An excellent video thanks Dave. Thanks so much for saying about the Borage, it’s fantastic to know it keeps the Bees etc going with the ‘come again’ pollen. Well, naked or not the video was extremely well clothed! 😁
Hello Mr. Goulson, I love your videos and enjoy learning so much from them. I am a gardener on 1/4 of an acre in Portland, OR and sadly have only seen one queen bumble so far. Because of your videos I have built 2 bumble houses this year and made some big noise about it in my neighborhood to inspire people to do the same. The response was wonderful and surprising, people do care.
Interesting stuff Dave. I've always looked after wildlife in my garden. Always grow scabious verbenas etc. Just ordered a load of knapweed off the internet. Your knowledge of bees is incredible I'm finding it fascinating learning all the different types f on you. Thanks for the post mate!
The verbena is beautiful, thanks for the video. I had a ton of bees when I sowed Phacelia last yr and have left some plants that reseeded this year for them.
I just realized that your Hogweed is also called Cow Parsnip, which is what I grew last year-- what it attracted here was LOADS of small beetles (unsure which species) that were on the flowers and I think eating the leaves. Some beetles were so small that I couldn't see them till I put my reading glasses on, then I saw hundreds of tiny green ones. All pollinators are welcome here!
Marvelous video, which I am glad to have found and watched. Two more plants well worth growing for late summer forage for bees are Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) and globe thistle (Echinops ritro). Both plants grow quite large, but act like magnets when attracting bees especially honeybees for the former and bumblebees for the latter.
Just getting into your series of video logs. What an excellent learning resource they are. Thanks so much. One observation about the little native scabious at 5:49 listed as S. caucasica? This is almost certainly small scabious S. columbaria. Quite possibly my favourite native UK wildflower. Flowers steadily from late June until October and visited constantly by bees, hoverflies and butterflies. No wildlife garden should be without. Thanks Dave
Just watching this again...(I know...Get a Life ; ) and during the Dahlia portion, noticed some spent buds...You probably already know, but if you deadhead regularly, Dahlias will bloom much longer, thus extending the food value for pollinators...The new buds are more rounded, whilst the old ones, (to be removed at the very base of their stem, not just below the flower), are more elongated. As I said, you probably already know this, but if not...there you go. Really enjoy your videos...great information and inspiration : )
The Echinacea can take over here and grow all over the place. It looks untidy to me, but you may like that. (If you try the white, they always die for me. Only the pink thrive). Thanks for the video. I LOVE the bees.
Regarding Echinacea, it seems to take 2 weeks, at least, for the flowers to mature enough to provide food. Bees won't get on them when they first open up.
This is August 2017 and the baby bumblebees are moving from pink coneflowers over to pink Japanese anemone (their all-time favorite) and Rudbeckia lacinata. The R. lacinata is just swarming with bumblebees, very tiny babies.
Thanks for posting these examples. Interesting about Borage and its pollen. Have you grown Angelica Gigas Purpurea? Lovely deep russet/purple heads, on statuesque stems, teaming with insects. If you have space, worth a try. It does self-sow, but not overly in my experience.
+Dave Goulson Very welcome. Just so you know the Angelica is QUITE tall. I actually enjoy the feeling of being dwarfed by flowering plants. Another good tall late bloomer, you may know already, is Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne' . On another note, are you involved with Pollinator Pathway projects in the UK? Have heard that several communites have begun them there. Wonderful idea...
+Jo Turner Sorry, just seen your message! Yes, I love giant plant - the lovage in my garden is ~9 foot tall, covered in flies and beetles. I'm not directly involved in any pollinator pathway projects, but they are a great idea. Cheers, Dave
I think the bees prefer the pink Echinacea ... It is usually covered with baby bumblebees and big ones too. But one year they did not touch it. I don't know why, unless the flowers became bitter due to my use of lime.
An excellent video thanks Dave. Thanks so much for saying about the Borage, it’s fantastic to know it keeps the Bees etc going with the ‘come again’ pollen. Well, naked or not the video was extremely well clothed! 😁
Hello Mr. Goulson, I love your videos and enjoy learning so much from them. I am a gardener on 1/4 of an acre in Portland, OR and sadly have only seen one queen bumble so far. Because of your videos I have built 2 bumble houses this year and made some big noise about it in my neighborhood to inspire people to do the same. The response was wonderful and surprising, people do care.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for letting me know, that is lovely!! I hope you get some residents :)
Best
Dave
Interesting stuff Dave. I've always looked after wildlife in my garden. Always grow scabious verbenas etc. Just ordered a load of knapweed off the internet. Your knowledge of bees is incredible I'm finding it fascinating learning all the different types f on you. Thanks for the post mate!
