If you’ve signed up to the Get Dorset Buzzing campaign, you may have already planted your free wildflower seeds. Don’t let the rain put you off - this is a great time of year to do it, and as the year progresses there will be more activity in your garden, and also plenty more garden jobs!
Our Get Dorset Buzzing Community Conservation Officer, Katie, has the low-down on what activity should be happening in your garden this month to give the best chance for pollinators and other wildlife to have a happy and thriving spring.
What to do:
- Leave your dandelions, clovers and plantains to flower in your lawn– they are a great source of nectar.
- Deadhead spring bulbs like daffodils but leave stem to die back naturally to allow nutrients to go back into bulb.
- Water, water everywhere! Bees need to drink just like us and having sources of water at different heights in your garden can be beneficial.
- Mulch your garden – this will lock in moisture and feed your plants nutrients over the summer months. You can use different materials for this including well-rotted manure, leaf mould or bark chippings for example. Make sure the bed is moist before mulching.
- Bring out your solitary bee home from the garage/shed or make one and fix in to a sheltered but sunny position in the garden.