willow

Bend to my will – selling willow from the smallholding

Nov 302012
 
coloured willow and dog wood stems

Coloured willow stems for sale at fifesmallholder

red dogwood on the smallholding

It’s nearly winter and my coloured willows and dog woods that have been hidden by the other flowers, now shine out in the garden.  I have been admiring them, but today I cut some stems.  I intend to put the smaller branches into a vase and bring them into the house, they will give me a long period of enjoyment.  

willow weaving

“These coloured stems are always a favourite with flower arrangers and florists at this time of year when other foliage is past its best.  ”

coloured willow stems

Coloured stems in a vase just keep on giving

First is their contrasting stem colours, then (in the vase with water and the heat of the house) they will develop buds (the white buds on the dark stems are lovely), leaves (fresh vibrant green) and lastly flowers.  When I’m done they will have rooted easily in the water and I can then replant them in my wood or a bare part of the garden. For me that is sustainable local flowers and stems!

willow bud

Twisted coloured willow ring/Christmas wreath

I also plan to make a twisted willow ring or wreath, I mentioned this in a previous post, and will watch as the vibrant colours fade over time.  This winter willow ring will become the basis for my Christmas wreath which I will adorn with winter flowers (such as viburnum) and evergreen foliage collected from my garden.

wreath

Coloured willow and dog wood stems for your garden

The thicker stems of my prunings will be stuck into the ground in a damp spot in my garden or woodland.  This is the time of year to do it (when the plant is dormant) and they will grow away no bother (although they do grow better if kept weed free whilst establishing themselves).  The decorative willow is not as vibrant in growth as the superwillow that we grow elsewhere on the smallholding for firewood, wattles, and living willow structures.  This means that the decorative willow produces fine shoots and branches suitable for the vase or weaving.  To ensure vibrancy and suitable shoots every year the willow does require to be harvested or coppiced.  This  keeps the willow at a good visual height and size and ensures a fresh growth of young colourful stems every winter.

The many uses of willow

willow cuttings

Finally, some stems have been saved to sell to florists and public.  As well as a colourful addition to your garden, or a material for weaving, it is also a great source of pollen and nectar for the bees and insects in the spring.  

All of the above are for sale at fifesmallholder – please visit our shop

 coloured willow wreath

 Click here for another post on things to make with willow.

 November 30, 2012  bee, Flowers, garden, green, income, insects, post archive, winter Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Burning Ambition

Oct 112012
 
15sep12 015

Why Grow your own firewood?

Wood is the natural sustainable choice of fuel for many domestic fires – in use since the first fire thousands of years ago. When we warm our homes with wood, we participate in a natural cycle that we share with ancient ancestors.

The ability to burn wood for heat in our homes gives us more control and options for fuel. We are no longer dependent on large energy utilities and multinational corporations whose charges only ever increase. Even if we have to buy in our logs at least we are supporting our local economy.

Unlike the burning of fossil fuels like coal, gas or oil, burning firewood releases no more greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide) than would be produced were the wood to simply rot on the forest floor. If we are responsible in the ways we grow, cut, and burn our firewood, wood burning can actually be a good choice for the environment.

When sourcing wood you have three choices, buy in, buy a mature woodland, or grow your own.  This article will focus on the latter, check out this other article about sourcing wood away from the smallholding.

What trees are the best to grow for firewood?

Note that all woods burn better when seasoned and some burn better when split rather than as whole logs.  In general the better woods for burning that you are most likely to come by are:

  • Apple and pear – burn slowly and steadily with little flame but good heat.  The scent is also pleasing.
  • Ash – the best burning wood providing plenty of heat (will also burn green)
  • Beech and hornbeam – good when well seasoned
  • Birch – good heat and bright flame, burns quickly
  • Blackthorn and hawthorn – very good, burns slowly but with good heat
  • Cherry – also burns slowly with good heat and a pleasant scent
  • Cypress – burns well but fast when seasoned, and may spit
  • Hazel – good
  • Holly – good when well seasoned
  • Horse Chestnut – good flame and heating power but spits a lot
  • Larch – fairly good for heat but crackles and spits
  • Maple – good
  • Oak – very old dry seasoned oak is excellent, burning slowly with a good heat
  • Pine – burns well with a bright flame but crackles and spits
  • Poplar – burns very slowly with little heat
  • Willow – good if seasoned well

If the tree you are looking for is not here then try this link.

Timescale for harvesting wood as fuel

If starting from scratch then the quickest tree to plant and harvest is willow.  It can be grown on damp unusable ground, and if properly undertaken, will produce wood of a size that is manageable by a smallholder without specialist equipment.

Willow as firewood

Pros

Super fast growing varieties can produce logs up to 3 inches or more thick in only 5 years.  It is best to cut or coppice in the dormant season from late autumn to late winter.  This ensures there is the least quantity of water within the coppice poles, which reduces the time taken to season the firewood to a minimum.

