Worldwide Beekeeping
Sustainable Living => Gardening => Topic started by: Jen on February 17, 2015, 01:43:40 am
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Has anyone had luck with bees pollinating mint?
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Jen:
We have chocolate mint and just plain old mint in our backyard flower bed, and the bees are all over it all summer. Out mint is irrigated via the sprinkler system and blooms nearly all summer. In the mornings, one can just hear a steady buzz. They love it.
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Cool! ;D I'm gonna plant some
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put it where you dont mind its taking over because mint can become very invasive.
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put it where you dont mind its taking over because mint can become very invasive.
Yes, it roots out in my yard several feet from the flower bed. It's in a spot where it is mowed on a regular basis, so I just let it grow. It is about three inches tall between mowings.
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Does it need to be watered on a regular basis? because we don't water much in the summer, let the lawn go dormant.
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Yes, they like mint. Up here mint naturally grows in gravelly beaches and river banks. Definitely a water loving plant. For a drought hardy one that the bees go bonkers for, try russian sage. It's a large perennial that blooms in early fall, when there is often not much else around.
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Good call Pete, I have one of those planted and they are also in many gardens in our extended neighborhood, I see bees all over them when I take my walks. Garlic blooms are great as well, the pic is from my daughters garden, often there are 3-4 bees on one bloom.
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs22.postimg.cc%2Fp0w3wfpgd%2Fbee_on_garlic.jpg&hash=e5cf411c61f234f32e999d34998ee7dcb722c6d9) (http://postimg.cc/image/p0w3wfpgd/)
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs22.postimg.cc%2Frw973atgd%2Frussian_sage_SMALL_plant_detail.jpg&hash=f66135102bcf63e3a19792acf6e5b4e84ddd87f7) (http://postimg.cc/image/rw973atgd/)
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Any mint and they adore oregano too
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Have alot of mint in my area, don't know all there names but most wild mints will have a square stem. Bees love it. Jack
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my bees are doing my broccoli right now. I decided not to harvest as it was the only thing close to blooming.
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Gypsi, and Rosemary :)
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Gypsi and Jack- my problem is that if mint in invasive I could plant it in my back alley, but the deer will probably eat it. I don't know if they will like mint tho... it would be a good experiment
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Bees like pennyroyal mint but fleas and ticks don't and YOU sure wouldn't want to eat it. Deer probably wouldn't bother it. It is invasive. Put a metal underground barrier along the fenceline to keep it out of your backyard
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The russian sage also comes in white and it blooms twice a year hear spring and fall. Love this plant because it is so hard to kill.
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Gypsi- I'll be checking out penny royal mint, Thanks!
Mama- Ooooo! I haven't seen white russian sage, I'll be looking for that as well ;D
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Just no getting mixed up an you trying to drink the flowers. These white russians are for the bee's. ha!
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Well, that takes all the fun out of it mama :D
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I'm late on this topic, but I've got a ton of mint growing in my backyard. Not sure what variety - just some my mom gave me from her yard. It's in shade - which it loves, and like a little moisture, but I don't water it. It's prolific and hardy - and the deer that eat my sweet potatoes, okra, and peas don't eat the mint.
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Thanks Hampton, this is one of the plants I think I can plant on the bank behind our house. Think I'll plant several varieties