The BUZZ: Start Planning for Spring
A great way to pass the dull, down days of winter is leafing through seed catalogs and dreaming about a beautiful summer garden full of the colors and scents we love. At the Great Sunflower Project our thoughts turn to creating gardens that provide both habitat and shelter for pollinators and beauty and abundance for us. This year, we’re going to be learning more about the different types of bees that visit our gardens, as well as observing and selecting plants that make the most impact in terms of attracting the bees we love to watch.
A great way to learn more about bees is to visit our web site and look for the “ How to tell a bee” section. It’s fun to look through it and test your knowledge of bees that you’ve seen. We have noticed that many of our members want to dive deeper into learning about bees and other pollinators, so Gretchen, our Queen Bee, has collaborated with the Xerces Society on a new book called “Attracting Native Pollinators.” It’s beautifully illustrated, and is designed to show how back yard gardeners can take action to create the optimum habitat for native bees. You can order it through the Great Sunflower Project web site pre-orders at a special $20 price for our members.
We’ve also joined forces with Renee’s Garden Seeds to help you plan your garden this year. Of course, there will be Lemon Queen Sunflowers. We like to think of Sunflowers as giant barometers sticking out of a lushly attractive flowering landscape. They are, in our opinion, the best and easiest observation plant for watching and counting bees. Renee’s Garden Seeds also has a list of other beautiful and wildly attractive companions for your Lemon Queen Sunflowers. Plus every purchase you make through their site benefits the Great Sunflower project. Just enter coupon code FR225A when you check out at Renee's.
Planning for beautiful sunny days buzzing with bees,
Freddy B
