Bees do matter, and the kind folks over at Bees Matter Canada want to help them out. Head over to Bees Matter Canada and you can pick up a free packet of flower seeds to grow in your garden or on your balcony.
To grab your free flower seed packet, you will need to scroll down to the section marked “From Honey Bee To Table. Just under the Canadian map is a button that says “Sign-up to grow your own buzzing garden.” Click on that button, enter your shipping info and soon your packet of seed will be on the way. Right after clicking submit, a confirmation should pop up thanking you for becoming a "honey bee champion."
This flower seed packet is an invite to help provide healthy food sources for honeybees and other pollinators. Farmers are particularly interested in helping the bees as according to the website, “One in every three bites of food we eat is made possible by pollinators like honeybees.” Not only should farmers be concerned about honeybee health, but all of us should be concerned. Lack of honeybees and pollinators can drastically affect our local food supply.
The seed packet includes five different types of plants that will help encourage honeybees and other pollinators. Seeds for the following plants are included:
- Lance-Leaved Coreopsis
- New England Aster
- Dense Blazing Star
- Golden Tickseed
- Sneezeweed
I was concerned about the Sneezeweed and my spring allergies. Reading a little more about the plant, sneezeweed was commonly dried for medicinal purposes. The process of drying the petals would sometimes cause sneezing. You may not want to make homemade potpourri out of this flower.
All of these plants have beautiful blooms in yellow, purple and red colours. They are hearty plants that thrive in full or partial sun. If you have a garden, you may want to consider planting these flowers near your garden to encourage bees to pollinate your garden. This is a great project for children also. I will be talking with my daughter a little more about how honeybees pollinate and why they are important both within our ecosystem and to our food source. I do plan to put these flowers away from the places she usually plays, as I want to encourage her to watch the bees but still encourage caution. If you have a balcony, I would encourage you to plant these seeds there. It can be difficult for bees to find food sources as they travel through our neighborhoods, and your balcony flowers might just be the oasis they need. Consider it a rest stop for the bees and some pretty flowers for you.
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