To get reasonably sized logs you will have to coppice your willow every 4-5 years.  The advantage of short rotation coppicing has always been the small diameter of the trees which enabled them to be worked with hand tools.  The production of firewood is best carried out using the coppice system  because a felling licence is not required to cut coppice poles with a diameter at breast height (1.3m from the ground) of 15cm or less.

Cons

Willow wood is mostly water and takes a long time to dry out.  Some other woods will dry all on their own, simply as a function of time, but the willow dries best with good access to a breeze. Otherwise it can rot or start to grow again before it drys out.  If it sits outside and get’s rained on, it will soak up water like a sponge even if it was previously “dry”. Willow has to be kept dry- in other words, kept under cover. It should dry for a minimum of six months, but letting it dry for two to three years improves its performance slightly.

Willow is very soft wood and it burns very quickly so mix it in with your other firewood because it won’t last long.

Click here for more information on the benefits of willow, planting willow, and willow types for sale.

Coppicing trees 

Many species of tree can be coppiced (e.g. hazel). This involves regularly cutting the tree down to a stump called a stool. Multiple new shoots (known as poles) regrow from the stool. The cutting is done on cycle so to keep a consistent supply you need to plan ahead and have sets of trees which you cut each year. The interval between cutting depends on the species of tree. The trees are cut during the winter before the sap has risen, and the branches are all cut low to the ground. By repeatedly cutting the trees their lifespan can be greatly increased. One of the advantages of coppicing is that you do not need to replant the trees every time you cut.

The new growth is fairly straight and manageable, and can grow very fast. Because the wood from coppicing is relatively small it also takes less time than large logs to season and you should easily be able to season it over one summer. Coppiced firewood can be burnt in a wood stove and is ideal for use in gasification / batch boilers – these boilers have very larger fireboxes which can take long length logs. You fill up the firebox and the boiler burns the fuel transferring the heat to a heat storage or accumulator tank for use when needed.

Many types of deciduous tree can be coppiced: Alder, Ash, Beech, Birch (3-4 year cycle), Hazel (7 year cycle), Hornbeam, Oak (50 year cycle), Sycamore Sweet Chestnut (15-20 year cycle), Willow, Sweet Chestnut, Hazel (7 year cycle), and Hornbeam. 

Turning trees into firewood

Once you have harvested your wood you must split any logs that are more than 6 inches in diameter.  This increases the surface area of the wood exposed to the elements and therefore enhances drying.  You can get mechanical splitters, and attachments for a tractor, when you have large quantities to split, but they are not cheap.

For the average user or smallholder a maul is the tool needed.  It is a type of axe with a heavy wide head especially for splitting logs.  A maul does not need to be particularly sharp – unlike a narrow felling axe which slices at wood and needs to be sharpened regularly.  You can use a felling axe for splitting logs but it is much harder work than a maul.  The trick with a maul is to let the weight of the head do the work – swing the maul over your shoulder and let the head fall on to the log without forcing it down.  The wide head will force the log apart.  It’s also important to have the log you are splitting at a good height – on a tree stump or larger log about 18 inches to 2 feet off the ground is ideal – this makes the job easier and avoids back damage.

Kindling

Trees and shrubs suitable for kindling include:

  • The older wood or prunings of Buddleia. 
  • Gorse -as a fuel it has a high concentration of oil in its leaves and branches, and so catches fire easily and burns well, giving off a heat almost equal to that of charcoal.
  • Lilac: Thinner branches make good kindling, whilst the thicker burn well with a clear flame and a very pleasant smell.
  • Rhododendron: Old thick and tough stems burn well.


More articles on firewood can be found here


 October 11, 2012  autumn, income, post archive, smallholder, tree, winter Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Plants for bees

Oct 072012
 
01may12 036

What to plant to attract pollinators, insects, bees, moths and butterflies to your garden

Bees and other pollinators are active in the fifesmallholder garden and woodland, from very early in Spring until the Autumn frosts.  Sometimes, if you are lucky you might see a bumble bee flying in a warm winter day but rarely a honey bee (because they are inactive at temperatures lower than 10 degrees Celsius). Moths and butterflies are also seasonal, some overwinter and others migrate here in good weather. In order to make sure that there is always pollen and nectar available, it’s important to have suitable plants in flower, at the appropriate time. 

“We used to have 27 species of Bumble Bee in Britain, two have become extinct in the last 70 years and several more are on the critical list.”

As well as providing bee friendly habitats and nesting sites why not join the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust  and/or your local Beekeepers association? 

“Bees and butterflies hibernate in winter, so don’t forage when it’s truly cold. But it’s good to have a few winter-flowering plants that bees can use on warmer days and a regular food source from March to November.”

Plant flowers in groups

Flowers clustered into groups of the same species will attract more bees than individual plants scattered through the border. Where space allows, make the clumps four feet or more in diameter.

“if you plant them they will come”

What is pollen and nectar?

Nectar – nectar is loaded with sugars and is a bee’s main source of energy.

Pollen – pollen provides a balanced diet of proteins and fats.  

Bees forage for both nectar and pollen from plants and flowers.  Read more. 

