SWEET LIKE HONEY
FOOD
Take inspiration from Doug Purdie’s delicious warm weather treats in his book Backyard Bees.>
How many of the plants you grow actually flower, and how many just have nice green leaves and not much else? The things you plant in your backyard, on your balcony or by the roadside can be beautiful, practical, low-maintenance and also provide excellent forage and habitat for a whole range of insects and birds, and even human food – all at the same time.
This is the fun bit: building a bee-friendly paradise, right in your own backyard. Those maintenance-free spiky plants and grass verges much preferred by commercial landscapers need to be replaced by (or at least intermingled with) flowering plants of all shapes and sizes. Mix it up between exotics and natives: the idea is to produce a cornucopia of forage that will suit all sorts of beneficial insects. Now don’t get scared, we are not talking rocket science (or should I say botanical science?) when it comes to making changes – these are simple.
You don’t need much. A couple of old cooking oil tins make great planters for herbs, so go foraging at the rear of your nearest fast-food restaurant and see if they’re discarding old tins. You’ll need to cut the top off and punch some holes in the bottom. Some people also find nice containers in op shops, or use old teapots or even old boots: almost any container can be used, even those reusable shopping bags. If that’s a bit too adventurous for you, buy some pots at your nursery or hardware store.
When you’re choosing pots, plastic ones are superior to anything porous as they hold water better and won’t wick it away from the roots. Avoid the expensive self-watering pots, as these are often just a gimmick. The easiest things to grow are herbs. They’ll do well in small pots with a bit of sun, so try things like basil, borage, rosemary, rocket (arugula) – anything you would like to use in cooking. Just make sure you let some of them flower, as that’s the reason you’re growing them in the first place.
Just about anything that flowers will be good for all sorts of pollinators, and your aim is to have at least two plants flowering in your garden all year round – not just in spring – to provide a continuous food supply. They don’t need to be native species; they can be anything you like the look of. Even some weeds are fine, although you don’t want to be propagating a harmful species, so check with your local council before you plant a whole backyard of dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), or something that is classified as a noxious weed in your area.
Once things start flowering, resist the urge to spray the caterpillars and aphids with poison – try to use natural methods. Don’t forget that nature equipped you with some of the best pest-control devices there are – at the end of your arms – and although the idea of picking off caterpillars or snails might be a bit confronting to you, whack on a pair of gloves and give it a go. It’s surprisingly satisfying, and the bugs can be fed to chooks or added to compost so they don’t go to waste. >