One of the more pressing environmental problems globally is not in the news on a daily basis, but it affects us all. The bee population around the world is declining at an alarming rate, with 40% of the bees gone from the United States alone. While scientists aren’t sure of the exact cause for their disappearance, they do know that the world’s capacity to grow food will be greatly affected without these helpful insects. However, there are ways we can all pitch in to do our part to assist them in their plight – and Gordon Boswell Florist is here to help you in creating a yard that will invite the bees to safely thrive. Bee friendly plants are just the beginning!
Hard Working Insects – Bees are natural pollinators. They go flower to flower, collecting nectar for themselves and transferring pollen from one plant to another. The transfer of pollen in and between flowers of the same species leads to fertilization, and successful seed and fruit production for plants.
How You Can Help – If you’d like to join the movement to assist the bee population, host bees in your own backyard! Flowers which offer the delicious nectar bees love, as well as protein-rich pollen are excellent for attracting bees. You can choose sunflowers, coneflowers, echinacea, geraniums, bee balm, clover or black-eyed susans to welcome these industrious insects to your property.
Additional Bee Friendly Plants: Butterfly bushes, lavender, chives, salvia, and cosmos.
A Cool Cup of Water: Like all living things, bees require water during hot months – quite a bit, in fact. To create a hydration station for them, place shallow dishes with fresh, clean water around the plants. Add sticks or rocks so that the bees have a place to land and drink safely.
This summer, be thoughtful about the flowers you use to attract bees to your backyard, and you will likely be rewarded with these friendly visitors. Beautiful, vivid flowers are always in style – especially if they can also make a meaningful impact. The floral experts at Gordon Boswell Flowers are happy to help you select the perfect bee friendly flowers for your Fort Worth yard – come talk to us!