 What Is A Pollinator?

Here in Britain ‘pollinators’ means small flying insects such as hoverflies, bees, beetles, butterflies and moths.

  • St Mark’s – fly (Bibio marci) is named because it is often abundant around St Marks Day (April 25th0.  You will find males swarming over farmland, especially near trees, drifting slowly through the air with their long legs dangling.  Females are more likely to be found on the ground or vegetation.  The fly is also common in gardens where it helps to pollinate fruit trees.  

 What do I need to plant for nectar and pollen?

 

“Most bedding plants are absolutely useless for bees and so are most with double flowers.”

Research suggests native plants are four times more attractive to native bees and pollinators. They are also usually well adapted to your growing conditions and can thrive with minimum attention.  Below is a list of plants and flowers suitable for pollinators and include pictures of ones that grow in our garden and woodland.

“Single flowered cultivars (some are marked as ‘Single Flowers’) are more useful to bees than double flowered cultivars.”

Annuals

An annual is a plant that grows, flowers and sets seed all in one year.

fife smallholder bee fodder himalayan balsam  Balsam 

Although the himalayan variety is very invasive, it is a good source of honey late in the season and the cause of the white spot often found on honeybees (from the pollen which is a very light cream).  Himalayan Balsam honey is light in colour and tastes rather like Acacia honey.  It is the only significant source of late forage for bees. Himalayan Water Balsam was introduced in the UK by the Victorians. It quickly escaped into the wild and is now a pernicious  weed for waterways but a bonanza for bees.

Birds foot trefoil  

Hardy annual but will need plenty of water during dry spells.  Sow outdoors March to April and will flower May to August.  This plant is a great source of nectar for many insects. It will also add nitrogen to the soil. This is a favourite of leafcutter bees. These have broad bodies and can be found on a variety of flowers but they seem to like members of the pea family in particular.

pollinator plan.  Borage

 (Borago Offcianalis) Pollen is blueish grey. A hardy annual sown direct outside from March to September.  Will flower from May to August.  A beautiful flower ideal for attracting beneficial insects into the garden and easy to grow.  The vivid blue flowers attract bees as well as other insectivorous species and make an ideal companion plant.  Both flowers and leaves are edible.

Calendula

commonly known as a ‘Pot Marigold’ produces both nectar and pollen.

California poppy

 (Eschscholzia californica) is a good pollen plant for the bees. Flowers are open when the sun is out, closed otherwise. Single blooms are orange to yellow in color and there is an orange spot on the base of the petals. The plant can be poisonous, so you should not ingest it. Make sure to wash your hands after handling the plant, too.

Candytuft

also known as Iberis.  Preferring full sun and dryish conditions Candytuft is very easy to grow and can be planted almost anywhere in the garden except deep shade. Native to the Mediterranean it flowers from May to August.

China aster

(Callistephus chinensis), 

Clarkia

(Clarkia unguiculata) is a nectar plant.

Convolvulus

cneorum also attracts honey bees.

Corncockle

(agrostemma githago)  Hardy annual sow direct outside.  seeds and plants harmful if eaten.  Sow March till May, and flowers June till August.  Attracts bees, butterflies and birds.

Cornflower

(centaurea cyanus) Hardy annual sow direct outside from March to May.  Drought tolerant.  will attract bees, butterflies and birds. Flowers from June to September.

 Cosmos

(Cosmos bipinnatus)

digitalisDigitalis

also know as Foxglove.  Woodland-edge biennial with spikes of large purple or white flowers which attract longue-tongued bumblebees such as B. hortorum.

 

Echium  

Also know commonly as Viper’s Bugloss.  Blue flowered large biennial, a bit spiny to touch.  Needs a sunny place and dry well-drained soil. Loved by all kinds of bees and Lepidoptera, but needs careful management in a garden situation. Seeds itself and liable to take over if not strictly controlled.

Forget me not

(Myosotis) has the smallest pollen grain, around 6 µm (0.006 mm) in diameter.  In some countries, forget me not is sometimes made into syrup and given for pulmonary affections. 

marigoldFrench marigold

Bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies will visit, so they are well worth growing if you like them.  The varieties Legion of Honour, Spanish Brocade and the ‘Marietta’ types have both nectar and pollen that attracts all sorts of insects, including the day flying silver Y moth, so called because of the silvery-white Y shaped mark on its wings.  These plants are particularly good for hoverflies, always worth having around in the garden to devour your aphids.

 Gypsophilia

this plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds.

Impatiens

commonly known as Busy Lizzie  has both nectar and pollen for bees, and some species of moths are able to get their long tongues down to the nectar also.

Lavatera

(Lavatera thuringiaca) is a hardy, fast-growing evergreen shrub with attractive greyish-green foliage and pinkish-lavender flowers that will cover the plant non-stop from spring until summer. As an added benefit, the sweet nectar will attract honeybees, and butterflies to your garden.

 Limnathes

also known as Poached egg plant. 

lavateraMallow 

(Lavatera trimestris) bees get both nectar and pollen from this plant.

