How to Make Your Garden a Bee-Magnet Using Wildflowers

The population of bees and other pollinators are not so great, but you can help change that situation by making your garden a haven for bees through planting wildflowers. Providers of honey and natural pesticides against common farm nuisance, the size of these furry insects is in sharp contrast to the enormous importance they play in the harvest and Mother Nature’s life cycle. Help cap their dwindling numbers by:

1. Switching out pesticides for natural alternatives
   The problem with most commercial pesticides is that they kill all kinds of insects, both problematic and beneficial alike. Most contain chemical compounds harmful to the world’s busiest insect, and it would help if you seek other avenues of pest control that won’t get in the way. Bees themselves offer a great alternative to combat a rising population of insect invaders.
2. Calling in the experts for humane bee removal
   Before you look up “how to kill bees” in search of remedies for your attic infestation, remember that they are responsible for the majority of the global food pollination. With their population already at an alarming number, every bee counts and goes a long way in securing the future for ourselves and the next generation. Therefore, always opt for the live and humane removal of bees by an experienced professional.
3. Making room in your garden for wildflowers
   Wildflowers offer plenty of advantages to both man and insect. Aside from providing nectar and shelter for honey bees, the colorful and scented variety can boost the appeal of your garden. The preference of manicured lawns of the present age has contributed to the bee decline, and it would go a long way to set aside a safe haven in your garden for pollinators.
4. Spreading the word
   Not many people are aware of how bees are holding up the weight of the world on their tiny shoulders, but you can change that one door at a time. Take to social media platforms to educate people on why and how these insects are important or encourage others to be mindful of them in any way possible.
5. Making them a home
   A bee house isn’t hard to set up; you can even buy one at your local store for none of the installation work. This structure keeps them safe from the elements and predators while enabling a successful reproductive cycle. In return for your efforts, you can harvest honey for commercial purposes or home use.

This list is the tip of the iceberg as there are many other things you could do to ensure the continued survival of the planet’s most important pollinator. In this article, we’ll zoom in on helping bees through wildflowers.

Why would you want to have wildflowers in your garden?

Even if bees were not in the equation, there are many benefits to planting wildflowers, some of which include:

1. Better performance of vegetables and fruits
   If you like a garden that’s both aesthetic and functional, wildflowers can do just the trick. They can help your nuts grow better, and work wonders for vegetables and fruits given that they increase pollination activity in your garden. The biggest and best produce in the market often results from the efforts of these insects and other bugs, and wildflowers present many reasons for the beneficial critters to stay.
2. Soil erosion control
   The extensive root systems of these plants ensure they hold the soil well enough to reduce the impact of torrential downpours or strong winds that can ruin delicate crops with vulnerable underlying or foliage. Moreover, their seeds provide food for charming wildlife such as birds, so you’re sure to notice a couple of colorful visitors in your garden.
3. They aren’t demanding and look great!
   Compared to most flowers, wildflowers aren’t too picky with fertilizer, while their frequency of watering is substantially lower. Betony, and agrimony, are great wildflower options in that regard, they keep on giving year after year without too much effort. Moreover, there isn’t a place where wildflowers wouldn’t grow, hence their name.

Keeping your wildflower garden in tip-top shape

If you’ve set aside a large area for wildflowers, you should look into topping up the gaps with turf grass to cover up the thin spots, which is essential not only from a visual sense but also to keep weeds at bay. Additionally, you can ensure a blossoming wildflower garden by:

• Providing supplemental water during hot and dry months of the year to ensure the constant health and vibrancy of flowers
• Practicing regular weeding during the early stages of growth when weeds look to sneak into the spaces. Once they reach their full foliage potential, weeds will start to be less of a problem.
• Choosing a planting site with excellent sunlight access to ensure they have the most crucial resource for churning out beautiful petals.

For the initial planting phase, it’s recommended not to collect seeds outdoors and instead seek commercial options. This way, the natural seed bank is preserved.

The key to wildflower growing success:

1. Do your homework
   Wildflowers are generally hardy and can make do with any environment, but it helps to give them the tools they need to attain utmost success. For free-draining sandy soils, particularly those plagued by dry spells, varieties like oxeye daisy, knapweed, and yarrow have been shown to do really well. Conversely, species like the buttercup, cowslip, and primrose tend to fare better in heavier clay soils. As a general rule of thumb, you can uncover which plants are best suited to the local microclimate by finding out those native to the region.
2. Proper planning
   To ensure bees set up permanent residence in your garden, you need to prioritize year-round flowers. You can plant winter-flowering shrubs like witch hazel to take care of the colder months. Fall-flourishing flowers encompassing colchicum, ivy, and sedums, with daffodils, tulips, and fritillaries also hold their own quite well in chilly weather. Your summer selection shouldn’t be a problem; daisies, dandelion, thistles, and clovers have you covered. Evergreen shrubs can also help preserve the color and lure of your garden when flowers are past their glory days, in which case, it’s time for an overhaul. There are countless other options available across DIY pages on the internet.
3. Choosing self-seeding wildflowers
   This shouldn’t be a problem as most wildflowers are of the self-seeding kind. The advantage of these flowers is that they practically germinate and grow on their own without you having to play a part. Once you set up the garden, an endless life cycle of alluring hues takes over and you only need to worry about the occasional watering and picking out unwelcome guests, which you’ll get good at with time as you become familiar with the seedlings.

Your self-seeding options are countless, and they include poppies, borage, and calendula in addition to biennials such as foxglove, hollyhock, and teasel, to name a few. You can grow these in alternating rows with your food crops to provide bees and other pollinators the incentive to make detours at your productive plants for better yields.

Save the bees and, by extent, the world!

Make the world a better place for the bees and people in it by setting aside a portion of your garden for wildflowers or in some other means. Bees offer a plethora of advantages that span beyond agriculture, playing pivotal roles in life-saving medical discoveries while contributing to upwards of $15 billion worth of food products in the country, according to the findings of the US Department of Agriculture.

If not now then when? If not you then who? Help bees in any way you can, because the future of our existence depends on it!