Bumblebee – July menu

Bumblebees need lots of flowers to feed on. Give them a helping hand by adding just one of these bumblebee favourites to your outdoor space in July.

Bumblebee Conservation Trust top picks are all easy to look after and great for beginner gardeners. Simply wait for them to flower, then enjoy watching your local bumblebees feeding.

July is also the month to make the most of what you already have. Remove dead flower heads from existing plants so they can keep blooming, and collect seeds so you can grow more next year for free.

For more planting ideas, try the interactive Bee kind took at: beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org

Bumblebee Conservation July menu for Bumblebees

• Oregano/wild marjoram – likes sunny spot, flowers July – September – bonus is you can springle leaves over pizza or into tomato sauces
• Wallflower ‘Bowles’s Mauve‘ – like sunny part shady spot, flowers February – July – bonus is this plant produces flowers for months on end
• Sea holly – likes sunny spot – flowers June to September – bonus is this plant has amazing coloured thistle shaped flowers.
• Columbine/Granny’s bonnet – likes sunny part shady spot – flowers May to August – bonus is that this plant grows easily from seeds collected from the seed pods.

This advice from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust – for more planting ideas, try the interactive Bee kind tool at: https://beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org