White Clover - The BEST Plant For Bees?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- In this video we look at a common wildflower found in many lawns across the northern hemisphere. Is this one of the BEST plants for bees?
Thank you for watching and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and turn ON the notification "bell" to get the latest video updates.
To find out more about how you can help wildlife, what I do to help wildlife and to follow my work, please see the following:
To find a vast array of wildflowers, pond liners, bird food, habitats and more, please see what we do here:
wildyourgarden...
Wild Your Garden - "Create a sanctuary for nature" - My latest book on how you can help wildlife in your own garden and how to install all the habitats that your local wildlife will need to thrive. Complete how to's and step by step guides. Buy your copy online here:
wildyourgarden...
Hazelwood Landscapes - Where you will find photographs and case studies of some of the projects I have undertaken over the last 16 years and how you can enquire if you would like any advice / help with your own garden:
www.hazelwoodl...
Twitter:
@_joelashton
/ _joelashton
Instagram:
@_joelashton
TikTok:
@_joelashton
For consultations, talks, television enquiries, design workshops, landscaping enquiries, film making and book enquiries, please visit:
www.joelashton...
Finally, please subscribe to the channel to help me raise awareness about the importance of helping wildlife in your own gardens and green spaces and to get notified when I upload the latest videos.
Thank you for watching and if you have any suggestions for future videos, please comment on the video or get in touch via one of the platforms above.
Many thanks,
Joel Ashton
#WhiteClover #Gardening #EnglishGarden #Bees #GardeningForWildlife #WildlifeGarden #Garden #EnglishCottageGarden #Pollinators #Insects #Wildflowers #Lawn #LawnPlants
I've let a sq m of white clover flower on my lawn and the amount of bees on it is delightful. More people should let some of the lawn grow a little longer. 😊🐝💮
Hello - so sorry for the delay, been so very busy of late - just catching up and am so glad to hear that you are doing this too, wild doesn't mean messy, as you have proven :) Thank you for setting such a good example - best wishes, Joel
Excellent advice, l’m convinced. The lawn in the video actually looks a lot more interesting than a fully mown lawn 🐝
That means a lot Mark! I am so glad you think so, it certainly beats looking at a short-mown patch and so much more interesting as you say :) Best wishes, Joel
Absolutely agree.
Absolutely agree with you, well said,my brother is of 'the stripey lawn gang ' he says my wild garden is a "b" mess, I know which our 🐝🐝prefer❤
My lawn is covered in white clover as well as other gems that I've never seen before.
Compromised with the Mrs to allow one side of the edges and far end wild and cut the grass every week on a high
Setting. Amazing fox gloves that I never ever seen in this garden and I've been here for 19 years.
Keep up the good work Joel 👏🏻
Hi George! SO good to hear, and foxgloves.... wow :) You're making such a huge difference with these "sacrifices" so I do hope that it proves to be a pleasant surprise with everything that will grow :) Best wishes, as always - Joel
Hi Joel. I was in the garden yesterday and noticed the bees all over the white clover. I didn’t realise this before because I mow regularly. The lawn also has loads of Dandelions and I’m trying to think more positively about those. 🤔 We rent our house and our inspection is due any day now. I’m going to see if I can get away with creating this shape of lawn so at least I’m leaving some food there for the bees. 😁 I have some bees in the corner of the lawn nesting underground. I counted seven large bees come out one after the other. I was amazed. I have lots of beautiful wild flowers in pots on the patio and steps up to the lawn and the bees are having a good feed throughout the day. Anyway thank you. Your video has come just at the right time 🤗
I'm SO pleased to hear that! Leaving the lawn like this doesn't harm anyone or any thing :) I hope you are able to convince the "landlord" that it's beneficial all round and you're allowed to keep it that way, I really can't see anyone objecting to helping the planet in such a beautiful way - best wishes to you, and good luck! Joel
I have left most of my lawn to just ‘grow’ this year…with just walkways mowed in very much like where you are….and can honestly I am astounded….I have literally hundreds of bumblebees and honey bees on it all….I was going to have my grass scarified earlier this year to get rid of the clover & weeds….SO GLAD I DIDN’T…I am in Surrey too…drop by for a cuppa 😜
Hey Lucy - that's so good to hear, really it is - it's SO much more interesting (and beneficial) than a standard lawn. Will remember that offer :) Best wishes to you and yours - Joel
From Maryland here. We have it growing all over. It's in my yard. I had so many things pop up in my yard. I just bought my house this year. I have so many bees and butterflies. I love it!!!
