Late Summer Snack : Bees On Garlic Chives In The Herb Garden

Planning a bee and butterfly garden isn't nearly as hard as I would have imagined. In virtually every article about them, the garden usually consists of a dedicated plot, almost a mini English country garden, with bee and butterfly friendly plants. There are rules, and guides with plant height, and colour matching and Pish! That's too limiting for me!

Being inspired by those gardens, and our First Lady's support of edible gardens I now view my entire garden as a landscape with a greater purpose. There is a small section that is a dedicated herb garden but some of the herbs find themselves in other places where their beauty enhances other sections of the garden or attract butterflies and bees.

The chives are an interesting lot : with long leaves similar to green onions (scallions) they are a welcome addition to salads and jacket potatoes most of the year, but in late summer they send up these white flowers on long stems that rise above the garden like a floral version of the Seattle Space Needle. (okay, they are only about a foot tall, but the imagery is there!) In the evening of late summer, the bright white stands out, reflecting any remaining daylight just before the solar garden lights come on.

For 2013 some of the garlic chives will be moved to one of the beds in front of the house where I am sure they will attract bees while putting on a show in the early evening next August.