The Hidden Garden and the Bees

Once upon a time, a master flower gardener owned the house that I now own, and the lawns were filled with exquisite flower gardens. There were so many flowers that the upkeep was a full time job. Sadly, she fell ill and was no longer able to care for them. The house went up for sale, and the gardens were entirely abandoned.

A few years later, my husband and I bought the house. We focused on updating its long neglected interior when we moved in that fall. In the spring, while my son napped in the car in the driveway, I began raking away the long, dried weeds and grasses that sprung up in the gardens by the front walkway. If nothing else, my raking made the walkway more visible so guests could find our front door.

Then something wonderful happened. Between all the weeds grew daffodils and tulips, and countless other perennials. But with an active 1 year old to chase, and another pregnancy that grew into a beautiful baby girl, the gardens were completely neglected once again. Today they look like this:

But then came a silver lining to our unkempt, hidden garden: Wild asters, which are magnets for honey bees. These asters are not only in our walkway garden, but in the chicken yard, and anywhere else the lawn mower can't reach. When you get near them they are literally buzzing with bees.

wild asters

wild asters

This discovery makes me happy because honey bees around the world have been in a steep decline since the 2000s, due to the use of Neonicotinoids, a popular pesticide used on many crops since the 1990s. Maddeningly, the use of neonicotinoids in the US continues to grow despite its effects on bees (and other insects). Therefore, any plant that supports healthy bees populations is fantastic in my book. Maybe I won't worry about my front walkway looking like a wild field anymore. And beekeeping (or at least hive-hosting) was definitely on my homesteading to-do list already. Mother Nature has created the bee garden I wanted all on her own.

Bees are critical because they pollinate so many food crops. Consider this image of what your grocery store produce section looks like now thanks to bees, and what it would look like if all the bees were gone.



Bees need our support. Will you help them too?

Sign a Petition:
Greenpeace's Campaign to Save Bees
A Change.org petition to ban chemicals harmful to bees

Learn how you can create healthy habitat for bees
http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/save-the-bees.html
http://www.savehoneybees.org/


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