Plants for early pollinators
Early spring is crucial, says Welsh Botanic Gardens
WE all want to help our bee population, and the National Botanic Garden of Wales has made it easier by highlighting some of the best plants for early spring pollinators. The list includes earlyflowering varieties that are so important, as they provide the year’s first foods for queen bees and other insects as they emerge from hibernation.
The Botanic Garden’s PhD researcher, Abigail Lowe, said:
“As pollinating insects emerge on warm days in late winter and early spring, they seek their first meals of the season.
“After hibernating over winter, bumblebee queens need to find nest sites to form new colonies – an energy-demanding task.
“Most hoverflies and solitary bees overwinter as larvae, beginning their adulthood ‘on the wing’ during spring. And while honeybees stay active during warm days throughout winter, they need to replenish their stores in spring.”
The Gardens’ advice follows the launch of its Saving Pollinators Assurance Scheme, which encourages growers and suppliers to provide garden centres with plants that haven’t been grown in peat products nor ‘helped’ by chemicals that may be dangerous to insects and wildlife.
The scheme is being rolled out across Wales and there are hopes it will spread throughout the UK.
Here are some of the top pollinator plants for spring-time gardens; all can be planted in autumn and early winter.
Wallflowers (Erysimum): Wallflowers have a long flowering season and many pollinating insects forage on them.
Hellebores (Helleborus): Among the first flowers to appear early in the year, they offer an abundance of pollen.
Comfrey (Symphytum): A real all-rounder for short- and long-tongued bumblebees, as well as honeybees and hoverflies. Buy the non-invasive ‘Bocking 14’ variety.
Grape hyacinth (Muscari): A favourite for honeybees.
Anemone: The cup-shaped flowers are enjoyed by honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies.
Crocus: Purple varieties such as Crocus tommasinianus are often sought out by bees
and hoverflies searching for food after winter.
Snowdrops (Galanthus):
Snowdrops are one of the
first signs that winter is ending, with blooms seen as early as January. They provide vital nectar and pollen.
Apples, cherries and plums (Malus and Prunus):
Most varieties of apple, plum and cherry need cross-pollination to produce fruit. Luckily, the spring blossom of these trees is loved by a range of pollinators, and trees can be planted throughout winter as bare root whips.
Willows (Salix spp.): The catkins produced by willows are packed full of pollen and nectar. Cuttings or rods root easily and can be bought online and from nurseries in winter.
Lungwort (Pulmonaria): These early flowers provide nectar and pollen when little else is available. The colourful, tubular flowers are enjoyed by many species but it is particularly favoured by the delightfully-named hairy-footed flower bee,