We may be enjoying an Indian Summer or not, but it’s time to think about Spring. As the honey bees gather the last of the pollen and nectar offered up by the autumn blooms in readiness for winter, the Bumblebees begin to decline in number the adult solitary bees die off and the Hoverflies wane. We begin to think of winter holidays and Christmas.
As the light fades our garden centres and nurseries offer us tantalising treats to add colour to our pots, window boxes and garden borders, in the form of dull looking brown bulbs and corms. Within each rests a beautiful flower, one which will nourish our emerging pollinators next spring.
So as you idle past the trays and baskets of bulbs think beyond the tulips and daffodils. 100 Crocuses planted in the lawn, the purple hue of Muscari amid the pots, bobbing heads of Fritilliary planted under a tree, statuesque Alliums with their globes of colour standing tall, the bright yellows of the winter aconite will all provide spring colour and much needed food for our important pollinating insects. All there resting deep within the soil in readiness to feed the emerging Bumblebee Queens, the next generation of Solitary Bees and sustaining the resting Honey Bees. Once you have planted them they will increase in number and bloom year on year.
It’s also the time to order bare root flowering trees, roses and shrubs – saving on cash in time for the Christmas rush. What better time to plan your planting for Spring as the autumn light begins to fade.
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