Gardening for bees and other pollinators
There are lots of ways that you can make your garden friendly for wildlife.
Roselle Chapman from Wild Oxfordshire shares some of her top tips
Bee facts
- 250 species of bees in the UK
- 224 wild solitary bees
- 25 wild bumble bees
- One domesticated honey bee
Trees you can plant this winter to help pollinators
- Male grey willow (sallow) Salix cinerea
- Goat willow Salix caprea
- Small-leaved lime Tilia cordata
- Service trees: Sorbus torminalis, Sorbus domestica
- Apple Malus sp – any, fruit bearing, or ornamental
- Cherry Plum – Prunus cerasifera
- Wild Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna/laevigata
Gardening tips
- Leave the dead plant stems over winter. Hollow stems may be used by bees for over wintering.
- Provide flowers throughout the year – some bees emerge as early as February.
- Buy organic to ensure bulbs and plants haven’t been treated with neonicotinoids.
- Have a flowering lawn.
- Provide a source of water for bees.
- Leave a patch of bare earth – mason bees gather mud to build egg cells.
- Include a variety of flower shapes – different species have different tongue lengths..
More Information on Wildlife Gardening from Wild Oxfordshire https://www.wildoxfordshire.org.uk/communities/resources/