I learned through a post by meemsnyc that there is a giveaway project sponsored by Holly at Tasty Travels.
The idea is to get gardeners, bloggers, whoever, to plant bee friendly flowers in their gardens.
The idea is simple: purchase a packet of bee friendly seeds (or find them in your stash), divide them up as you desire and offer them to other gardeners to plant. Simple, huh!
To play along, here are the rules..
1. Purchase a package of bee friendly seeds and figure out how many people you would like to share them with.
2. Announce the project on your blog/website and offer the seeds to others (starting Sunday, Feb 6)
3. Link back to this post.
4. Mail your seeds to your people.
5. Update your original post with a list of places you mailed your seeds to.
See, easy, peasy, right?
I'm game. I hope you don't mind seeds from my stash...
Last year, as many of you know, we started lots of perennial flowers (and herbs) from seed. Well, there are MANY, MANY more seeds than I needed in those packets. So, I can offer:
Lavender Hyssop (also known as anise hyssop)- lovely blue/purple spikes of flowers, edible/medicinal and makes a wonderful tea.
Bee Balm (monarda lambada)- one of the most beautiful bee balms I have ever seen!
Purple Coneflower (echinacia)- many uses and beautiful.
I may also be convinced to part with some Clary Sage (Salvia sclarca)- a biennial with 3 foot tall spikes of flowers, This is a new one for us this year
All of the above are from Botanical Interests in 2010 in case you are wondering...
So, to get in line for these seeds. Please leave a comment below telling me your favorite bee friendly flower. I'll try to honor at least 15 requests for seeds and may be able to do more. Some of these I've got more of than others. Of course, I've also got cosmos and poppy seeds if you're interested...
I'll announce the winners sometime and you can send me an email with your address.
Lets get planting to make the bees happy!
An editorial note: Sorry, I can only ship within the US. While the postage doesn't bother me, I'm not sure of the customs regulations about shipping seeds overseas.
Oooh, you have bee balm, lavendar and poppy! Count me in on your giveaway. I have foxglove and hollyhock if you want to trade?
ReplyDeleteOh, I'd love a trade. The lavender isn't actual lavender, It's lavender hyssop- Agastache foeniculum to be precise. It has a heavenly licorice scent.
ReplyDeleteI've got a barn wall that is crying out for hollyhocks.
Judy
I have never grown all of them before. I believe the bees like them very much. I am in the southern hemisphere and joining in Holly project.
ReplyDeletenice project! Count me out, however, as I have tons of bee & butterfly gardens going and want to see someone else get "bit" by the bug and get those seeds :)
ReplyDeleteOthers can have the seeds but my favorite fall bee flower is goldenrod which we have a lot of around this area. When my parents raised 150 hives of bees, this was the staple crop for them in the fall. But my favorite flower based upon the taste of the honey will always be the spring crop of white clover.
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating Judy!! Great ideas on bee friendly flowers!! Since you left a comment on my post, you're welcome to my seed offerings. Just come back and leave an email that I can contact you at. I'll delete that comment so it won't be published. THANKS!!
ReplyDeleteI have tons of bees buzzing around my anise hyssop too - that stuff TAKES OFF, and I love the licorice smell. :) I'm off to do my post now...I have bachelor's buttons and lupine.
ReplyDeleteI am so intrigued by this seeds for bees project... thanks for letting me in on some of your seeds... bees around here love the giant sunflowers that we grow in rows in the vegetable garden... hopefully with some new flower seeds I'll be able to save and share too someday...!!
ReplyDeleteHey Judy, I'm mailing out my seeds and need your address if you still want my flower seeds. Thanks!
ReplyDelete