 

 

Mignonette

(Reseda odorata)

 nasturtium Nasturtium

give the ‘cabbage white’ butterflies somewhere to lay their eggs rather than using your Brassicas.  Nasturtiums are edible flowers that contain cancer-fighting lycopene and lutein, a carotenoid found in vegetables and fruits that is important for vision health

 Nicotiana

commonly called the tobacco plant in all its varied colours is heavily scented at night, luring moths from miles around. 

 Nigella

Phacelia

(Phacelia tanacetifolia)  This has lavender blue flowers and can be used as a green manure to suppress weeds and re-introduce nutrients back to the soil.  Sow March to May, and will flower May to August.  As well as bees will attract hoverflies and ladybirds. Pollen is navy blue and available June to September.

Poppy

(pollen only. (papaver rhoeas). Poppies are usually insect pollinated.  Birds like to eat the seeds. Sow March to May and will flower June to August. See also Californian Poppy under annual flowers.

 Saponaria
 

WildflowerScabious

 

 

 

sunflower Sunflower

is not only a favourite with bees and pollinators but the sunflower seeds it then produces is a good source of food for wild birds.

 

 

teasalTeasel

(Dipsacus).  Good forage for insects, as well as producing those spiny winter seedhead that attract Goldfinches. Seeds itself everywhere and needs careful management. A tall biennial.

 

  Zinnia

They will not only attract honey bees to your garden, they are also easy to grow and produce large, showy blooms that resemble daisies.

 

 Perennials

Perennials are plants that flower and die down in the winter but return every spring/summer.

purple spring flower

 

 

 

 

 

 

Achillea 

Known commonly as Sneezewort.  Attractive to small solitary bees.

Aconitum 

Known commonly as Monkshood. Please note all Aconitums are poisonous, wear gloves when cutting back.

herbAngelica

Avery tall biennial umbellifer. Needs lots of space. Flowers attract a broad spectrum of insects, including various solitary bees. 


Antirrhinum

or Snapdragons have pollen, and the single-flowered varieties in particular attract bumblebees. 

Alyssum

Butterflies and bees love this honey scented flower.

Aubretia 

Garden hybrid. Attractive to Bee Fly (Bombylius) early in season; also occasional butterflies. 

Aster

(Aster spp.) a reddish yellow pollen available from september till first frost.

 Campanula

 cottage garden flower Canterbury Bells

 

 

Catmint

climbing flower Clematis 

(e.g. old mans beard). 

 

 

 Cowslip

irish fuschiaFuchsia

 

 

 

 

johnsons blue  Geranium

 

 

 

Geum

Goldenrod

(Solidago species) This is not a popular honey because the smell is quite putrid and its flavor is “distinctive”.  But it does appear to be a popular variety of honey for bakers and for Making Honey Wine. The pollen is a golden colour and available September to October.

Gypsophilia

 

hare bell

Harebell

 

 

 

Heather

Heather honey is made from nectar collected from the tiny purple bell-shaped flower of the common heather plant so named because of its domination of many areas of heath and moorland, and also known as ling heather or Calluna vulgaris .  Other heathers, such as the bell heather, flower earlier and are less common which makes them less viable for honey.  Thick, amber in color, Heather honey has one of the strongest and most pungent flavors. It is fragrant and floral with a very lingering aftertaste that is almost bitter. Prized since ancient times due to its medicinal properties, Heather honey is extremely high in protein content. Erica is a winter flowering heather and a very useful early nectar source for any insects flying in Feb-March.  

Hellebores  

(helleborus niger) commonly known as  Christmas Rose.Early nectar and pollen source for bumblebees in Feb and March. All hellebores are poisonous, wear gloves when cutting back.  

sunflowerHelianthus

also know as perennial sunflower.  Tall and vigorous with small pale yellow sunflowers. Very attractive to a broad spectrum of insects over many weeks in late summer. Needs space and a good soil. Vigorous but not invasive.

 

Hollyhock

 

honeysuckle in my smallholder cottage gardenHoneysuckle

the scent particularly in the evening is very strong.  For that reason it is very popular with months and the source of the first sighting at fifesmallholder of our first Elephant Hawk moth.  A migrant moth with very distinctive markings.

 

Horehound

Hyssop

irisIris  

The yellow flag iris prefers damp soil or water. Emerging foliage coloured cream. Yellow flowers are visited by bumblebees. 

 

variegated ivyIvy 

Honey from ivy nectar crystallises very quickly inside the hive and sets like hard candy, which is almost impossible for bees to eat. This can cause starvation if all, or most, of the colony’s winter food reserves are ivy honey.

 

Jacob’s ladder

(Polemonium caeruleum)

Japanese AnenomeJapanese anemone

(Anemone × hybrida)

 

 

 

Kniphophia

 Commonly know as Red Hot Poker.  Honeybees and occasional B. terrestris workers manage to collect nectar from the pendant flowers. 

 

Lavatera

Lavender

The flowers  contain vitamin A, calcium and iron, and is said to benefit your central nervous system.

