Create A Buzz!

Sow a Sunflower Seed… Beefriend a Bee!

The Biodiversity Group have launched a new project to raise people’s awareness of the importance of pollinators; like bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, and hoverflies, which pollinate the plants on which we rely; without whom many species of plants and animals would not be able to survive. And without them our supermarket trolleys would be very empty.

The problem is that pollinators are in serious trouble; their numbers are declining dramatically. Urban development and intensive farming have destroyed their habitats. The loss of flower rich meadows and use of pesticides have taken their toll and now pollinators are facing climate change.

They need space to survive; gardens full of flowers they can feed from, wildflower rich areas to live in, a pesticide free environment. They need our help and support.

We have given away hundreds of sunflower seeds among our local community for people to sow. Many other groups and organisations have become involved with the sunflower planting – schools, youth groups, children’s nurseries, allotment holders, the parish councils.

Imagine lots of sunflowers on display around our three villages and lots of bees feeding from them! Join the facebook group below to see how the sunflowers are getting on.

Join the Create A Buzz Facebook Group

Growing a Sunflower – Tips for Success

The best time to plant sunflower seeds is between April and May. You can sow sunflower seed as late as mid-June but bear in mind they take up to 18 weeks to flower from seed so they may not flower before autumn.
Sow seeds individually in 10cm pots of peat-free, multi-purpose compost. Cover the pots with a clear plastic bag and place them in a warm spot for the best chances of germination.
Remove the plastic cover once the seedlings have emerged. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, harden them off gradually – for about two to three weeks – then plant them outdoors.
You may need to protect them from slugs and snails.

Growing Straight into the Ground

Remove the weeds.
Rake the soil to a fine tilth (a fine crumbly texture) and make some drills 12mm deep. Leave a 10cm space between each seed.
Place the seed in carefully and cover them up with soil. Don’t forget to water the seeds gently. As they grow, if the plants are crowded, then thin them out to about 45cm apart leaving the strongest, tallest plants.
Be careful, as slugs and snails like to eat the new shoots. You may like to protect the seedlings by cutting the top off a plastic bottle and placing it over your seedlings.
As your sunflower begins to grow taller than you, you will need to help support the stem, by placing a cane near the stem and loosely tying the cane to the plant with string.
In dry weather, give your plant a good watering.

Growing in Pots

Sunflower plants are heavy feeders, so make sure you water the pots regularly (daily in hot weather) and feed fortnightly with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser, switching to a high-potash fertiliser, such as a tomato feed, when the plants begin to bloom.

To grow sunflowers in containers, sow the seeds in small pots as you would normally in spring, and then transplant them individually into larger ones when they’re large enough to handle, eventually potting them on into a 30cm pot of loam-based, peat-free compost, ideally with added organic matter. Stake taller varieties as you would for plants growing in the ground.

Why are Pollinators Important and Why Should We be Worried?

Without pollinators many plants and animals would not survive. Including us… Our supermarket trolleys would be almost empty. It has been estimated that 84% of EU crops and 80% of wildflowers rely on insect pollinators.

However, there has been a dramatic decline in the numbers of pollinators over the last seventy years.

Half of our 27 bumblebee species are in decline
Three of UK bumblebee species have already gone extinct
Seven bumblebee species have declined by more than 50% in the last 25 years
Two-thirds of our moths and 71% of our butterflies are in long term decline.

Pollinators are in serious trouble and it is down to many reasons. Over the last hundred years we have robbed insects of their homes and their food. Our countryside has changed dramatically.

They have lost their habitats. What are left are fragmented because of urban development and intensive agriculture. 97% of wildflower meadows have been lost across the UK since the 1930’s
They are facing unpredictable and extreme weather conditions because our climate is our changing.
We have increased our use of pesticides and herbicides which are intended for the ‘troublesome’ insects and ‘weeds’ but are responsible for killing the beneficial ones too.
Important flower-rich sites, have been mismanaged with things such as mowing regimes or tree planting.
Brownfield sites which can be good habitats for pollinators, especially in urban environments have been lost or damaged.

How Can you Help?

There are 23 million gardens in the UK. In England alone, gardens make up the 3rd largest land-use group by area, the land of which equates to covering 4.5 times more area than all the National Nature Reserves in the country.

What we do in our gardens is important for pollinators.

Plant a mix of shrubs, trees, including fruit trees, and flowers in your garden.
Choose flowers with open blooms that insects can feed from easily.
Look for pollinator friendly labels on plants when you buy.
Native plants are good. Grow a few ‘weeds’; nettles, Bird’s foot-trefoil, Scabious. Let the daisies grow.
Provide all year-round plants that your insects can feed from. Allowing lawn ‘weeds’ to flower by mowing less often provides valuable extra food for insects from areas that are often free of flowering plants.
Let the dandelions flower in the Spring. Early food for bees.
Let the grass grow taller. No Mow May
Sow a wild flower meadow in a tub.
Provide water for pollinators; the shallow margin of a pond or a shallow dish filled with stones or marbles filled with water will provide a safe source of water.
Provide nest sites for wild bees. Never mind the holes in the ground.
No pesticides.

Find more ideas on our Gardening For Wildlife Page