Tangled Branches: Cultivated
happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia
Friday, May 25, 2007
Verbena and Bees?
In a burst of inspiration and ambition this morning, I decided to dig up an area next to the deck and plant a few herbs. And while daydreaming about vine-ripe juicy tomatoes with olive oil and cinnamon basil, I began to imagine sultry summer afternoons on the deck with a book, a beverage, and butterflies dancing at my feet. I have plenty of Verbena bonariensis seedlings this year, and it would be so cool to have the flowers peeking through the deck railing with a few million butterflies posing for pictures and...
Reality Check---> What's wrong with this vision?
Ummmm, bees? I've noticed that many of the butterfly plants are also bee plants.
Bees are fascinating creatures; we and the plants couldn't get along without them; etc. etc., but I really don't want to encourage them to hang out with us while we enjoy a relaxing afternoon. So here's a question for anybody who's growing Verbena bonariensis - have you noticed whether it's especially attractive to bees? I grew it last year for the first time, and although I remember the butterflies, I can't remember any bees.
Labels: bees, butterflies, verbena
3 Comments:
Me too, I saw only butterflies on the v.b.'s last year. Mine are almost in flower now so I keep my eyes peeled for any bees in their neighbourhood. Love this plant, don't you? So pretty and elegant.
I don't have any verbena, but it seems that pretty much any flower can attract both bees and butterflies. I'm afraid there's no way around bees at your party, they sorta crash the door when the butterflies open it. :)
Yolanda Elizabet: I do like the V. bonariensis quite a lot. I only had one plant last year - it came back from the roots this spring, but it will be a while before flowering. I'm still trying to figure out the best use for it - whether to group a number of plants together or to let a few here and there weave their way through some shorter, stouter neighbors.
Lisa: I planted it next to the deck anyhow - we'll see how it goes. We have no shortage of bees by the deck even without any apparent attractions for them. But I still want butterflies ;-)
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