Maximum Yield USA March 2018 | Page 67

“NATURE’S NEED for pollination has led to thousands of unique relationships between plants and animals.” Colony collapse disorder killed off 42 per cent of North America’s beehives in 2015. Neo-nicotinoid pesticides kill bees by the billions. Other insecticides, mites, loss of habitat, climate stress, and weed-killing glyphosate are all implicated. Changing climate often means a disparity between colony food needs and the time and place nectar plants bloom. Without bees, the only way to pollinate many important food crops is by hand (feather dusters are used already in badly polluted parts of China). Imagine the labor costs. Avoiding chemicals, buying local honey to support beekeepers, and growing bee-friendly plants all make a difference. With even a few square meters, a sweet habitat is easy to create and maintain. Many city dwellers tuck in a few herbs in a pot by the door, on a balcony, or in hanging baskets. For folks with more land, the options are limitless. Bulbs for Springtime For bee-friendly flowers in spring and early summer, plant bulbs in the fall. Sunny yellow winter aconite (Eranthis sp.) blooms very early and thrives in a wide range of climates but can be invasive. Ankle-high and usually dark indigo, grape hyacinths (Muscari sp.) also bloom early and spread easily. They do fine from rainy coasts to semi-desert. Alliums of all sorts, including onions, garlic, and leeks, do well in cool climates. Bees visit all of them but prefer the ornamental alliums with purple blooms. Crocus, especially Crocus luteus, is a bee favorite too. Many popular annuals are also bee magnets. From desert to wet forest, bright orange California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) reseed multiple genera- tions each year. Nigella (Nigella sp.) is in the buttercup family. It likes cool, damp spots and returns each spring with blue, lavender, or white blooms in a mist of feath- ery leaves. The black seeds of Nigella sativa are used as a culinary herb from India to Turkey. Zinnias (Zinnia sp.) decorate the sunny garden with bright patches of color for many months and attract butterflies as well as bees. Moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora) and its relatives are annual succulents that form open, thigh-high bushes. The small, bril- liant blossoms are real eye-poppers. They do well in hot, dry weather but are not at all fussy. Heliotropes (Heliotropium sp.) are an old-time favorite in the borage family, with bunches of small flowers in pinks and purples that bees adore. Cosmos (Cosmos sp.) thrive in rich, fertile soil. The colorful flowers bob in the sunshine until late fall. Asters (Aster sp.), seeded early, are a fall-blooming gift to bees. grow cycle 65