Bee feeding on Buddleia | Photos by the writer
Q. I have recently read about the plight of honeybees and how they are fast diminishing. I would like to do whatever I can to help. I know that my efforts won’t make a difference but I’ll expand this project with time.
A. Finding space in your garden — or in pots on your rooftop, balcony or any other suitable space available — to grow the species of flowers known to attract bees is the best thing to do. Bees adore fruit blossom of all kinds so if there is room in your garden, planting a selection of fruit trees would be wonderful. Bees also adore flowering climbers such as jasmine, honeysuckle, golden shower, Petrea volubilis, potato creeper and Rangoon creeper. Countless shrubs are loved by bees too and these include Buddleia, Brunfelsia, Ixora, Raat-ki-Rani, Duranta, Jatropha, roses, Kamni (Murraya exotica) and Chandni (Tabernamontana). Perennial and annual flowers for bees are numerous: hollyhocks, stocks, flax, Phacelia tanacetifolia, sunflowers, stocks, sweet Williams, larkspur, ageratum, zinnias, cosmos, salvias, daisy-type flowers of all kinds and flowering succulents.
There are some excellent bee herbs as well with lavender, rosemary, hyssop, nasturtiums, sage, comfrey, thyme and calendula being highly recommended. Additionally, take note of which local wild flowers the bees are feeding on and, in the correct season, harvest seeds from these flowers and sow them in your garden too. Bees have a preference for blue, yellow and white flowers so give these a priority. Since they also need fresh water to drink, provide this in fairly shallow bowls with chunks of rock placed in them to give the bees a safe landing platform from which they can easily drink. Your efforts, no matter how small, can make a difference.
All your gardening queries answered here
Q. After reading your recent column about growing garlic I want to do it but am a little confused about how to go about it. Do I need to take individual cloves out of the bulb with their covering attached and plant those or do I plant the full bulb with cloves attached to it but spread out? I live in Lahore and want to grow garlic around my roses, guavas, citrus and pomegranate trees to help keep pests away.
A. Separate the individual cloves from the bulb, covering intact and plants these cloves.
Q. I have five Sukh Chain trees in my garden on the edge of Karachi and another one in a pot. All the trees have the same problem of white spots appearing on the leaves about two weeks after they grow. Please tell me a solution.
A. Sukh Chain trees are prone to attack from a mite which hides itself inside these white spots. Spray with organic neem oil, following instructions on the bottle, to eradicate these troublesome pests.