Topic: recommened flowers for veg plot

[jazzman2]

Hi
  can anyone recommend flowers to grow on my veg plot to encourage insects/ bees etc I'm looking for the poached egg plant where can I buy it from  :-\

[grawrc]

Marigolds (both types), phacelia, nasturtiums for starters. Poached egg plant - limnanthes - you can get from most places that sell seeds - I think they even have them in B&Q. Or online from T+M, Suttons etc.

[macmac]

I agree with grawrc any marigolds I grow tagetes ,they don't need dead heading and go on forever Poached egg plant grows like a weed from seed and it will seed readily and I read somewhere you can turn it in like green manure.
Oh and sweet peas.
We grew cosmos daisies last year the dwarf variety and the bees loved them :)

[Sparkly]

I grow marigolds (african and french), sweet peas and sunflowers on the plot.

[Flighty]

The following are all what I call allotment wildlife flowers -
pot marigold, cosmos, californian poppy, sunflower, sweet pea, poached eggplant, nasturtium  and french marigold.
Mine are from Kings Seeds, via my horticultural society trading shed!
http://www.kingsseeds.com/katalogue-S/1/FLOWERS
 

[Digeroo]

I enjoy watching the bees on phacelia. 

[grawrc]

Me too! Jazzman2have a look at this:
http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/features/plants-for-bees/

[Squash64]

I enjoy watching the bees on phacelia. 

I love phacelia too.  I started off with a tiny pinch of seed from another plotholder and ended up with a meadow.  The roots are shallow though, so it does pull up very easily.
[attachment=1]

[jazzman2]

Hi all
       thanks for the replies they have given me a lot to think about its not a huge plot, Flighty thanks for the link to kings seeds

[saddad]

Welcome to A4A Jazzman... careful with that poached egg plant... I planted it once on the lottie 15 years ago and I still have it...  ;D

[Emagggie]

Mini lupins too. You could google companion planting-plenty to go for there.

[BAK]

Borage is very good for attracting bees etc.

It readily self-seeds like the poached egg plant but I simply keep 6 or so of the new plants each year, offer the others to other plot holders and hoe up any that are left.

[sunloving]

Try netto and lidl for seed for most of the above 19-49 a packet.
Can i add ivy which flowers very late in the season and is a hive of activity, and sedum which again flowers late and is a good nectar source.

Other things to consider are spring bulbs , lots of my patches that have fruit bushes or asparagus that die back in the winter and those for the not hardys like sweetcorn have bulbs in such as daffs, anemones, wallflowers these attract and supports insects populations during the difficult cold spring that might help them to be resident rather than visitors to your plot. But it depends how weedy your plot and how much of a digger you are as to where to put them.
Sweet peas of course increase pea and bean fertilisation by attracting the pollinators so grow them on the same wigwam if poss.

Oh nearly forgot leeks particularly have great flowers for insects and look amazing and if you let them go you get seeds to so try leaving a few in.
x sunloving

[fi]

i also found borage very good for bees, the catnip had the most bees. borage is useful for the compost too. sunflowers had many a pollen intoxicated bee on it too, sunflowers being composite flowers are the pollen larder to the bee.
 my favourite flowers to grow are zinnias and blue cornflowers but not sure how the bees find them!