Buzzing with life – bee friendly scheme launched to bring on the best beasties

If you’re not spending the Easter weekend attempting to get away from it all then there is good chance that either some DIY or some gardening will be on the cards.

With rumours of fine weather, thousands of us will be emerging into the garden, perhaps for the first serious attempt this year, so the National Botanic Garden of Wales has released a new guide to encourage pollinator planting in order to bring the best beasties flying in.

The brand-new guide to planting is brimful of great ideas and top tips to protect our precious pollinators in an initiative developed in collaboration with the Welsh Government.

Individuals, organisations and communities all over Wales are being encouraged to take action to help pollinators through a scheme which aims to provide expert advice on foraging habits, nesting sites, avoiding pesticides and community involvement.

The Bee Friendly Scheme, run by the Wales Action Plan for Pollinators Taskforce, is an intiative aimed at communities and community organisations, schools, public bodies, town and community councils, businesses, universities and colleges, places of worship and many other organisations, all around Wales.

The organisation says it is the first co-ordinated national scheme of its kind aiming to make Wales a “Pollinator-Friendly” country by encouraging honey bees, bumble bees and solitary bees, some wasps, butterflies, moths and hoverflies, and some beetles and flies.

Cutting edge

The booklet is packed with ideas to help promote pollinators in the environment revolving around focussing on food, habitat, freedom from pesticides and having fun in the process.

The Botanic Garden’s science team has provided expert advice for the guide, detailing the top plants for pollinators to guide growers on what to plant throughout the year.

Botanic Garden science officer Dr Abigail Lowe said: “The research work that the team is carrying out here has helped build up a very clear picture about which plants are perfect for pollinators.

“We are very proud to be playing a key role in this fantastic scheme and we hope that this new booklet will give the people of Wales all the knowledge they need to do the right thing for pollinators.”

Based on the Botanic Garden’s cutting-edge research, Dr Lowe has selected 30 plants that will help make your space more attractive to pollinators, whether that’s a community area, lawn, backyard, or containers and window boxes on a balcony.

There are also tips on grass cutting, growing from seed, from cuttings, and advice on making new plants using techniques such as layering and division.

You can find out more about the Bee Friendly scheme and download a booklet here and a hard copy of the booklet is available at the National Botanic Gardens.