Bulbs for Bees

Around now, most of us are planning what spring-flowering bulbs to order for our gardens. Often, a few spare bulbs will find their way onto the allotment to add a splash of early colour. These first flowers, when nothing else is in bloom, can literally be life-savers for bees coming out of hibernation and this year there is an added consideration to my choice of bulbs for the garden and allotment.

Earlier this summer I met up with an old friend whose husband has taken up bee-keeping. She passed on a good tip about choosing flowers with bees in mind which I'd like to share. Although double blooms may look good, she said, all those petals actually make it difficult for the bee to get in and find the nectar at the centre. It is much better to have simple open blossoms which the bee can enter easily and quickly to collect its harvest.

Here are just a few of the bulbs and corms which your bees will thank you for planting this autumn:
Snowdrop, Crocus, Cyclamen, Bluebell, Muscari, Hyacinth, Frittilary, Winter Aconite, Iris and Wood Anemone.

Apart from bulbs there are other flowers you can grow over the sparse winter months such as primroses and winter violas, both of which have edible petals and add interest to winter salads for you as well.

Submitted by Jane, plot 9