Stumped? Bee-friendly basket plants and green-flowered clematis | Gardening advice
Stumped?: Gardening Q&AsGardening advice This article is more than 13 years oldStumped? Bee-friendly basket plants and green-flowered clematis
This article is more than 13 years oldWhat to plant in hanging containers to attract bees? Plus why has my clematis flowered green this year instead of the usual purple?What plants would you recommend to put into haybasket-type troughs attached to a sunny front wall, to attract bees and other insects?
The usual suspects for such a spot would be annual bedding plants – pelargoniums, begonias and the like – but these plants present two problems to bees: they are seriously low in nectar and they tend to have complicated floral structures, which make it hard to reach their centres. What bees really love are simple, old-fashioned cottage flowers, rich in nectar, but unfortunately these aren't particularly suited to container growing. Instead, I think you should look to herbs, which will both provide for your kitchen and buzz with bees whenever they are allowed to go to flower. Lavender, thyme, marjoram and chives will all do well, and love the sunny, well-drained conditions. Plant mint in a pot of its own and sink it in the container, too (mint is invasive and will take over the whole caboodle otherwise), and get a prostrate rosemary to dangle over the edges. All these plants are perennials, so should look good for several years before you need to take the lot out and replant them in fresh compost.
The flowers on my Clematis jackmanii have opened, but are green, like its leaves, instead of the usual purple. The plant is otherwise very healthy. Why is this?
Nothing to panic about. Clematis sometimes does this as a response to cold weather, of which we had plenty earlier in the year. That said, these green flowers tend to be an early season problem, so hopefully by now they'll have disappeared and you will be left with your usual glorious, deep purple blooms. If not, give it a feed – something high in flower-promoting potash such as comfrey liquid is ideal. And keep it well fed with potash through the growing season, both to help prevent this recurring next year (if it does happen again, feed straight away) and, of course, to give you loads of extra blooms this year.
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