What’s all the buzz about bees? Join the Compost Education Centre and the Greater Victoria Public Library to learn about the importance of pollinators and discover little known facts about native bees and the integral role they play in our local ecosystem! We’ll chat about how you can help care for bees, and demonstrate a fun and simple way to make your yard and garden more bee friendly!
If you’re looking for a unique holiday gift for a friend or a way to attract native pollinators to your garden, check out these mason bee condos! These beauties are handmade by Gord Hutchings of Hutchings Bee Service after years of research and design refinement by Gord and his father. They are full of fantastic features like pull-out peekaboo trays to maximize bee health as well as giving you lots of chances to observe the bees. We have them in stock now and are selling them for $35.
We also offer classes from Gord to teach you more about how to care for your mason bees, how to attract native pollinators to your garden and more! Stay tuned for our 2015 workshop schedule for more details on our workshops.
June is the month where things settle into their boots (or roots, if you will) and start to show off everything they’ve got. I recently took a walk around the garden on the Summer Solstice to capture some of the sweet moments that are currently happening. Think nasturtiums, calendula, borage, phacelia, arugula flowers, Johnny Jump Ups and a king-size mullein! (Click on the photos for larger, more glorious images)
Many of the flowers pictured here are deliberately planted as companions for the vegetables nearby. Calendual and nasturtiums act as pest traps, attracting aphids away from squash and brassicas. Borage and phacelia attract pollinators (like the bumble bee doing the splits above!) to squash, tomato, and cucumber flowers. And Johnny Jump Ups and roses bring joy to pretty much anyone who stops to spy or sniff them. Welcome to summer everyone!
We’ve recently planted a garden to provide food and habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects here at the Centre. The goal of this garden is to provide forage for these little helpers throughout the growing season. Plant varieties were selected based on flowering time (spring/summer/fall), colour, flower shape, and species they attract.
Scroll on down to check them out and don’t forget to drop by the Centre on June 14th for Pollination Education Day!
Wild Bergamont (Monarda fistulosa)
Bergamont (Monarda spp.) – Also called “Beebalm”, these plants flower late in the summer and on into fall. Wild Bergamont (Monarda fistulosa) has light purple flowers, whereas its ornamental cultivar (Monarda didyma) come in spectacular reds and pinks. The leaves of this plant are very fragrant and can be used as a tea.
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) – Known for its calming effect on the nervous system, not only is this herb great as a tea, but its flowers also attract a host of beneficial insects. Flowers in the summer; ladybugs are attracted to it.
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – this native species is often seen in woodlands. It flowers earlier than many others and so is wonderful to have in a pollinator garden to extend the forage season. It attracts butterflies, bumblebees and humming birds.
Comfrey (Symphytum spp.)
Comfrey (Symphytum spp.) – We can’t get enough of this multi-functional plant at the Compost Education Centre! Comfrey is not only a powerful medicinal, its flowers make the bees go crazy! Flowers in the spring through to early summer.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – Another medicinal that’s good for us and the good for bees! Any lavender will do, the fragrant purple flowers attract bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp)
Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.) – This spotty-leaved, violet-flowered plant was chosen because of its early spring bloom time. Most flowers we are familiar with bloom in the summer, and beneficial insects need food before then. Lungwort flowers in early spring and provides food for bees.
Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata)
Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) – We were lucky to have this gorgeous, useful flower volunteer in our pollinator garden! Sweet Cicely flowers are a perfect example of the “umbel” shape that is so critical for many beneficial insects. This shape provides a landing pad and easy access to lots of nectar inside each of the tiny individual flowers. Not only this, but Sweet Cicely’s anise-flavoured seeds and leaves can be used as an alternative sweetner, as a tea or just to snack on. Please make sure you have a positive ID for this plant if you come across something that looks similar in the wild, there are poisonous look alikes!
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) – Tansy’s flowers are also easy to land upon and their brilliant yellow is beautiful in the garden. Tansy flwoers in the summer and attracts lacewings.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – Once again, we see the umbel flower shape here. Yarrow flowers in the summer and attracts ladybugs, hoverflies and parasitic mini-wasps who will munch on damaging caterpillars. Yarrow leaves and flowers can also be used as a tea to ease menstrual cramps and ease digestion.
