Impact of insecticides on garden butterflies and bumblebees
Large scale impact of pesticides on butterflies and bumblebees in private gardens in France.
Bees
Learn to discover the different types of bees you might encounter in the garden. Perhaps even begin to raise some!
11 plant-me-now melliferous shrubs for pollinators
As appealing to us as they are to pollinators, melliferous plant species are where pollinator insects reign as kings. These beautiful flowers are gorged with pollen and nectar offered up for pollinators to feed on, a trade-off that 80% of all flower-bearing species sign up for in order to reproduce.
Lavandin, the most successful variety in the world
Lavandin is a family of stunning lavender hybrids.
Cute and generous, the common honeybee
These days, the domesticated honeybee often makes the news for sad reasons: populations are dwindling and environmental consequences are dire. Indeed, an individual honeybee is able to pollinate over 700 flowers an hour. This extraordinary performance makes it a precious ally in the vegetable patch and orchard.
A beehive in your garden
Bees are endangered, in part because of the massive use of pesticides. One thing you can do to protect them is to
How to save bees
Now that governments are starting to ban insecticides that are the most dangerous to our honey-making friends, a reminder of the situation and the best practices to implement on how to save bees.
Wasp, a reputation that deserves a makeover
Always a hassle around the picnic basket, sometimes even a painful sting, the wasp doesn’t seem to manage positive vibes, does it? But did you know its larva devours incredible amounts of insect pests that would otherwise damage our plants?
Flowers from winter through spring, every month gets its blooms!
Each season brings its own sweet charms to the garden. But after a foggy autumn and a biting cold winter you’re probably aching for your garden to show signs that cute little spring flowers are coming in.
Lavender, a welcoming summer flower
Easy to grow, lavender lets us savor the sun through its fragrance. Swaying at the tip of long scapes, its blue, violet
Beeblossom – planting, care, watering and fertilizer for Gaura
Beeblossom, or gaura, is an easy-growing perennial plant with minimal care.
Cross-pollination, when genes mix to breed new plants
Cross-pollination is when pollen from one plant variety fertilizes flowers of another variety,
How to improve cross-pollination
It’s easy to enhance and improve cross-pollination for your target species. These different tips will help you cross-pollinate plants.
Lavender, planting and caring for this fragrant flower
Lavender is famous in the Mediterranean for its fragrance and color. Care for it well!
Predator wasp, a voracious feeder… of pests!
As soon as the word wasp is mentioned, we all shudder at the thought of that insect that somehow always finds ways to turn a nice family picnic into a frenzied gaggle of panicked people! But did you know there were a great many wasp varieties? One of which is particularly interesting: the predator wasp.
Beneficial insects that lend us gardeners a hand
These feed on pests, help plants reproduce, and give the soil better structure. Beneficial insects really give us a real hand in the garden!
How to avoid cross pollination
While it’s difficult to keep microscopic pollen from flying around, there are a few things that will reduce cross-pollination. Quick read: what is cross-pollination? Promote cross-pollination instead of blocking it All our posts to understand cross-pollination Increase distance to other varieties Pollen may travel far, but in many cases having several hundred yards or meters […]
Flowers to grow for an easy flower bed
How to flower a garden without spending a fortune? Easy fast-growing perennials won’t need much care and will bloom for a long time. Every year, you’ll have the pleasure of seeing them thrive. They may even surprise you as they spontaneously self-sow in new spots of the garden. Make the most of the beginning of […]
Hoverfly: looks like a wasp, flies like a hummingbird, works like a bee!
The hoverfly: even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve probably seen them before and wondered what kind of insect this was. In spring and summer, one often sees them flying around, hovering at a standstill around melliferous flowers and trees.
An eco-friendly hive in the garden
Why not set up a couple hives? Some hive designs recreate the natural nooks bees make their homes in. They will provide you with a little organic honey and will increase pollination for your fruits and vegetables.
Attract animals to the garden
In these days of sustainable development and environmental protection, attracting animal and insect life in your garden is a necessity.
Monarda, the plant that bees love that helps prepare soothing balms
Bee balm is a cute perennial that’s also an herb, native to North America. Useful to all for its many medicinal properties (Monarda) and cooking flavor, it’s also a very ornamental plant.
Mason bee, a solitary worker bee that burrows in the ground
Mason bee, Osmia, solitary bee… all these names designate the same pollinating insect. And don’t be fooled by its tiny scale! It is indeed able to pollinate as many flowers as its more famous cousin, the common honeybee.
Bumblebee, bumbling along and heavyweight pollinator
A voluminous body, a louder-than-usual buzz, and colorful fuzz all around – the bumblebee is easy to identify! A particularly active beneficial insect in the garden, it is a diligent pollinator that runs in the same class as the common honeybee: the heavyweight class!
For a sustainable garden
To transform your growing beds into spots of high ecological value, here are a few simple tips and solutions. Common sense applies and points the way to sustainable gardening.