Brilliant - great to hear from someone in Maryland too - your yard sounds wonderful, and it's clear you're being rewarded for thinking of the wildlife when you garden. Welcome to the channel, it's such a wonderful community we have here, and I'm glad you're part of it. Best wishes to you and yours - Joel
I’ve got two large areas of wildflowers in my garden (mainly oxeye daisies and birds foot trefoil) and it’s covered in red tailed bumble bees, but the lawn is covered in white clover and the bees go crazy for it!
Hi Mike :) Two perfect plants to go with the white clover, I bet it's a beautiful sight and brings lots of therapeutic time in the garden - hope you and yours are keeping well - best wishes, Joel
Still on catch up vlogs, this is and looks lovely, I have white and purple through atm, the 🐝bees really do love it. I never ever found a 🍀 s a child or adult😢, so decided my 1st tattoo when I hit 40 was a little 🍀 on my shoulder, still looks great 26 yrs later, ty Joel for sharing, keep up the good work🎉
Yes, the bees are loving the white clover in our garden at the moment, both honey bees and bumble bees. It is hard to change people's opinions on mowing the grass. I'd say start with border strips and see what appears. It's so much more interesting!
Great informative video, Joel. Love the bumblebees buzzing around and it is such an easy thing to do especially now many pollinator lawn mixes are readily available, often with white clover in them. Less mowing...works for me😀. Have a great week👍.
How are you doing? Just recently back from Scotland with more videos to upload! ;) It was a flying visit but I should be going back towards end of August. Totally agree with the lawn and white clover, so therapeutic - hope you're doing well, best wishes - Joel
29 degrees? I'd WISH for that right now. Past 2 weeks has been around 45 degrees here in north Florida. ( I had to look up conversions from C to F...) But was looking up clover videos and came across yours. Excellent stuff! Thanks!
Hi there - so sorry for not getting back to you sooner, I've been away for 10 days in France and just trying to catch up with everyone now. 45 degrees... ouch! I hope that it's cooled somewhat since you posted this! So glad you are enjoying the channel, I hope it is helpful - there's lot more videos to upload. Best wishes, and apologies again for the delay in acknowledging you, your encouragement means a lot - Joel
Great little video as always Joel. Good advice on not mowing the whole lawn.
I tend to not strim the edges so all the edges if my back garden are left to grow. 👍
That sounds great Mick, you're certainly doing your bit :) I got back from a trip to Scotland last week and was thinking of you as I was driving all those miles, I should have a few videos to upload soon - hope you and yours are well, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton That's great Joel. Hope you and yours are all well and that the trip to Scotland was a good and fruitful trip.. I'll look forward to see the videos my friend 🙂👍
Excellent video ..i did the same this year ... it is a bee banquet ofcourse... i try convincing my friends and family to no mow their clover patches , now i have the perfect video to prove myself. Thankyou Joel.
Hi Ameed, thank you for your kind comments - so pleased to hear there's another area for nature and do please share the video, there's lots of advice and help on the channel - really appreciate your support :) Best wishes to you and yours - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton yea i already shared the video .. many a people also sent me pictures of their clover patches , which they ofcourse viewed as a weed before. Thank you Joel
for the good work you are doing , i hope i too can do my bit for nature on a larger scale.
Regards.
Been cutting paths through my lawn more and more over the years, and cutting complete areas less and less. It's great what comes up. I'm also slowly digging out non-native grasses and spot planting native plants as well as little clumps of native grasses. It all makes for a more interesting and healthier yard. Great video.
