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  • Home
  • Nature Hero Awards
  • Resources
    • Workshops
    • Teaching Kits
    • Outdoor Wildlife Signs
    • Free Resources
  • Campaigns
    • Pollinator Project
    • Coill na nOg
    • Space for Nature
  • School Gardens
  • Partner
    • Businesses
    • Local Authorities
  • Contact

Bees

BULB BLITZ

We know when summer is coming to a close and the first signs of autumn have arrived the last thing on your mind is sowing flowers for next year. Who wants to think 6 months ahead - September is crazy enough! BUT, trust us, this is really well worth it!

September and October are the time to get out in the school garden and plant spring bulbs. These will be the first signs of colour the following spring and provide a critical source of pollen and nectar for early pollinators such as bumblebees.

You can buy a sack of bulbs from your local garden centre. Use trowels or special bulb planters to dig. Follow the instructions but they usually need to be planted to a depth 2-3 times their size. Also, it's best to clump them together for visual impact.

It's super simple, children love it and when they pop up their colourful heads on a bitterly cold February day you'll be glad you made the effort - and the bees will be too!

​Spring Bulbs
  • Snowdrop (flowers Jan-Feb)
  • Crocus (flowers Feb-March)
  • Grape Hyacinth (flowers March-May)
  • Allium (flowers June-July) (a summer bulb technically)

Note: Daffodils are probably the most popular spring bulb. However, they are 100% useless to pollinators as they contain no pollen or nectar. They are pretty though, so you could try some too!
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​Snowdrops in January.
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Crosuses in February.
Green Bee
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