Nasturtiums, Tropaeolum majus, are a super flowering plant – these large and circular flowers are yellow to orange and shaped like a small hibiscus blossom attracting honey bees as they creep and climb and cover wherever they go.
A great plant if you are wanting to create a landscape of vibrant colour, they germinate quickly and can survive with little attention. Decorate dishes or eat both the flowers and leaves for a peppery taste in salads – in fact, the entire plant is edible…leaves, flowers, stems, seeds – the lot. And if you are a challenged gardener, don’t fret, they grow well in any type of soil, just keep them well watered through the growing season.
NASTURTIUM BEE PLANT VALUE N0-2 P1-2
Saving our bees is not just about making less toxic environments for them, but too about focusing on what we feed them. Like us, they need a balanced diet. Pollen and nectar from a diverse choice of flowers; protein from pollen, and carbohydrates, sugars, from nectar. Bee-effective and plant Good Bee Food, for you and your honey bees.
Click here and select your province to find more great plants for honey bees.
Ref: sanbi.org / Beeplants of South Africa, M.F. Johannsmeier