Hello there - so sorry for the delay in acknowledging your comment - I really do appreciate your support and you have proven that less mowing means a lot more interesting garden and of course the main effect is helping all those creatures so desperately in need, which you see on your lawn on a daily basis I bet! Thank you again, and best wishes to you and yours - Joel
Since I started my little wild garden project indeed I ve noticed that white clovers along with dandelions are very popular among bumblebees! They binge on white clovers until late evening when all is quite you can hear the bumblebee buzzz :)
So pleased to read this - and that you are including dandelions too, they are often looked on as annoying weeds or signs of unkempt gardens and yet they are so beautiful when viewed close-up and you know already the benefits that they bring to early pollinators in search of a good "meal" after hibernation - well done to you! Best wishes, Joel
We can only let our yard get about 3 inches high but we do have lots of clover in it... I try to wait as long as I can to mow for the 1st time in the Spring to let the bees have the early blooms. Also lots of dandelions... love their sunny little faces!!!
It's such a shame that dandelions are seen as "untidy" or a sign of an unkempt garden. They're SO important for early pollinators. I know you like a fact or two.... did you know that "Dandelion" came from "Dent de Lion" ... French for "lion's tooth" because of the shape of the petals :) Clover, as you know, will still flower even when cut relatively short, it deserves to bloom for it's determination - best wishes as always, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thanks-- you know I love my trivia!! all 3 of my sons used to bring me little bouquets of half dead dandelions... I just adore them!!
I have put some Birdsfoot Trefoil in a stone trough and around the bottom of a standard Bay tree. It is flowering away and looks as lovely as any traditional garden plant in the same situation. Thank you for the suggestion, from me and the bees!!
Hi Helen, you are very welcome - and that sounds a perfect place, I bet it looks wonderful, BFT is so good in pots and containers - thank you so much for the support, it's appreciated - best wishes, Joel
Brilliant Joel thanks for sharing 🐸💚🐸
Thank you :) Just back from Scotland so trying to catch up with everything - it seems the weather in Scotland was better than the South recently, absolutely glorious days but boy did we need some rain down here! Hope you're keeping well, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton wow you do some travelling mate 🐸💚🐸
That's so interesting, I'm in the NW US and our bumble bees don't visit the white clover hardly at all. They love the red. But the only thing I get on white clover are honeybees and these little gray butterflies called hairstreaks that are kind of generalist feeders.
That's interesting for me too Hayley - it's good to know what's happening in other parts of the world, and glad to know that you're being rewarded for leaving these oft mowed plants :) Best wishes, Joel
Edit: I have since added more flowers and gotten my bumble bees to stay continuously all spring and summer and now I have seen them use it later in the season. So not sure -- maybe it's a matter of what they have available, when, and in what quantity! Hard to generalize.
We've got loads of white clover in my garden at the minute. I'm lucky enough to have a big garden, so Dad leaves big patches for me and we've been amazed at the variety of flowers - everything you mentioned and more! My favourite flower in my lawn is 'Fox and Cubs'. 😊
Hi Gaina - so sorry for the delay, up to my eyes lately! That's so good to hear though, to have Fox and Cubs is wonderful and it's such a bright and vibrant little plant - well done to you and your Dad! Best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Hi Joel, glad you're busy. 😊 I hope your plants aren't suffering in this weather too much! 🌡️☀️
Another lovely garden. Thanks for another informative video. Sadly, I don't have a lawn!
