Put the buzz back with bee friendly seeds from FHF

GREEN MANURE SEEDS
to improve the condition of your soil and attract bees, pollinators and put life into you soil.

Crimson clover and bee.

BEE MEADOW SEEDS
to attract bees and add colour to your garden

Annual      This Bee Meadow will provide a continuous display of nectar and pollen-rich legumes, brassicas and wildflowers.  A selection of organically sourced seed (97%) which will provide a continuous display of nectar from pollen-rich legumes and wildflowers guaranteeing a rewarding honey harvest. A good early Autumn range of flowers will help the bees build up their honey stocks for the Winter.  Quick growing annual seed mix.

Perennial   A fantastic mix of flower seeds to attract bees all season long. The meadow will provide both pollen and nectar to maintain hive health. All the flowers chosen produce high quality pollen. There are no brassicas in the mix. Although brassicas produce a lot of pollen the full grown plants are very vigorous and will out compete the other flowers. Brassica rich honey also crystallizes very quickly making extraction a problem. Our Bee Meadow perennial mix contains 22 different varieties - enough for even the most fussy of bees!.

Flower meadow in bloom.

WILD FLOWER MEADOW SEEDS
Annual varieties have been added to give colour to the meadow from year one, when the slower developing perennials are not established. In year two the perennials will offer a different colour scheme while some annuals will reappear producing a colourful low maintenance meadow. Sheeps fescue is included to give a natural meadow look.

OPEN POLLINATED SEEDS
Organic open pollinated Vegetable, Flower, and Herb seeds that everyone can grow and save for the following year

Bee wise - Organic growing to help the bees.

  • Organic growing focuses on working with nature rather than against it. By adopting a few organic methods in your own garden you will be helping out the bees and other pollinators.
  • Never ever use herbicides, pesticides or insecticides. These are the kiss of death for most insects, pollinators or bees. Buy organic or undressed seed as they will not have been sprayed. This goes for things like bulbs and tubers as well as potato and onion sets.
  • Control weeds by either hoeing or mulching. Weed killer is a killer.
  • Plant some green manures – especially phacelia or crimson clover. They will improve the condition of your soil as well as providing food and shelter for bees!

Tips for creating a bee haven

  • Use local native plants. Research suggests native plants are four times more attractive to native bees than exotic flowers. In gardens, heirloom varieties of herbs and perennials can also provide good foraging.
  • Chose several colours of flowers. Flower colours that particularly attract bees are blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow.
  • Plant flowers in clumps. Flowers clustered into clumps of one species will attractmore pollinators than individual plants scattered through the habitat patch.
  • Include flowers of different shapes. Bees are all different sizes, have different tongue lengths, and will feed on different shaped flowers. Consequently, providing a range of flower shapes means more bees can benefit.
  • Have a diversity of plants flowering all season.

Dandelions and wildflowers left to grow.
  • Sow a bee meadow – even a small patch will help.
  • Improve the biodiversity of you garden by letting some ‘weeds’ grow.  (A weed as a plant whose virtue has not yet been discovered.)
  • Make your lawn more pollinator friendly by letting it grow longer - less mowing for you, more habitat for the wildlife.  Dandelions, clover, daisies etc add to is value.
  • Dispose of household chemicals properly – allowing them to enter waterways (which insects drink from) is not a good idea.
  • Grow organically - this is win win all round. Better food for yourself and a better environment for nature to thrive. If possible buy organic food as this will have been grown in a nature friendly manner. Organic Growers do not use any chemical fertilizers, insecticides or herbicides on the crops they grow. Neither do they use Genetically Modified seed. The emphasis is on working with nature to produce a healthy soil environment through the addition of natural inputs (for exampleseaweed) and green manures.