It takes two to tango.
That's an old expression but it also holds true in the world of plants.
The pollen must move from the male anther to the female stigma for fertilization. Some plants can do this without a partner, but we often hear that we must buy a male and a female plant to get fruit.
How is this accomplished? By bees.
The honey bee is busy, gathering nectar and pollen to feed its young. At the same time it helps pollinate our plants.
The hind legs of the bee collect pollen, which rubs off on the next plant that it visits.
Some beekeepers rent their hives to pollinate certain crops, while other keepers keep them in the same place to collect honey.
The bee we most often see is the worker bee. It is the one that gathers the nectar and pollen to feed the young bees and it keeps the hive cool with the movement of its wings. Each hive has one queen, which lays the eggs. In the spring and summer, you may also find a drone. After that the drone has no purpose and is kicked out of the hive, so that he doesn't eat the honey in the winter.
Looking up lists of plants that bees like, I couldn't find any that they don't. They will visit grape hyacinths, crocus, hyssop, milkweed, catmint, coneflower, thistles, poppies and many more.
There are over 1,000 species of pollinating insects in Canada. These are known as beneficial insects, and are necessary for the production of our fruit and vegetable crops.
The Hover fly is a pollinator and its larvae also eats and controls aphids.
Butterflies and moths are important to some flowers, especially wildflowers and tobacco. Midges and Thrips do help some, but they are parasites who eat the nectar. Bats help and so do hummingbirds, which are good for deep-throated flowers.
Then there are humans, who hand-pollinate certain vegetables, especially tomatoes -- although some greenhouses have replaced this practice with bringing in bees. If you grow tomatoes in pots, give the pot a bit of a shake each day at noon.
If you grow squash or cucumbers in your garden, you can increase your crop by giving them a bit of help. Pick out the female blossoms from the males. The females have what looks like a small fruit at the base of the flower. Either use a cotton swab and transfer some pollen from the male or pick a male blossom, put it over the female flower and tap it.
You can attract some of the solitary bees who do not form cones, such as the mason bee. They can be found in old house walls or holes in rotting logs. You can attract them by drilling some holes in a log or by making a bee house.
A bee house should be attached to a fence or wall in a sunny place. To do this you need a wooden box.
Lay it on its side, one end open, or use some old wood - you do not need a back, just four sides. The top is better if it is slanted and forms a bit of a roof shelter. It needs to be filled with small blocks of wood that have been drilled lengthways no more than 10 millimetres in diameter and some as small as 2mm.
Instead of blocks of wood look in the garden for old stems that are hollow -- bamboo, raspberries or teasel, etc.
The bee will enter the tunnel, leave some pollen, lay an egg, then plug the tunnel with mud. The egg will hatch and have food there. This reminded someone of a mason jar, thus the name mason bee.
You can also buy a bee hotel. This is another project to do with children or grandchildren.
If you would like a longer blooming time and not just a tall flower, such as phlox, when it gets about a foot tall, cut part of it back halfway, then in a few week lower the last cut. Experiment.
- June 2: Aug. 18 Galt Hort has garden tours for members. See booklet for dates and addresses.
- June 2: Delhi and district will be planting at the Ontario Tobacco Museum.
- June 4. Paris Hort will hold its flower show. Quiz by Mel Osborne.
- June 5: Brantford Master Gardeners have a potluck dinner at the home of Eva in Stoney Creek, 6:30 p.m.
- June 7 and 8: Paris will have a garden tour of seven gardens as part of Springtime in Paris, 10 a.m to 4 p.m. Costs $10.
- June 11: Simcoe and District tour Whistling Gardens. Cost $11 per person.
- June 11: Glen Morris holds its bus trip to the Woodstock area. Three private gardens, two garden centres and a buffet dinner. Tickets $45. Call 519-442-5152 or 519-442-1319
- June 13: Celebrate National Garden Day at the University of Guelph. Tour five gardens. Free.
- June 13: Brantford Garden Club is holding its annual flower show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tranquility Hall. Free admission. Tea and vendors.
- June 14: Come to the village of Glen Morris for a tour, tea and tunes. Visit six gardens with art exhibits and then stop for tea with music. Passport $10. Look for balloons in the village or on East River Rd. or call 519-442-4018.
- June 17 Brantford Garden Club tour to London, four private gardens, two garden centres. Lunch on your own.
- June 18: Brantford Garden will meet at the civic centre to hear Elizabeth Schleicher, an accredited judge and past president of the Rose Society.
- June 21: Galt Hort is hosting a bus trip to Whistling Gardens and two other gardens. For more information, call Nancy at 519-623-7085 or go to www.galths.gardenontario.org
- June 22: Brantford Master Gardeners garden tour. Tickets in advance at garden centres are $8. At gate $10.
- June 21-22: Annual rose show at RBG atrium.
Pat Locker writes a monthly column on information and special events of interest to gardeners. She is a Master Gardener, a flower and design judge, and a member of several garden organizations. If you have a comment or question send it to From The Ground Up, c/o The Expositor, Building 4, Unit 1,195 Henry St., Brantford, N3S 5C9.