Lupin 

(Lupinus) produces a brown coloured pollen in early summer.

 mallowMallow 

 

 

 

Meadowsweet  

Produces a dark olive coloured pollen in the summer.

Michaelmas daisy

 A small Aster attracting late solitary bees and Hoverflies.  Very late flowering nectar source for late insects. Not invasive.

Mint 

wild flowerOx-eye daisy

 

 

 

 Peony

 (single), 

Poppy

(Papaver somniverum) grey pollen available May to June.

bog plantRagged robin

 

 

 

wild flowerRed campion

 

 

 

Cone flowerRudbeckia
 

 

 

WildflowerScabious,

 (Scabiosa species)

 

 

Savory 

Sea holly

 (Eryngium species)

sedumSedum

a perennial which is prized for its long-lasting flowers.  Ideal in full sun or a lightly shaded spot.  A good source of pollen and nectar late in the flowering season and much loved by butterflies.

 

Thrift

(Armeria maritima)

Thyme 

Verbena Bonariensis

This is a striking architectural plant and attracts bees and hoverflies.  Sow February to July and will flower July to September. 

Veronica longifolia

plant for beesWallflower

(biennial or annual) .  Erysimum cheiri (syn Cheiranthus cheiri). The wild form can flower in December, or any time of the year. They have several flushes in a season. Ideal rockery plant.

 

 Bulbs & Corms

spring at fifesmallholder


 

 

 

 

Aconite

Agapanthus 

A smallish, deciduous, dark blue Agapanthus. The pendant flowers attract Bombus pascuorum. Not completely hardy.

Allium 

An insect favourite, especially bumblebees and butterflies.

Camassia

 (quamash), 

Chionodoxa 

(glory of the snow), 

Colchicum 

(Autumn crocusnaked lady species autumnale ) provides nectar and pollen in the autumn. Flowers September, often called Naked Ladies because their leaves come up earlier in the year then die back.

 

 Crocus

    Crocus chrysanthus Crocus species with many cultivars – necctar & pollen from Mid Jan to late March.  The yellow crocus has orange-yellow pollen.

Fritillaria

(all varieties), 

Galanthus nivalis

(snowdrop), nectar & bright jaffa orange pollen in Jan, Feb, March and April.  Plant in the green (with leaves) in the Spring rather than dry bulbs in the Autumn.  Single flowered not double.   

 Hyacinth

Ixia

 Leucojum

(snowflake), 

Muscari

(grape hyacinth),

 Narcissus

(daffodil and jonquil), 

Scilla

Snowdrop

pollen is orange-red.

Trillium

(wood lily) 

Tulip

(only for pollen).

Herbs

Basil

 Calindrinia Bianca

Flowering low growing garden herb.  Great food source for birds.  Sow February to May and will flower June to September.

Chicory

(Cichorium intybus L.) white pollen available.

chiveChives  

We always let our chives flower and they are a favourite with bumble bees.  Chives are also a good companion plant for roses.    Chive blossoms (the purple flower of the chive herb) are edible and contain vitamin C, iron and sulphur, and have traditionally been used to help support healthy blood pressure levels

 

Coriander

Foeniculum

Commonly know as Fennel or bronze fennel.  A culinary herb. Beautiful bronze foliage. Yellow umbellifer flowers attract Diptera (flies/hoverflies) and other small pollinators such as soldier beetles.

Lemon Balm

herb marjoram flowerMarjoram

(Origanum species) is particularly good for pollinators as  its nectar contains a lot of sugar,  up to 70%. Produces a buff coloured pollen in the late summer early autumn.

 

Mint

(Mentha species)

 

Rosemary

 (Rosmarinus officinalis) This honey is quite sweet, light amber in color but will become almost white when it crystallizes.

Sage

(Salvia officinalis) Sage honey is light in color, heavy bodied and has a mild but delightful flavor. It is extremely slow to granulate, making it a favorite honey variety among honey packers for blending with other honeys to slow down granulation.

Thyme 

(Thymus species)

Trees

spring flowering tree


 

Alder 

(Alnus incana or Alnus glutinosa Common Alder ) brownish/yellow pollen February to April.

Apple

 A true variety of apple blossom honey will reward you with a delightful fruity and golden sticky treat. Open the jar and sniff in a subtle aroma of apples.  Crab apple (Malus spp.) produces a light olive coloured pollen from March till June.  The apples (Malus domestica, Malus sylvestris) produce yellow white pollen in April and May.

Apricot

Ash

(pollen only).  The Ash Psyllid is responsible  for deforming ash leaves.  If you open one of these crinkled leaves , which generally have prominent  red veins, you will find numerous nymphs.

Birch

(pollen only), 

 Blackthorn

Cherry

Cherry blossom honey doesn’t taste like cherries, it actually has an almost delicious almond flavour with a medium amber colour.

Chestnut  

Honey from this tree is not sweet tasting; it is actually quite pungent with quite an intense flavour. It is extremely rich in essential minerals.  It has a strong flavour and very dark amber colour.

