Can bee do it? Yes we Calne!

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Henry and Catherine have come across a fantastic idea that’s going on in Calne in Wiltshire, just round the corner from where they live.  Calne Environmental Network have teamed up with Kennet Beekeepers and Calne in Bloom to provide information on how to sow insect-friendly flowers in your garden.  They’re even offering subsidised wildflower seeds (Henry says “subsidised” means “cheap”).

CEN say our increasing taste for neat gardens with decking, gravel and non-native species is adding to the pressure already facing our pollinating insects, not to mention all the other beneficial creepy-crawlies out there.  Henry and Catherine think it’s very important that everyone knows this and they are very excited by the idea of a lovely wildflower patch full of happy insects.  They’re already nagging their Mum and Dad to get some seeds.  Their Mum pointed out that autumn isn’t always the best time to plant flowers, but Catherine wasn’t listening because she got distracted by a picture of a pig.  Catherine loves pigs.  And she thinks Calne must be a great place to live because they’ve got a statue of a pig, as well as lots of flowers.

Calne’s pig statue

CEN suggest any of the following flower species will have your borders buzzing throughout the year, as well as looking gorgeous: Allium, Angelica, Aquilegia, Borage, Buddleia, Bugle, Campanula, Comfrey, Corn Cockle, Cornflower, Corn Marigold, Corn Poppies, Cosmos, Cow Parsley, Cranesbill Geranium, Dahlia (single), Delphinium, Echinacea, Foxglove, Heather, Hebe, Hollyhock, Honesty, Honeysuckle, Hyssop, Laburnum, Lavender, Lilac, Lupin, Marjoram, Michaelmas Daisy, Muskmallow, Ox-Eye Daisy, Poppies, Purple Haze, Red Campion, Red Clover, Rosemary, Roses (single), Rudbeckia, Sage, St John’s Wort, Scabious, Sedum, Snapdragon, Sunflowers, Sweetpea, Teasel, Thistle, Verbena, Veronica, Vetch, White Clover, Wisteria, Zinnia

Whew! Once you’ve got that lot planted, put your feet up and wait for the insects to move in!

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