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I
have far too many hobbies. Along with reading and reviewing books, I
also crochet, draw, write, and sometimes I try to
garden. Unfortunately, I suck at it. If you don't think that keeping
a plant alive is particularly difficult, just hand it to me and I'll
happily demonstrate.
Maybe
it's something about your karma?
Let's
not get personal. Maybe I know nothing about the proper conditions to
keep a thing alive in a pot. However, I do know how to read, and I'm
not so terrible at research. One of my motto's is "When in
doubt: READ A BOOK!"
You
don't just watch a youtube video?
I
do that too, but it doesn't fit the theme today, and for this
particular hobby I would literally be watching grass grow. I picked
up The
bee-friendly Garden from Blogging
for Books in
exchange for a fair and honest review. As someone who loves honey and
is concerned about the decline in bee populations, I thought this
book could help me choose appropriate, hardy, plants that would
survive my black thumb while also providing nutrients for our friends
the bees.
Speaking
of our friends the bees—I had no idea there were so many different
kinds! Typically, when I think of bees, I picture bumblebees and
think they're also honeybees, but those are actually distinct
species. You know where I learned that? From this book!
Duh...
Hey,
I was expecting a lot of information about plants that attract bees
and maybe how to design your garden. That is included in here, but
there's so much more to it! The first chapter is dedicated to various
bee profiles: their genus and species, common names, habitats, and
their preferred types of flowers (because bees have favorite foods
too). Chapters two and three talk about the different plants you can
include in your bee-friendly garden. We're not just talking flowers,
either. The main point I pulled from this book is that in order to
have a healthy garden for healthy bees, variety is key. Variety of
plants—annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees—will extend the
length of time your garden blooms, thus providing nourishment for
your friendly neighborhood bees for longer. Authors Kate Frey and
Gretchen LeBuhn also stress the importance of including native plants
in your garden. These make it likelier that local bees will visit
(and pollinate) your plants, but also increases the health of your
garden. Local plants, if you think about it, are hardy weeds we like.
They'll make it less likely for weeds we don't
like to take over our garden areas.
Did you start your bee-friendly garden yet?
As previously mentioned, I have something of a black thumb. You have to look really close, because generally my thumb looks peach, but the point is that it isn't green. So, I have yet to start my garden. However, I intend to plan it using the the regional lists of plants and the section for "designing your garden." So that's in the works. I'd love to show you all pictures of my beautiful, living garden when I make it happen, but that'll be a while.
Obviously you really like this book. Will I?
Quite possibly. You may want to buy a copy of this book if:
- You enjoy gardening and want to help improve bee populations
- You like flowers or food
- Beautiful pictures of outdoor landscapes make you happy
- Or maybe you just want to learn more about bees, their habitats, and what sorts of plants will draw them in.