the Red Rose Inn Ballroom, where they showed that, contrary to what you may have heard, they're not JUST about natives...

The room was buzzing with friendly conversation.

...they like cheese, fruit, crackers, drinks, socializing, and - most importantly - showing off their plant smarts! FNPS Jeopardy, a perennial favorite among members from across the state, was the featured entertainment, and believe you me - the stakes were high.

Setting up for the game. Do not try this move at home.

Well, sort of. Nevertheless, the competition was so fierce that we had two hosts officiating over the crowd of green-thumbed hand-raisers. Beat that, Alex Trebek! Although Ray Wunderlich did an outstanding job as scorekeeper, everyone was a winner as far as I was concerned. Perhaps that's why I felt the urge to blurt out one of the answers without raising my hand (oops)!

I'd like to buy a vowel. What do you mean, "wrong game?"

We concluded the evening with a guitar serenade, and wandered off to our respective rooms to get a good night's sleep before our first full day of speakers. This is my first time at an FNPS conference, so I'm very excited to be here in Plant City for it and to have the opportunity to share my experience with everyone out there. More from me tomorrow. Until then, goodnight.

The phrase 'April showers bring May flowers' was not written my a Floridian. In Central Florida it is a true gift to receive any substantial rainfall in the month of April or May. Spring is our dry season. With our dry season most often come drought conditions and watering restrictions ensue. Our county is allowed one day to irrigate. Did you know watering thoroughly (rather than often and

 The 2012 FNPS Conference theme "Preserving the Natural Heart of Florida" and has this cool logo and you can purchase on a tee shirt. The conference offers something for everyone.  Bunches of folks are out on field trips today. Tonight is the welcoming Social. Thesessions start tomorrow. More on them later. You may register onsite for one or two days, plus there is an inexpensive homeowners' option for one session. More information here:  http://www.fnps.org/pages/conference/

Twelve native plant vendors are unloading their great-looking plant this afternoon! You do not need to register for the conference to purchase the plants. Native plants are THE sustainable landscaping option.

Greg Krolczyk, manager of the FNPS online store (www.thefnpsshop.com), is here with various logoed merchandise

On a tee shirt...

Live blog post by Ginny Stibolt

How wonderful it was to hear the rain coming down on the garden last night.  This morning brought happy scenes to view.  The Perennial Peanut and Pink Guara have both  weathered drought conditions well and have bloomed in spite of being dry.  Even drought tolerant plants appreciate a little rain though and I think they looked just a little lovelier with the moisture.  A native groundcover

Click here to read full article...

We released five beautiful Painted Lady butterflies last weekend. My little gardeners (six and two years) were SO excited!  Two of  the five butterflies stayed around our Lantana after they were released.  The others flew right off, but the two that stayed for about 15 minutes sipping on the nectar made this year’s experience really neat.

Click to view slideshow.

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We came around the corner of the house this afternoon to find a very tall bird visitor in My Florida Backyard. Great Egrets (Ardea alba) are common wading in the shallows on the edge of our lake, but they sometimes wander up into our yard as well. In the lake, they'll target fish, frogs, and other small water creatures. On dry land, their prey include lizards and snakes. Great Egrets are found around the world. In the U.S., they are seen in much of the country during migration and summer months, but in Florida and along the whole Gulf Coast, we're lucky enough to have them in residence year-round. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society. When the society was founded in 1905, one of its major goals was to protect birds like the Great Egret from being killed for their tail feathers. These gorgeous plumes were eagerly sought by society women to trim their hats, and egrets and others were slaughtered in huge numbers (their populations plummeted by up to 95 percent) and left to rot after their feathers were harvested. Society founder George Grinnell was appalled by the carnage, and founded the society to protect them. Today, Great Egrets thrive in Florida's wetlands, and are a common sight just about everywhere - we see them daily in My Florida Backyard. They are a true testament to what caring conservationists can accomplish when they inspire those around them to care as well.