Nature is awesome – not only do flowers brighten our lives with their beauty, but they perform important roles within our ecosystem. When looking for ways to decorate a front porch or back patio, there are specific floral choices you can make that will help bees, encourage butterflies, and even repel those nasty insects you don’t want ruining a peaceful and relaxing day. Come to Ah Sam Florist for large bouquets and arrangements that will wow your guests while making these long San Mateo summer days more enjoyable. Here are just a few of the plants and flowers you can consider for small butterfly gardens and bee friendly gardens. Afternoon Delight, showcased below, both attracts butterflies to its large, bright sunflowers, and offers sustenance to bees with the inclusion of snapdragons.
Butterfly Gardens: Asters, Shasta daisies, sunflowers, and zinnias are all good choices to attract various forms of butterflies. Solidago, also known as goldenrod, can be easily added for texture and color and is also a favorite of the beautiful insect. For planting in a garden, consider Buddleia (butterfly bush), marigolds, and black-eyed Susans. Thistle, clover, milkweed, and even dandelion are perfect hosts. Doing some research on the type of butterfly that you would like to attract will help you to choose the appropriate flowers.
Bee Friendly: Over the 20 years, beekeepers have chronicled a sudden decline of bee populations around the world, and estimate up to 40% loss of honeybees here in the United States. Although bees are well known for honey production, they also play a critical part in food production and are essential to our ecosystems. One-third of the food that we eat – including vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices and edible oils – depends on the bees’ pollination. But currently, more and more bees are dying, causing global concern. How can you help? Plants bee-friendly plants that encourage the insect to come and pollinate safely. Ideas include crocus, hyacinth, wild lilac, bee balm, cosmos, echinacea, snapdragons, and foxglove through the spring and summer. As you enter fall, provide them with zinnias, asters, and goldenrod.
Did You Know? Some plants (primarily herbs such as basil, lavender, rosemary, mint, and lemon grass) and flowers such as chrysanthemums, marigolds, petunias and geraniums ward off a wide range of pests.
Plants and flowers are beautiful, this is true – but they can also serve a purpose to make your home, garden, and the world a better place. For gorgeous flowers and potted plants – or for more ideas – stop into Ah Sam Florist today.
