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When planting this year please think about the needs of pollinators, bees, butterflies, etc.. Many of these insects are struggling to survive and with modern agriculture our gardens are becoming more and more important to them. Many summer bedding plants provide nothing to insects and you may as well have plastic flowers in your beds. Try always to buy single flowers rather than doubles as many insects cannot get to the nectar and pollen in doubles, if there is any at all. Below are a number of perennial plants that will provide nectar and pollen for insects and they will grow repeatedly every year. You can check out our website for a much more detailed list of flowers that provide food to the insect populations.
Try also to develop a little wildflower patch in your garden. If you dont continually mow a section of your lawn but only cut it in April and September you will give whatever wildflowers that are in the soil a chance to grow. When you cut it in September leave the cut grass on the lawn for a week or so and shake it when removing it to spread whatever seeds are in it on the ground to ensure more flowers next year. It may take three years to properly establish a wildflower patch but this can be speeded along by doing a wildflower seed harvest nearby. Wildflowers grow in roadside ditches, woods and in fields that are not regularly mown and you can collect some seed and put it in your patch around October for growing the following summer. These types of wildflowers are the most beneficial to bees and butterflies. Below are a few suggestions for flowers that you might plant this Summer instead of for example Begonias and Busy Lizzies.
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