Hey Suzanne - so glad you enjoyed it. But... you certainly are making up for not having a lawn! A new variety of Verbena should be available this week, I think it's right up your street! Just catching up with everything, I might be a while ;) Hope you and yours are keeping well - best wishes, Joel
Brilliant take back lawns
Hi Joel! Absolutely love your videos. Thanks to you I already have a barrel wildlife pond, insect hotel, bat house and quite a few insect friendly flowers. I would like to also plant some trees/shrubs to support anything from bees to birds, but also safe.. with 2 small children I can't plant anything toxic for safety reasons. Also my garden itself isn't big ( housing development build in 2012). Garden is more narrow towards the bottom of it and there is already a shed and two blackcurrant bushes so not much space left in between. Thank you in advance 😀
Hi Aysha - thank you so much for your support and comments, it's really good to hear that there's another habitat for nature, and remember it's the smaller plots that can make a big difference, lots of "stepping stone" gardens rather than one remote field trying to support many creatures :) There are a few videos on the channel regarding suitable shrubs but if you get stuck do let me know and I'll be happy to advise - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshtonwhat happened to the van? 😭
Nice. It looks pretty as well.
Thank you Emma, such a great source of nectar for our insects desperately in need right now :) Best wishes, Joel
I love having wildflowers in my lawn! Also hi Joel I just wanted to share something with you as I recently upgraded my garden to encourage more pollinators to visit but the one that shocked me the most was Achillea millefolium 'moonshine'. That plant was absolutely covered in all kinds of bees and hoverflies (some I have never seen in the area before) while my other flowers (salvia neramosa cardonna, scabios, other achillias etc) didn't attract nearly as many. After seeing that I think it's worth putting into all my future gardens. So yeah, I'd recommend it for your own garden if you have never used it before!
Hi Mitch - thanks so much for that recommendation. It's of course a very very close relative of Yarrow which is planted in most of the gardens I create and certainly attracts many species of pollinators. Your garden sounds absolutely ideal, perfect plants and I am sure the pollinators are grateful for them all, even if they clearly have a preference :) Best wishes, and thanks for your support - it's appreciated - Joel
Thank you for the valuable info on Bee plants. Achillea millefolium a plant I will try to get hold of. 👍😊
I planted Wild Flower seeds years ago and sadly Creeping Buttercup has taken over our whole garden. It's toxic to dogs. I keep dead heading and digging it up. It cost us £50 on the Vets helpline service to tell us this plant is toxic. Such a rip off.
Give messy a tissue as we can use the snot later if things go pear shaped 😭
Hi Joel, it must be a heatwave where you are?
I hope that you are staying cool and please keep up the brilliant work that you always do :)
Hello there! :) It certainly was, a few days of rain now but I was in Scotland last week and whilst we had rain in the South of the country, the weather in Scotland was glorious - I'll upload some videos soon, just about to upload the latest garden video for June. Thank you so much for your support, I hope you are keeping safe and well - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton It's cold where I am in Melbourne Australia & just trying to take things day by day :)
Hi Joel. Those bees were loving it!
Hello there :) They certainly were, I could have sat there all day watching them benefit from it, so many different kinds of bees too, a real joy to watch. Best wishes, Joel
So funny that the advert straight after your film of how wonderful clover can look was a lawn mower advert. But agree it’s a lovely plant and bumble bees adore it. I have small patches of red and white but as my lawn lacks sunlight it doesn’t flower as well as I’d like it too. But in the sunny spots it’s flowering well.
Hello there :) Just catching up after the Scotland trip. About to attempt to upload another garden tour for June and then some Scotland bits to share with you - hope you and yours are ok - best wishes, Joel
What a great idea!! I was wondering what to do with my White clover patch :-) thank You!!!
perfect result..
Thank you! Cheers! Hope you are keeping well :)
Got loads of white clover here........my giant tortoise loves it 🐢🙈 but there’s enough to share with the bees 😁
Hi Lynn! That's great, and yes I understand clover is irresistible to tortoises, what a wonderful "pet" to have :) I'm sure the bees don't mind sharing and it's so good that you think of them too - best wishes, Joel
I'm thinking of introducing this into my lawn, primarily to fill in burn patches from my dog. However, if the bees benefit too then even better. I probably would like it at the shorter length however as my garden isn't too big.
