Encourage Beneficial Insects

Within the section we have listed all the vegetables, fruits and flowers that we believe will help to encourage bees and other beneficial insects to your garden, allotment or field.

Why not plant a wild flower area in a corner of your garden?  In this category you will find the right grass mix to use and a selection of wildflowers, as well as other numerous varieties from the practical to the attractive.

HOW TO CREATE A WILDFLOWER MEADOW

It is very important to get the ground preparation right - fertile grassy areas will swamp wildflowers completely.
You need to:-
• Ideally, scrape off the rich topsoil, as it is full of weed seeds, which will result in a lush growth that will swamp the wildflowers. If sown in topsoil spray the area or use an organic method to get rid of coarse grass and weed seed.
• Create a fine seed bed in the subsoil and lightly sow the seed. If the area is large divide it into sections and sow evenly (mixing with barley meal, silver sand or sawdust helps to spread the seed evenly and helps you to see where you’ve been).
• Rake in thoroughly and firm down to ensure your seeds have a good contact with the soil.
• If you do sow in topsoil, you will have to keep on top of the weeds and thin out the grass periodically.
• Mow the area at least three times in the first year to a height of about 5cm (22"), this will also reduce grass competition. It is very important to remove the cuttings as they will increase fertility. Treat the area as you would a lazy lawn, i.e. cut it when it looks untidy, approximately 3 times a year.
In year two, when the meadow will start to flower, cut once (make sure your flowers have all set seed), this will usually be by mid September, and remove the cuttings to a compost heap.
• DON’T scatter your seed onto existing lawn / grass - it won’t work.
• DON’T apply fertiliser to your meadow.
• DO keep the area watered in dry spells.