The Buzz About Lavender: Your Garden's Perfect Partner for Plump, Fluffy Bumblebees
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Link: Amazon UK Site: Lavender Edelweiss
There’s a special kind of magic in the gentle hum of a garden alive with the buzz of bees, and nothing quite captures this enchantment like the sight of large, fluffy bumblebees bumbling from flower to flower. If you’re looking to invite these delightful pollinators into your garden, we have the perfect plant for you: Lavender. And for a truly special touch, we’d like to introduce you to a variety that will have both you and the bees swooning: the stunning Lavender ‘Edelweiss’.
A Symphony of Scent and Sound: Why Bumblebees Adore Lavender
The love affair between bumblebees and lavender is a tale as old as time. It’s a beautiful example of a symbiotic relationship in nature, where both plant and pollinator benefit. Lavender provides a rich source of nectar and pollen, the essential foods for bees. The vibrant flowers, which bloom throughout the spring and summer, are a reliable food source when other floral resources might be scarce.
But what makes lavender particularly irresistible to bumblebees? It’s all in the design. The tubular shape of lavender flowers is perfectly suited to the long tongues of bumblebees, allowing them to forage for nectar far more efficiently than their shorter-tongued honeybee cousins. Studies have shown that a bumblebee can extract nectar from a lavender flower in as little as 1.1 to 1.4 seconds! This efficiency means they can visit more flowers in a shorter amount of time, making your lavender patch a veritable feast for these fuzzy pollinators.
Beyond being a "bee buffet," lavender also offers a safe haven for bees. The dense foliage provides shelter from harsh weather and protection from predators, creating a safe and welcoming environment for them to rest and thrive. By planting lavender, you’re not just adding a beautiful and fragrant plant to your garden; you’re actively supporting the health and survival of our vital bee populations.
A Touch of Elegance: Introducing Lavender ‘Edelweiss’
When you think of lavender, you likely picture fields of purple. But what if we told you there’s a variety that offers the same intoxicating fragrance and bee-loving qualities, but with a surprising and elegant twist? Allow us to introduce you to Lavandula x intermedia ‘Edelweiss’.
This stunning variety boasts beautiful spikes of pure white flowers that stand out against its silvery-grey foliage. It’s a truly eye-catching plant that adds a touch of sophistication to any garden design. The name ‘Edelweiss’ evokes images of pristine alpine meadows, and this lavender certainly lives up to its namesake’s reputation for beauty and resilience.
‘Edelweiss’ is a type of Lavandin, a hybrid of English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and Portuguese Lavender (Lavandula latifolia). This parentage gives it the best of both worlds: the hardiness of English lavender and the profuse flowering of its Portuguese cousin. It’s a robust and tough plant that is surprisingly easy to care for, making it a perfect choice for both seasoned gardeners and beginners alike.
One of the standout features of ‘Edelweiss’ is its powerful fragrance. The scent is simply divine and will fill your garden with its calming and therapeutic aroma all summer long. And, of course, the bees adore it. The long flower spikes are packed with nectar, making it a firm favourite with our fuzzy friends.
Creating Your Lavender Paradise: A Guide to Planting and Care in the UK
To ensure your lavender thrives and becomes a buzzing hub of activity, it’s important to provide it with the right growing conditions. Here’s our guide to creating the perfect lavender haven in your UK garden:
Sun, Sun, Sun: Lavender is a Mediterranean plant at heart, so it craves a spot that gets at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day. The more sun it gets, the more fragrant and floriferous it will be.
Well-Drained Soil is Key: This is the most crucial factor for lavender success. These plants detest having “wet feet” and are prone to root rot in heavy, waterlogged soil. If you have clay soil, it’s essential to improve the drainage by incorporating plenty of organic matter, such as compost, and horticultural grit. Planting on a mound or in a raised bed is also an excellent option for heavy soils.
Planting Time: The best time to plant lavender in the UK is in the spring, from March to May, when the soil is starting to warm up. This gives the plant plenty of time to establish its root system before the heat of summer.
Watering Wisely: Once established, lavender is incredibly drought-tolerant and will require very little watering. In fact, it’s more likely to suffer from overwatering than underwatering. Water newly planted lavender regularly for the first year, but after that, only water during prolonged dry spells.
A Lean Diet: Lavender thrives in poor, infertile soil, so there’s no need to fertilise it. In fact, too much fertiliser can lead to lush, leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
Pruning for Perfection: The Secret to Long-Lasting Lavender
Pruning is essential for keeping your lavender plants healthy, compact, and covered in blooms year after year. Without regular pruning, lavender can become woody and straggly, with fewer flowers.
The best time to prune lavender is immediately after flowering, typically in late August or early September. This allows the plant plenty of time to put on new growth before winter. Avoid pruning too late in the autumn, as this can encourage new growth that may be damaged by frost.
When pruning, aim to remove the flower stalks and about an inch of the current year’s growth. Be careful not to cut back into the old, woody stems, as lavender will not regrow from old wood. A light trim all over will encourage a flush of new growth and ensure a spectacular display of flowers the following summer.
Companion Planting with Lavender
To create a truly vibrant and bee-friendly garden, consider planting lavender alongside other pollinator-friendly plants. Companion planting not only creates a beautiful tapestry of colours and textures but can also help to deter pests and attract even more beneficial insects.
Here are some of our favourite companions for lavender:
Roses: The classic combination of lavender and roses is a match made in garden heaven. The lavender helps to deter aphids from the roses, and the combination of scents is simply divine.
Echinacea (Coneflower): These daisy-like flowers come in a range of colours and are a magnet for bees and butterflies. They share similar growing conditions to lavender, making them easy to care for together.
Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage: These Mediterranean herbs thrive in the same sunny, well-drained conditions as lavender and their aromatic foliage helps to repel pests.
Alliums: The tall, globe-shaped flowers of alliums provide a wonderful contrast to the spiky blooms of lavender and are another firm favourite with bees.
Sedum (Stonecrop): These succulent plants are incredibly drought-tolerant and their late-season flowers provide a valuable source of nectar for bees when other flowers are starting to fade.
By planting a diverse range of flowering plants, you can create a continuous buffet for bees and other pollinators throughout the seasons, ensuring your garden is always alive with their gentle hum.
The Enduring Allure of Lavender
While its ability to attract bees is undoubtedly one of its greatest assets, the appeal of lavender extends far beyond its role as a pollinator plant. The beautiful flowers and foliage, the intoxicating fragrance, and the sense of calm and tranquillity it brings to the garden are all reasons why lavender has been cherished for centuries.
The flowers can be dried and used in potpourri, sachets, and floral arrangements, allowing you to enjoy their beautiful scent long after the summer has faded. A simple bunch of dried lavender on your bedside table can help to promote a restful night’s sleep, while a few sprigs in your wardrobe will keep your clothes smelling fresh.
In a world where our pollinators are facing increasing threats, creating a bee-friendly garden is one of the most rewarding things we can do. By planting lavender, and especially the exquisite ‘Edelweiss’ variety, you’re not just adding beauty and fragrance to your garden; you’re creating a vital sanctuary for our precious bumblebees.
So, this year, why not invite the gentle hum of happiness into your garden? Plant some lavender, sit back, and enjoy the magical sight and sound of these plump, fluffy pollinators dancing among the flowers. Your garden, and the bees, will thank you for it.
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For more traditional coloured Lavender