Garden Wisdom Blog — bees

With pollinator conservation in mind it’s a good idea to plant flower seeds for bees. But which are the best pollinator plants? Which bee flowers are the easiest to sow and grow? What flowers can be grown in containers or schoolyards to attract pollinators? Certain plants produce flowers that are really generous with nectar and pollen in order to ensure good pollination. The plants and the bees (and other insects) that pollinate them have evolved in harmony to form important relationships — one can’t survive without the other, but together they will thrive! So the first consideration is to think...

The Biodiversity Blend provides the widest, most diverse combination of flower types in any of our wildflower blends. There are flowers to tempt every sort of pollinator, but particularly butterflies, wild bees, and hummingbirds. Several species are included that produce edible seeds, so they will continue to nourish songbirds and other critters long after their colour has faded. This mix of perennials and self-sowing annuals is intended to demonstrate one of the foundations of organic growing — that biodiversity begets biodiversity. In diverse systems, plants grow healthier and wildlife is enriched. Basil Ocimum basilicum Bishops Flower Ammi majus Blue Lupin...

Save The Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee West Coast Seeds recently launched the hashtag #savetherustypatchbumblebee across our social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We have been encouraging our followers to re-share our post and tag a friend in an effort to attract awareness to this endangered pollinator. An Endangered Species The rusty-patched bumblebee was officially declared endangered in the United States in March 2017. Now on the brink of extinction, this beloved pollinator’s population has dissipated by nearly 90% over the past twenty years. Pesticides, loss of habitat and climate change are just some of the threatening factors which are...

The much maligned dandelion actually has a lot to offer. It has been vilified in our culture as the invader of lawn spaces, thrusting its dazzling yellow colour into an otherwise tranquil field of green. Homeowners pour millions of gallons of weed control chemicals into their lawns each year in a vain attempt to vanquish this foe. So what is it about dandelions that most homeowners hate so much? There is a degree of old fashioned thinking of lawns as symbols of wealth and status. This historical memory seems to harken back to England in the 17th Century, when tightly...