THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Fine news for beekeepers today – a total ban on bee-harming pesticides has been announced!
To celebrate, here is a list of plants we recommend as being brilliant for the bees:
- Helenium
- Sedum
- Echium vulgare
- Marjoram or Oregano
- Eupatorium (common name? Joe Pye-Weed. But don’t let that put you off!)
- Borage
- Nepeta
- Veronicastrum
- Teucrium
Bonus plants for shady spots? Try hellebore, lamium and pulmonaria.
Looking for a shrub to plant near your apiary? Phillyrea ought to do it. Although it is difficult to get hold of because it is so hard to propagate…but keep looking for it and buy it up if you can!
Somebody asked me about tulips – are these good for bees?
The bees certainly work hard to get the pollen. I guess the common sense approach is to make sure the tulips are as open and easy to access as possible.
The BBKA offer this top ten list of plants for bees.
My favourite nursery for bee friendly plants is Rosybee Nursery. You should all check out her plants and her brilliant research!
Her recommendations for bee friendly plants for summer baskets are:
- Trailing lobelia
- Lavender
- Echium
- Salvia
- Campanula
- Scabious
I would probably add Cleome and Fuchsia. But any other suggestions, please send them through!
Finally, are Dahlias good for bees? Again, I imagine single flowers are the best. But would love people to let me know what they see this summer….
Thank you and lets hope for a long, warm season for the bees!
And for more about my speciality, take a look at my Topiary.
Michael Gibson, New York Topiary Art!
In the New York Times earlier this year was a lovely interview with Michael Gibson, who makes topiary and gardens in New York. The article is here but you may not have access… however, search the internet, find it and have a read. It is great! His philosophy of pruning is especially worth it… Sacred geometry in topiary? Yes please! What a phrase! I think (and speak) of balance, of major and minor, of leaf volume… but sacred geometry might well make it into my topiary teaching lexicon! And the idea of directional trimming? I realise I do this, but …
Topiary Library
I do a lot of teaching topiary. I had the opportunity from my mentor, Charlotte Molesworth, to work on her garden and experiment and test techniques and generally try making shapes without the worry of failure, or being fired, or being sued and run out of business for getting it wrong. This opportunity was essential (along with Charlotte’s insistance that pruning standards had to be high!) in becoming better at topiary. When I look around the world at our cultural vitamins, what we see in the media day in and day out, I see the stupidest and grossest of people …
Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue
With Chris Poole of the European Boxwood and Topiary Society we visited Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue in Rutland. Do you know it? Amazing place! Chris and I were teaching a topiary workshop in order to give local people the skills and technique, and tenacity! to help with the pruning of the avenue and elevate it to something even more special than it already is. Read more about the workshops here. We hope to run a further workshop in September 2026, as well as teach an advanced course too. Check the teaching page through the year as it will be updated …