If you want something with attractive flowers that is also a great plant for pollinators like bees, why not try sowing a patch of phacelia seeds. This hardy annual can be sown through the summer time up to September. You can use this on most soil types. It helps to reduce weed growth on a bare patch of soil. You can either dig it into the ground or throw the foliage onto your compost heap. It will self seed around so if that wil be a problem do not allow it to flower. If you will be removing it before it flowers - just have a corner of the plot left to flower for the bees to enjoy. It is a wonderful sight to see and hear as a large quantity of pollinators visit a patch of flowering phacelia making it 'quiver' as they go from bloom to bloom.
The phacelia plant will produce its flowers in about 7-8 weeks of you sowing the seeds. The flowers go through various interesting changes in their appearance. The final stage as they are ready to set seed gives them one of their other names - 'scorpion flower'. As the seed head of the bloom curls around reminiscent of a scorpion's tail.
Here is a link to a UK site that sells green manure seeds and has information about how to grow them -
Green manure - phacelia - sowgreenmanure.co.uk
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| Phacelia flowers are heavenly for bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects. |