Elder

(Sambucus canadensis) pollen is a canary yellow colour and available from June to July.

Hawthorn 

This honey can be sought after because of its rarity. The Hawthorn only yields nectar for a short period of time so the bees have to be quick. The honey is dark brown, and thick in texture with a wonderful aroma of almonds and has a great nutty flavour.  Very rich in Nutrition it has been used as an excellent alternative for treating many ailments. This honey contains a high concentration of pollen and it enjoyed by those who eat honey because of allergies.  The pollen is a yellow brown colour available to insects April to May.  The Hawthorn Shield Bug feeds mainly on hawthorn leaves and fruits.  Many are called stink bugs because, when handled or otherwise disturbed, they emit pungent fluids.  Most of them hibernate as adults.  Another insect that likes the hawthorn is the Hawthorn sawfly (Trichiosoma tibiale).  It is a fast flying bee-like species.  Larva feed on hawthorn  but  is rarely noticed, unlike the sausage shaped cocoon which remains glued to the bare twigs through the winter.  The adults cut their way out in spring.  Read more about the Hawthorn tree.

Hazel

(Corylus avellana Common Hazel) pale, greenish yellow pollen in spring - flowers from Feb.  Worked by bees for pollen only as no nectar secreted.  Requires calm still weather for bees to work it.  Small pollen loads as difficult to collect. 

 Laurel

Lime

the common lime (Tilia) produces a peach coloured pollen in the autumn.

 Maple

(Acer) – a source of pollen for honeybees in February to April.  Pollen is light yellow in colour.

Oak

(Quercus robur, Quercus pedunculata) pollen is light olive in colour.

Pear

 pollen is reddish yellow.

Plum

 pollen is light grey available between April and May.

Peach 

Flowering PrivetPrivet

(Ligustrum) produces a yellow pollen in the autumn.

 

 

 Sycamore

Sweet and horse chestnut

  Blacl locust

(Robinia pseudoacacia), 

Willow

(all varieties e.g. goat & grey). Salix spp. pollen is available February to April and is lemon in colour. The male plant of pussy/goat willow offer high quality pollen, female plants are rich in nectar.

 

Shrubs

spring flowering shrub

 

 

 

 

 

Berberis

Broom

budleiaBuddleia

(esp. B. globosa), insects like the flowers and birds like the seeds.

 

 

 Buckthorn

Choisia

Ceanothus 

(spring-flowering types)

Cotoneaster

(all varieties), 

 

 

Echium

elderElderberry

 The flower from the elder is popular as a flavouring in drinks (along with the berries).  The flower attracts pollinators and the berries attract wild birds.

 

 

escallonia Escallonia

 Escallonia is commonly used for hedging and  grows quite rapidly, about 1 ft per year and reaches between 4-8 ft in height. Flowering from June to October Escallonia has masses of white or rosy crimson flowers, with a honey fragrance.

 

Flowering currants

FuschiaFuchsia

 

 

 

 spring yellow flowerGorse 

(Ulex europaeus) – do not buy cultivars with double blooms.  Nectar & pollen, on almost every day of the year.

 

 

Heather

The bell heather (Erica) which flowers in the autumn produces a grey coloured pollen. Ling heather ( Calluna vulgaris) produces a buff coloured pollen in the summer and autumn.

pollinator plantHebe

is an evergreen shrub and ranges in size from dwarf shrubs to small trees up to 7 metres. They are native to New Zealand,  and South America. They come in a variety of colours and they attract butterflies as well as bees.

 

Holly

(Ilex – Mountain Ash) produces an olive coloured pollen in late spring early summer.

winter pollinator flowerMahonia

(mahonia japonica Japanese Mahonia) – nectar & pollen Jan to March. 

 

 

 Pyrocanthus 

 

 

 

Privet

(Ligustrum) produces a yellow coloured pollen in autumn.

Quince

(chaenomeles japonica) nectar & Pollen in Feb and March.

Snowberry

(Symphoricarpos) 

Weeds

A weed is a flower in the wrong place.

flowering weed attracts pollinator

 

 

 

 

 

blackberry flowerBlackberry

or bramble as we call it here in Scotland. (Rubus spp.) The honey from this plant is dark, thick but also clear set. It is as you would expect quite fruity with a waft of flowery perfume. The pollen is a light grey colour and can be easily seen in this picture.

Chick weed

pollen is yellowish.

wild flowerClover

Depending on the location and source, clover honey varies in colour from water white to different tones of amber. White clover in particular is grown as a widespread blooming pasture crop and is a major nectar source in many parts of the world. This classic honey has a pleasingly mild, floral sweetness, and the most distinctive characteristic of this honey is its lingering hint of sour after taste. White clover pollen is yellow to dark yellow. 

Coltsfoot 

Dandelion

(Taraxacum officinale) pollen colour is red yellow to orange available April to May.

Dead nettles

(Lamium maculatum) 

WildflowerField Scabious

(Knautia arvensis) produces a pink coloured pollen in the late summer early autumn.

