The bee garden needs help but then again when doesn’t it. Oh, right you all are new, so you don’t know about the bee garden.
We live on an acre that is split almost evenly between the front and backyard. The front yard is split in two by the driveway. On the side closest to the house is grass and a “normal” front yard. The other side is 50×80 ft, we have laid out in paths and beds for a bee and herb garden. The plan is to fill the area with medicinal herbs and at least 4-5 horizontal beehives.
Currently, the main beds are all laid out and lined with red brick, the whole area is lined with cinderblocks which one day will have plants in them; ok change that to plants I want in them instead of whatever happens in them. The back area where the hives go is in flux; I keep changing how I want those beds and paths, but we are getting there.
Bee Garden
Up until this year, it has mostly been about getting the area laid out the way we want and watching the sun in the area so we can figure out what and where to grow things. Last year a friend gave me lemon balm and Agastache (anise hyssop); I planted Lemon Balm, and Echinacea, they thrived. This year, we went on a purchasing spree for plants: Elderberries, Paw Paws, Cardamom Ginger, Butterfly Bush, Bee Balms, Hibiscus (Marrow), Roselle, Queen Anne’s Lace, Mugwort, Toothache Plant, Feverfew, Lion’s Ear, Goldenrod, Lime Balm, Lemon Verbena, Roman and German Chamomile, St. John’s Wort (creeper by mistake), Indian Blanket, Sage Pineapple, Comfrey, Valerian, And Yarrow.
This summer has been harsh, between the extreme heat and all the rain, the poor bee garden is suffering. The paths are no longer noticeable unless you are in the garden. The beds are all overgrown and hard to make out. One would think we haven’t touched it in a long time, but it has only been since May when we planted everything we bought.
To gain some control, I cleaned around the Valerian, Yarrow, Echinacea, Agastache, and Comfrey. Then I went around and deadheaded Butterfly Bush, Hibiscus (marrows), Feverfew, and Lemon Balm. I should have brought in the Lemon Balm I clipped but I didn’t instead I let it go back to the earth. I need to start doing my plant sit meditations, the bee garden would be the perfect place to start and maybe afterward I’ll clean up a bit more, one can hope.