Hi there :) It can be slightly shorter as is shown and it will still flower and provide vital nectar - you'll certainly be rewarded - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton many thanks for your reply. I'm definitely doing it now. I will go online & look for seeds in the morning. Thanks again.
Waiting very impatiently to see if the clover I put down grows and flowers in the next few weeks 😬 it's a mix of red and white. In the west of Ireland. Here's hoping 🤞
Looks amazing.
Thank you - I really appreciate that. I know the owner gets a lot of enjoyment out of this and has gardened with wildlife in mind for a good few years now, it certainly shows :) Best wishes, Joel
great info joel 👍
I rarely cut my lawn but never get any wild flowers if any kind in it. Cut it yesterday for the first time this year. It’s only a very small bit of lawn and half if it had grown from the bird seed dropped from the feeder at one end . I’m so disappointed to not have seen any wild flowers having green there.
I’ve now started using the bird feed that doesn’t seed but I’d be grateful for any advice as to what I can do to encourage any wild flowers onto my small grass area . Many thanks . Ps I’d love some clover and birds foot trefoil in particular
Carolyn have you tried seeds to sow?
Hi there Carolyn, if you disturb the soil underneath and plants some seeds as Mick recommends, this should work. However, for guaranteed flowers then do think about planting directly into the lawn, they will soon spread - if you would like some plants we do have a huge variety on www.wildyourgarden.com - we're also happy to offer advice via email if you drop us a line :) Best wishes, Joel
Did you mention why it's best for bees? Gotta watch it again..? Strange thing is I have a giant acacia trees nearby house and a tiny clover patch, but I think bees are more busy with the clovers. Why??
Hi there :) White clover (and the other coloured clovers) have an excellent pollen and nectar count, it's easy for them to access too - there are lots of other pollinator friendly plants/trees of course but they seem unable to resist the clover :) Best wishes, Joel
Mowing, what's that?? I haven't mown the lawn since March 2020😂 There's been herb robert EVERYWHERE, dandelions, plantains, buttercups and 6 different types of grass that I've counted so far lol. The clover doesn't grow in the lawn much, however, I could take some from the large patch at the front of the house and plant it there👍🏼 I'm going to have to if I want to put it in my salad whilst making sure there's plenty for the bees. But they do have all the bramble flowers and rambling rose to get through first😁
An app deleted half of the photos and videos on my phone😱 so I've been snapping away to sort of reclaim them to send to you!!
Lovely video!! Hydrate🌊🧊
Hello! Just catching up with everything, so glad you enjoyed this - and I can't wait to see those photos! Best wishes, Joel
Fantastic video .
Thank you very much! Really appreciate your support :)
wow, im in israel, thinking what will i add to my lawn in the fall to help it be healthier, more full. im planning lots of wildflowers around it. the area does get irrigated but obviously not enough for grass. white clover was suggested as a ground cover. im still trying to find some more info on how it does in mediterranean climates! how fun to see your video!!
Hi Connie - my apologies for the delayed reply, it has been the busiest time of the year and I'm just trying to catch up on all the comments. I am absolutely thrilled to hear that you are making spaces for nature in Israel, and I think you'll be pleased to know that clover does indeed grow in mediterranean climates and will flower in September time, providing vital nectar for many insects - search for Trifolium Spumosum and this will be the clover you will need :) I hope that helps, and thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate it - best wishes to you and yours Connie - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thanks for the reply, really i wasnt expecting one, was just giving you some good feedback on how much i appreciated your video so far away!! i realize youre doing lots of things besides answering comments. i actually have a tiny garden with my apartment. if i was caring for the lawn it would be gone by now, now its just really sad grass, mostly weeds!!
Love it
Now many times a year this the 🍀 flower 🌷🌹 and for how long this flower 🌺 says in bloom.
