Today, My gardening work really paid off.
Last year I made a planter, well in fact I made two planters and both of them I had big plans for.
Last year once the planters were finished I planted a plant that I knew nothing about, it was a plant that I had seen out side a pub, it was a plant that showed of all its colours and that plant was the petunia.
As you might or might not know I created my garden to be a place for nature, well more of a place for our pollinators but last years season came to an end quicker than I could have imagined, and all my projects that I had in my head where put away for one year.
This year however I have picked up from where I left off last year, but there is a big difference this year, I have done a lot of reading, in fact some could say too much reading, but from this I have learned more with what to plant for our dear friends the butterflies and bees.
Last year I made a mistake, I decided to fill my planters up with a plant called the petunia, this plant has a great flower to them and is very pleasing to the eye, but that is to my eye not to an insects eye.
It turns out that butterflies and bees hardly got to these, in-fact butterflies don't go in these plants because they can't reach the source of nectar as it is too far down in the flower for them to reach.
In all fairness, I didn't see any bees go near these plants last year either, and this is when I started reading about what plants attract our pollinating friends.
This year I have decided to do something different, I have researched and researched on what I could possibly do to make my garden a safe and friendly place for our little insect friends.
With the amount of butterflies becoming less every year, I would hate to think that I had some land and not be able to help these creatures.
Last year in my planters I planted some crocuses, these are bulb plants and come back year after year, and with a little bit of care these have come up in true fashion this year.
With the long cold and rainy winter we have had here in the UK, I didn't know if these bulbs would grow, and if they did would they flower? this was a question I would only find out once the warmer months came.
Today while out side I saw something that caught my attention, it was something that made me think that all my hard work had paid off, it was a honey bee, the first honey bee of the season.
This brought joy to my heart, and I quickly got my phone and started taking a few pictures of it flying from flower to flower.
This honey bee was enjoying itself so much that it didn't even mind me been close to it while it drank nectar from the flowers, then it did something that I have never seen a bee do before, it started to roll around in the flower.
It rolled in one flower then another, and then another, and when it had finished it was covered in pollen, the bee was as yellow as the flower it was a magical moment for me to watch.
After seeing this bee doing this I knew what I had to do, I had to make my garden an even better place for them to visit than I had originally thought.
Now thinking back to all the books I had read on kindle about nature, I had to think about ways to bring them to my garden, for me to see and for me to share with you guys.
I knew what I had already growing in my greenhouse, and I knew they were all bee friendly plants, I have yarrow a herb with small flowers that bees and butterflies love to visit, cornflower, this was a first choice of mine as I loved the colour of the flowers so much that I knew once I had seen them I had to have them in my garden.
I also have chives, thyme and catnip all these are a great source of food, snap dragons and lupin were all starting to grow in my greenhouse, But I needed more.
I have gone over the top this year I have gone and bought more seeds for plants that I think will have a positive impact on nature this year.
Once they arrive in the post I will share with you all the seeds that I have chosen, and then you can tell me if I have made the right choice.
Until next time my friends.