New game - Heliotroposis - the way a plant turns its ...
By dianebulley
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flowers towards the sun in order to keep cup shaped ones a few degrees warmer to entice nectar and pollen collecting insects. This includes Bees and Hoverflies.
I am sowing a pinch of seed in pots on my outdoor
sheltered shelving to watch what happens when they flower later on.
Also putting some Tomato plants in a raised bed, and some in pots in another sheltered warmer spot behind the greenhouse. To compare the difference.
I always keep the greenhouse door open so that pollinating insects have free access.
When I go to the garden centre will look for a few low growing bedding plants with cup shaped flowers to put in a round planter on another warm spot on my gravel bed. Buttercups growing in the wild are examples.
Bees are very clever little creatures. They set up ‘trap lines’ between a group of high nectar warm flowering plants and their nest. Repeatedly flying along these lines collecting nectar(honey). I seek to emulate this system.
As they gather the nectar, at the same time transferring the pollen, the plants keep producing more. Enabling it to reproduce itself.
I am attempting to position this type of plants in warm places to encourage the Bees and Hoverflies to visit them.
It will provide another interest for the coming summer months.
(source:’A buzz in the meadow. Dave Coulson.Ch.10.)
20 May, 2016
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Dave writes that Purple and Mauve flowers are a few degrees warmer than all the others. Bees like to be warm. Went on the hunt this a.m. Couldnt find Red Clover Seed to do the patches, so bought 3 Wild Flower seed collections.
Red Geraniums for a display in the greenhouse.
Purple centred Petunias for the round planter. Am getting
there. Its no use sitting waiting for the Bees to come, I must think Bees and plan for them !
21 May, 2016
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I bought Dwarf Antirrhinum plants for the round planter.
Next to the Pinks.
Sowed Dwarf Nasturtiums in the smaller planters.
Planted 3 Tomatoes into large pots in warm corner.
The Dwarf Munstead Lavender plants are looking good.
Clean forgot to get the Red Clover Seed. will do that next week. Object is to create a flower rich 'meadow' for the summer, to attract all kinds of Bees and Hoverflies.
20 May, 2016