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1. No pesticides, no problem?
If you don鈥檛 use pesticides you may think your garden is organic. But plants you bought from a garden centre probably contain chemicals that were used in the nursery that grew them. found this is even true if they are labelled 鈥減ollinator-friendly鈥�. Of 29 such plants, two were uncontaminated. More than 70 per cent had been treated with neonicotinoid insecticides, which are strongly suspected of being bad for bees. The researchers say that gardeners who don鈥檛 want to put pollinators at risk should buy plants at organic nurseries or grow them from seed instead.
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2. Flowers running wild
Take a moment before you plant a mix of generic wild-flower seeds in your garden. If you live in or near a natural area and the seed mix you use is from elsewhere, your 鈥渨ild鈥� flowers may escape and compete or hybridise with local wild populations. This may also be a risk in urban areas, where regional plants must work extra hard to survive. Competition from non-local seed mixes could be one challenge too many. Native wild flowers are, by nature, opportunistic and resilient. Set aside a patch for them, and they will grow there on their own 鈥� they just may not be the colourful mix you were hoping for.
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3. Bee-wildering
Think that your prize-winning roses and dahlias are good for local wildlife? Sadly not. Many ornamental flowers are double ones: they have genetic mutations that replace their sexual organs with extra petals. As such, they don鈥檛 produce as much pollen, and extra petals can confuse pollinators looking for nectar. Hawthorns, Japanese anemones, clematis and hollyhocks are all good for bees in their natural form, but have pollinator-unfriendly double cultivars. To help pollinators, it is best to stick with single dahlias and dog roses, and avoid plant varieties with 鈥渇lore pleno鈥� (full flower) in their name.
4. Poisonous听honey
Not all plants that make nectar or pollen are good for bees 鈥� many are toxic. When bees take nectar from oleanders back to their hive, the toxins in it become more concentrated as it dries and can wipe out a whole colony. Rhododendron nectar is so toxic for bees that beekeepers tend to keep hives closed during their flowering season. Honey made from rhododendrons is even unsafe for us to eat. A quick online search should tell you which plants will offer a nutritious meal for bees and which are a poisoned chalice.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淕rowing skills鈥�
