Trust steps in to help bees

National Trust and Radio 2 urge gardeners to be bee-kind

- Ruth Hayes

WE all want to do our bit to save the bees, and now to encourage and educate more people about how it can be done, the National Trust has teamed up with BBC Radio 2’s Big Bee Challenge 2021 and launched a plant guide listing bee-friendly plants for every garden.

The Trust has also planted a Buzz Border packed with pollinator-friendly plants at its North Yorkshire property Nunnington Hall and is sharing tips on how everyone can attract these important pollinators into their gardens.

Nunnington Hall gardener Cal Stewart, who designed the border, said: “While many of us will be familiar with bumblebees, there are more than 200 species of bee in the UK and they are critical, pollinating food crops we all rely on. We hope the border, and wider garden, show that there are easy things gardeners can plant, and do, to give bees a much-needed helping hand.’”

Cal has also shared his top 10 list of bee-friendly plants to get your garden buzzing. They include:

Sea holly (varieties of Eryngium): A magnet for bees and many other pollinators. Leave stems standing through winter to provide hibernation spots for bees.