‘I’ve just learned that bees need gardens to make honey’. Pooh leaned closer. ‘And I heard it was a secret’.

Like Winnie the Pooh, many gardeners are eager to plant a bee garden. By planting a bee garden, you too can do your part to help the bees. You will help add to the shrinking inventory of flower-rich habitat in your area.  In return, the bees will pollinate your flowers and provide a bountiful harvest of fruits, seeds and vegetables as well as the joy of watching them up close. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind as you grow your bee garden.

• Rethink your lawn. Replace part of your lawn with flowering plants that would supply bees with nectar.
• Select plants with single open flowers. It is easier for bees to get to the nectar and they also produce more pollen.
• Avoid highly hybridized plants. These plants are not cultivated to produce seed thus they provide less nectar and pollen.
• Plan for blooms all year round. Be smart and make sure you have some flowering plants all year round. This will provide a constant source of food for bees.
• Use natural pesticides and fertilizers like compost and organic insecticides. Companion planting can also help to reduce pests. If you have to use chemicals, rather use systemic compounds that will only affect the villains eating your plants.
• Build a bee bath. Bees need a place to get fresh, clean water. Fill a shallow container of water with pebbles or twigs for the bees to land on while drinking. Make sure to maintain the container full of fresh water to ensure that they know they can return to the same spot every day in your bee garden.

Here are some suggestions of plants that will keep the bees happy:

• Namaqualand Daisies
• Cape honeysuckle
• Lavender
• Rosemary
• Mint
• Primulas
• Marigolds
• Thyme
• Cosmos
• Sunflower
• Aloes
• Heather
• Protea

If you don’t have a garden, do not despair. You need only a small area for a bee garden—it can even be a window container or rooftop – to create an inviting oasis for bees. Every little bit can help to nurture bees and other pollinators.

“The only reason for being a bee is to make honey. And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it.” “My favorite thing is me coming to visit you, and then you ask, ‘How about a small smackerel of honey?’ ” AA Milne – Winnie the Pooh