Hi there, one flowering season from June to September usually, sometimes earlier in the year if the weather conditions are right. I hope this helps - best wishes, Joel
In my opinion yarrow is too invasive & untidy in any reasonably cultivated area. My garden observations this year indicate lavender as the No. 1 attractor of various bumblebees (I don't see great numbers of honeybees). Others popular include the clovers, summer fruiting raspberry, cotoneaster, evening primrose (usually considered a weed), hollyhock, foxglove, onion flower balls. Sadly with garden reorganisation I didn't sow any sunflower this year.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a ground bumblebee nest in an unmowed clump of long grass within the wilting daffodils. Around the size & shape of the top half of a skull, composed of dry grass mowing & sphagnum moss. Amazing how the bees wove it all together & the openings are not obvious. At first I prodded it open thinking it was an unwanted field mouse nest! Since then not a great movement of these small bumblebees (probably common carder bee) in & out, just the odd ones & twos. Don't know how productive (or not) the nest is now as I have left it alone since, but from the traffic I presume its still active.
Hello! I have white clover growing on my balcony pots naturally. Shall I deadhead the flowers or pull out the whole stem? Since I can’t mow them once they’ve died! But want to provide for the bees as much as possible 🐝
Hi there, thank you for asking this and for thinking of the bees - you can just deadhead them with a pair of scissors once they have turned brown - I hope this helps, best wishes - Joel
You are incredibly talented and informative! I love your channel and the wonderful ideas you give us! If you don’t mind me saying your bloody handsome to🤣🤣😁
I am so glad the channel is helpful to you Joanna - I don't think any reasonable person minds being called that ;) Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Absolutely
I'm doing it❤
I'm really pleased about that - you will be certainly rewarded! :) Best wishes Amanda - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I already am. I went away to visit family for 6 weeks and came back and the garden was like a nightmare😅. I left my 19 year old in charge and he didn't mow it. Its a big garden and hard for me to manage on my own. When I began to mow loads of grasshoppers jumped out so I stopped. I love them and hadn't seen any in the garden b4. And so I went searching on here for ideas and saw your videos. I've now just mown round the edges of 2 big patches and I have a veg patch with raised beds which I do weed. I have all types of diff grasses , some wild flowers which I'm identifying. And I did not know butterflies lay their eggs in tall grass! They have plenty here and I've seen some white ones this week and 2 small heaths. Ive ordered 2 birdboxes and I've got some bits and pieces to make a bug house. I'm on the isle of wight. Getting the book😊 thanks for the great videos and encouragement.🎯
LOL 29C is our winter weather
Buttercup, clover and Hawkweed have ruined my three children's football /cricket pitch but life isn't fair and Dad is helping save the planet 🍀
Haha! That did make me smile Kevin - good for you, when they're older they'll surely appreciate why :) Best wishes to you and your family - Joel
I've left a border all around my lawn that I haven't mowed since April. I planted wildflower seeds in it in autumn but now the grass is growing so long that it's just flopping over and smothering the flowers that were coming up (yellow rattle, cornflowers etc.) plus it looks very untidy and neglected. It seems long grass must need more maintenance than I thought, how would you recommend I deal with it? For now I'm thinking of cutting it back with shears to give the flowers a chance to grow, but I'm wondering if longer term I'd be better pulling it out and planting a less vigorous grass
Hello there! Please send some photos to hazelwoodlandscapes@hotmail.com and I'll do my best to help, there are various grasses and I am not sure if this is a standard turfed lawn or an older one - yellow rattle is used to keep grasses down but I know it had a tough time even out in nature last year and seeds are hard to come by this year - let me know and I'll be happy to help :) Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thanks very much, I really appreciate it, I'll hopefully be able to send some photos tomorrow
This particular video would be more convincing if close-ups of clover flowers visited by bees were included.
From where can we buy the plants seed let me know please
Hi there Lubna, I'm not sure which country you are in, we sell the seeds at www.wildyourgarden.com but only in the UK at the moment. Trifolium repens is the scientific name, so this might help in your search - White Clover is native to Europe and Asia so I hope you find some :) Best wishes, Joel
What happened to the F35s? 😭
i dont think the bees really get much from this clover
Borage and vipers bugloss... The bee's never leave those plants alone... Literally....