Flowers for Bees

With each bottle of Spring 23 we have included a sachet of seeds, a mix of native species designed especially for bees, butterflies and hoverflies. These wildflower seeds, gathered in Somerset, can be scattered loosely in your garden. The sachets will keep your seeds dark and dry, meaning they can be planted either this year or next.

The seed mix is specially curated to grow in a wide range of soils and conditions, and to flower across the whole of spring and summer - lovely both for you and for your local bees! Each species (listed below) is native to Britain, and the seeds have been freshly harvested from what were originally wild populations.

The seeds are best planted in a grass-free area, and you may need to clear pernicious weeds such as dock and nettle to give your wildflower seeds their best shot. The flowers can be deadheaded in late summer if you wish - but otherwise, sit back and watch them grow.

Included Seeds:

There are 270 species of bee native to the UK, some of which are social and many of which are solitary - they are the jewels in the crown of British biodiversity. We have around 240 solitary bees, 30 bumblebees and one honey bee, with many local specialists from Scilly bees in the far south to the Colonsay Black Bee Reserve in the Hebrides. For many thousands of years, bees have pollinated our flora and fauna, playing a vital role in the food webs that allow ecosystems to thrive and survive. But as most of us know, bees are in rapid decline. This is in large part thought to be down to habitat loss and irresponsible use of harmful pesticides.

Many people might imagine that any flowers are good for bees - and for honey bees, this is largely true. However, honey bees are only one species among many, and solitary bees and bumblebees are known to vastly prefer native wildflowers. In fact, the focus on honey bees as a flagship species has in some areas been damaging for other bee species, as growing numbers of well-intentioned hives out-compete and spread disease to bumble and solitary bee species.

There has been a catastrophic decline in native wildflower species over the past seventy years due to changes in farming methods - with arable wildflower species such as corn marigold (which is included in our seed mix) declining by up to 60%. One way you can genuinely make a difference for bees in your local area is by planting native wildflowers, whether in a pot, in your garden or on a larger scale. While individual actions can help, the best progress is made in community with others; search for community wildflower projects in your local area, of which there are many.

Wildflower meadows are an asset to any garden - they are glorious both in sight and scent in the spring and summer months, easy to maintain, and (even on a very small scale!) they are lifesaving for bees and other pollinators, who desperately need more room to live.