 

 Hairy Willowherb

produces a pale yellow pollen.

Hedera helix known as common Ivy

Ivy will not flower for perhaps fifteen years, so it is pointless to plant this in your garden. Bees will find it in the wild.  Honey from ivy nectar crystallises very quickly inside the hive and sets like hard candy, which is almost impossible for bees to eat. This can cause starvation if all, or most, of the colony’s winter food reserves are ivy honey. The pollen is a peach colour in the late autumn.

Wild flowerHogweed

(Heracleum) produces a yellow pollen in the summer.

 

 

Knapweed

Centaurea nigra very light olive pollen.

Rosebay willow herb 

produces a green/turquoise colour of pollen.

thistleThistle

 

 

 Yarrow

(Achillea millefolium) provides pollen for insects and pollinators.

 Vegetables (when left to flower)

Asparagus

 
Beans of all varieties 

Brassicas 

broad beanBroad bean 

(vicia faba) produces a grey pollen in the spring and summer.

 

 

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

 
Chicory

 
chiveChives

 (Allium schoenoprasum) Chive blossoms (purple flower) are edible  they contain vitamin C, iron and sulfur, and have traditionally been used to help support healthy blood pressure levels.

 

 

Courgettes 

Cucumbers, 

Endive

Field Bean

(Vicia) produces an olive coloured pollen in the late spring and summer.

Fruiting currants

(black, red) 

Kale (and other brassicas)

Leeks

 
Marrows 

Oil seed rape

Produces a yellow coloured pollen in spring and summer.  This honey granulates into a solid very quickly and it must be removed from the hive and extracted before it sets in the comb.

Onions

 (Allium cepa) pollen colour is light olive.

Parsnips 

Pumpkins 

Radish 

Swede 

Turnips 

 Fruit

Blueberry bush

Blueberry honey is a beautiful runny honey with quite a bite to it. It will surprise your tingling taste buds with its sharpness of un-ripened fruit, almost lemon in flavour.

Gooseberry bushes    

Raspberry

(Rubus idaeus) pollen is a white grey colour. Raspberry honey has a delicate taste of fruity undertones. However it has a sugary texture and will crystallizes quicker than most honey varieties. (It is really easy to liquefy if a runny texture is what you want, just loosen the lid of the jar and stand it in a pan of hot water for a short time and it melts into a runny state). 

Strawberry

(for pollen)

Flowers

lungwort

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asters

pollinator planBorage

 

 

Christmas rose

Hellebore. Flowers point down protecting pollen and nectar from bad weather, long flowering season.

Nasturtiums 

Pansies

(heart’s ease)

 Poached egg plant

(limnanthes douglasii) 

Phacelia

Violets  

flowers are edible – they contain rutin, a phytochemical with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help strengthen capillary walls.

Tansy 

 

Websites used in the making of this article:

 

 October 7, 2012  bee, biodiversity, Flowers, garden, insects, Nature, post archive, spring, tree, winter Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Things to make with willow

Sep 062012
 
mon 203

Here are a few suggestions on what you can make with willow:

willow woven dragon sculpture

 

I would love to say these are our own creations but sadly they are not, wonderful none the less.

 

hand woven willow heron sculpture

 

willow statue

 

Now some more practical creations that I’m sure we could all make.

hand woven willow support

 A willow log basket is ideal to let your wood continue to dry out before you put them on the fire.

firewood container

Why not try a bower for you garden seat providing a good wind break and some privacy.

romantic willow bower for garden seat

Or why not plant a tunnel for the children?

childrens play willow tunnel

A fedge is a cross between a fence and a hedge – flexible, green and looks good too!

willow hedge

 Here is something I did make.

 coloured willow wreath

 If you would like to buy some willow to make any of these structures then why not contact us, we sell a range of willow that is suitable for making living willow structures, or coloured willow for baskets and other smaller more artistic items. Link to our shop.

Looking for more?  I regularly update my willow board on pinterest with ideas and suggestions click here to check it out.  

Why not make your own Christmas wreath - here is a link with some good ideas.

Here is some more links to other things you can make with willow:

How do I prepare my willow for weaving?

Willow in different states have different names; green, brown, white and buff.  Green willow is fresh and not dried (items made with green willow will shrink when it dries out in a few weeks).  Brown willow has been dried and will need soaking to make it flexible again (average soaking time is 1 day per foot of willow length).  White willow has been dried soaked and skin removed (this rehydrates a lot quicker in a couple of hours).  Buff willow has been boiled and bark removed.  To find out more check out this link.

 September 6, 2012  employment, garden, green, income, post archive, tree Tagged with: , , , ,

Signs of Spring – on the smallholding

Mar 062012
 
scented spring flower

Pollen and nectar rich plants in the spring garden

Although I always have something in flower in my garden throughout the year, it is springtime when I get the most excited.  I have a lot of spring bulbs and my perennial flowers and shrubs are a good source of nectar and pollen to any bumble bees or honey bees that venture out in warm sunny days.

nectar or pollen spring flower for insects

An example of plants that flower during this time that are beneficial to insects and pollinators are:

  • gorse
  • mahonia
  • snowdrops
  • willow 
  • crocus (especially yellow)
  • pulmonaria

A range of some of these plants can be purchased from our shop.

lungwort

Check out my Plants For Bees post or click here for a link to some simple guidelines to encourage the sustainable build-up of pollinating insects – what to plant and when.

