A Honeybee Garden
Bees are in decline but you can help restore a healthy bee population right in your own garden by doing a couple of things.
First stop using pesticides and herbicides. There are a number of ingredients that are toxic to bees. If you absolutely must use a pesticide, spray in the evening when bee activity has ceased.
Next, plant a bee friendly garden. To name a few from our garden, bee balm, cosmos, lavender, zinnias, Russian sage, sunflower, poppy, mint, marigold, black eyed susan, and asters all attract bees and have ample pollen for the bees to make honey. Include various heights of flowers and only single form flowers. Those with double forms(multiple layers of petals) have less pollen.
Basically bees prefer a naturalistic landscape to live and feed. Maybe by educating others we can reverse the effects of the decline of bees and learn to live together.
Winters Renewal
Winter is an introspective time. It’s a time of resting the creative mind but also preparing for the work that lies ahead.
We usually spend our winter month’s tidying the flower garden, which requires moving numerous tractor loads, to the delight of my boys, of aged plant material to the compost. Going through the endless seed catalogs and deciding what new and exciting seeds we will plant takes time. Inside the studio the worktables are filled with beeswax, tools and clay for candle making, sculpting and mold-making. As we work, our wood stove glows from within. During this time we also update our website and product information as well as clean and assess inventory. Staying on top of orders is a priority as well.
In these cold winter months we huddle together like the bees of our hives knowing that with winter’s renewal we will be ready for a busy and prosperous new year.
Adventures in beekeeping #2
I wish I was writing to tell the stories told during the long hours of a sourwood honey harvest, but this year that will not bee. Many factors could be cited for the dearth of honey including the rainy weather, our inexperience, establishing new hives, but ultimately I think it’s just the nature of beekeeping. The reality check is we began the season with 8 hives of Russian bees, yet after a succession of mid summer queen supersedures, we now stand with 4 hives. The existing hives are thriving and healthy, which gives encouragement as we head into the fall and winter season. In preparation for the winter I have been feeding the bees regularly and have tested for varroa mites with a powder sugar dusting. We look forward to meeting Spring with vibrant hives and the anticipation of a great honey season.
Garden’s late summer beauties
Sometimes weeding and gardening are like being with good friends. As you weed around each plant you might talk to it or touch it, just being near it seems comforting and relaxing. Each flower greets you with its bloom and makes you feel good inside.
Once you’ve experienced the beauty and usefulness of a flower garden, the summer pulling of weeds isn’t so bad. As the weeds fade away some late summer beauties appear. The stately and prolific Queen Anne’s Lace, cheerful cosmos, sky blue delphinium, and the unique seed pods of blackberry lillies and nigella , to name a few. Black eyed susan’s, zinnias, and phlox also line the paths. Birds come and go landing on the heavy branches of purple coneflower. Honeybees buzz about the golden St. Saint John’s Wort and the garden makes its preparation for the fall and winter ahead.
Flower garden
The flowers have always been an integral and growing part of our vision. The idea in the beginning was to grow and press the flowers from our gardens. We started with a tiller and a lot will, and began developing and planting beds. The arrival of each Spring has seen the addition of new plants, leading to new beds and new ideas. Our flower beds have grown and matured with time, reflecting the changes within us as artists, as parents, and as a business. The gardens have been managed in a sustainable, conscious manner. The flowers are nurtured with organic nutrients and, when needed, watered with gravity fed spring water. The addition of honeybees has added another layer to the symbiotic relationship- the bees pollinate the flowers while gathering their sustenance of pollen and nectar, allowing for the creation of honey. We hope in future years to be able to share this honey with our customers.
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