The verbena is beautiful, thanks for the video. I had a ton of bees when I sowed Phacelia last yr and have left some plants that reseeded this year for them.
I just realized that your Hogweed is also called Cow Parsnip, which is what I grew last year-- what it attracted here was LOADS of small beetles (unsure which species) that were on the flowers and I think eating the leaves. Some beetles were so small that I couldn't see them till I put my reading glasses on, then I saw hundreds of tiny green ones. All pollinators are welcome here!
Great video Dave. Love your books.
+Robert Remijnse Thanks!!
Great post, I enjoyed the information. Thanks.
Marvelous video, which I am glad to have found and watched. Two more plants well worth growing for late summer forage for bees are Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) and globe thistle (Echinops ritro). Both plants grow quite large, but act like magnets when attracting bees especially honeybees for the former and bumblebees for the latter.
Lovely, thanks for sharing. I've enjoyed these videos and you've given me some great ideas for my garden and allotment. Thank you.
Just getting into your series of video logs. What an excellent learning resource they are. Thanks so much. One observation about the little native scabious at 5:49 listed as S. caucasica? This is almost certainly small scabious S. columbaria. Quite possibly my favourite native UK wildflower. Flowers steadily from late June until October and visited constantly by bees, hoverflies and butterflies. No wildlife garden should be without. Thanks Dave
Thanks, I'll check the ID this summer
Just watching this again...(I know...Get a Life ; ) and during the Dahlia portion, noticed some spent buds...You probably already know, but if you deadhead regularly, Dahlias will bloom much longer, thus extending the food value for pollinators...The new buds are more rounded, whilst the old ones, (to be removed at the very base of their stem, not just below the flower), are more elongated. As I said, you probably already know this, but if not...there you go. Really enjoy your videos...great information and inspiration : )
Not naked?... Dangit! B-)
Thanks for the tips. I made a note of the plants!
The Echinacea can take over here and grow all over the place. It looks untidy to me, but you may like that. (If you try the white, they always die for me. Only the pink thrive). Thanks for the video. I LOVE the bees.
Regarding Echinacea, it seems to take 2 weeks, at least, for the flowers to mature enough to provide food. Bees won't get on them when they first open up.
This is August 2017 and the baby bumblebees are moving from pink coneflowers over to pink Japanese anemone (their all-time favorite) and Rudbeckia lacinata. The R. lacinata is just swarming with bumblebees, very tiny babies.
Thanks for posting these examples. Interesting about Borage and its pollen. Have you grown Angelica Gigas Purpurea? Lovely deep russet/purple heads, on statuesque stems, teaming with insects. If you have space, worth a try. It does self-sow, but not overly in my experience.
+Jo Turner Thanks for the tip - will try :)
+Dave Goulson Very welcome. Just so you know the Angelica is QUITE tall. I actually enjoy the feeling of being dwarfed by flowering plants. Another good tall late bloomer, you may know already, is Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne' . On another note, are you involved with Pollinator Pathway projects in the UK? Have heard that several communites have begun them there. Wonderful idea...
+Jo Turner Sorry, just seen your message! Yes, I love giant plant - the lovage in my garden is ~9 foot tall, covered in flies and beetles. I'm not directly involved in any pollinator pathway projects, but they are a great idea. Cheers, Dave
Hi Dave, No worries...life is very busy..I totally understand. Really admire your work..All the best to you and your family for the New Year!
Nice one good tips👍🍻🍻😁
I think the bees prefer the pink Echinacea ... It is usually covered with baby bumblebees and big ones too. But one year they did not touch it. I don't know why, unless the flowers became bitter due to my use of lime.
Do bumblebees, or bees in general, show a preference for deadheaded plants?
+Joseph Napper Not that I know of! But deadheading can bring back more flowers, which they do like...
Here in California, Borage gets no interest from bees or anything at all- watched the flowers all season, and nothing.