  • Annuals: Garden annuals are useful for both pollen and nectar. 
  • Perennials: These plants are a real boon to any insect reliant on nectar or pollen, as they provide a food source year after year, and require little input from gardeners once they are established.
  • Bulbs: The early pollen and nectar from bulbs is vital to bees each Spring. Some are found wild, whilst others are cultivated.
  • Trees: Fruit and nut trees are much loved by bees.
  • Shrubs: A number of ordinary garden shrubs are useful to bees for both nectar and pollen.
  • Weeds: What man might consider a weed, is a bee’s bread and butter, so think before you make your garden too tidy.
  • Vegetables: The flowers of a number of vegetables are attractive to bees, though normally these are harvested before the plant reaches the flowering stage. If just a few plants at the end of a row could be left to set seed, this would be beneficial to bees, and could save the gardener money on next year’s seed.
 March 6, 2012  bee, biodiversity, Flowers, garden, insects, Nature, photography, post archive, spring Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Wind in the willows

Jan 282012
 
hand woven willow heron sculpture

Willow cuttings available for sale from Fifesmallholder

  • Salix Viminalis – very fast growing and ideal for firewood etc.

  • Continental yellow

  • Zwarte Driebast

  • Flanders Red

  • Noire De villaine

  • Continental Purple

  • Brittany Green

Our willows can be used for different purposes 

 
 ”there is a willow grows aslant the brook
that shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream”
 
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
 

Benefits of willow

  • Properties of Willow 

    Willows will grow in a range of habitats and survives in most localities.  In soil of pH 6.0 – 8.0  Most soil types. Most topography.

     

    There are species of Willow, which are adapted to different conditions:

     

    S. alba – low lying conditions

    S. fragilis – river bank

    S. herbacea – mountains Scotland

    S. repens – colonises sand dunes

 
Willows are the fastest growing & highest yielding tree or shrub in Britain. When grown as Short Rotation Coppice they can produce as much as 10 to 15 tonnes of dry wood per hectare per year and often more on the better sites.
 
Farmers are now growing willow to supply power stations with a natural, renewable and carbon neutral source of energy. It is usually harvested on a 3 year rotation then chipped, dried and loaded into giant hoppers to be fed automatically into the boilers to produce electricity and/or heat.
 
For a smallholder or householder though, logs are more useful than woodchips. Known as the 5 year Coppice Rotation, a site is divided into 5 beds and 1 bed is harvested each year, providing a regular supply of firewood year on year.
 
Using this system, 500 plants on 750 sq m (less than a fifth of an Acre) can produce 1 Tonne of dry firewood every year.
 
To read more about firewood click here.

Planting willow

These plants are delivered as setts – unrooted cuttings.  Willows should be planted during the time when they are dormant, i.e. after the leaves have dropped and before the sap starts to rise again.
 
As they need to develop a good root system, before they can afford to develop leaves, willow cuttings should be planted between December and the beginning of April and willow rods should be in the ground by the beginning
of March.
 
They establish rapidly in any soft earth, free of weeds.  Soak them in water overnight, then plant them to about half their depth, coloured end pointing upwards. Cut back half the new growth in the winter after planting to make them bush out.
 
Planting willows link 
 

  • Healing

Country folk have been familiar with the healing properties of willow for a long time. They made an infusion from the bitter bark as a remedy for colds and fevers, and to treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatism. Young willow twigs were also chewed to relieve pain. In the early nineteenth century modern science isolated the active ingredient responsible, salicylic acid, which was also found in the meadowsweet plant. From this the world’s first synthetic drug, acetylasylic acid, was developed and marketed as Aspirin, named after the old botanical name for meadowsweet, Spirea ulmaria.

  • Bee Fodder

Willow benefits pollinating insects in early spring. Willow plants when flowering produce both nectar and pollen. Females give only nectar, but male plants give both nectar and pollen. Planting a variety of willow types, will give an extended flowering season. The Salix Viminals often flowers in April, at the end of the period that is crucial to honey bee brood building time.
 
click here for more information 
 

  • Willow is a good supplementary feed for sheep and lambs, it also helps them cope/expel/resist worms.

 

Willow links with Scottish place names 

The Gaelic words for willow are shellach, or suil, and feature in Scottish place names such as Achnashellach in Ross-shire, Glensuileag in Inverness-shire and Corrieshalloch on Speyside. These names would have referred to both the presence of willow and the attendant industries utilising the willow’s gifts.

 

Willow folklore

 click here for some folklore 

Links

 January 28, 2012  bee, garden, green, income, insects, livestock, sheep, tree, winter Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,