Butterfly and bee plants

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Our dahlias are available for order from January 1 to the end of May.

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Butterfly and bee plants

"With flowers that attract bees and butterflies you support nature directly from our nursery to your home

Plant flowers for a better world and your own surroundings! A comforting thought is: if you take care of butterflies and bees, you also take good care of the rest of nature. And ultimately of yourself, because bees in particular pollinate not only garden flowers but also our food crops, such as apple blossom and potato flowers. So treat them well and increase their chances of survival. That is good for the balance in nature and for our own food. And flowers make you happy, so as far as we’re concerned you can always plant more of them.  

Different flowers for bees and butterflies

You can attract useful and cheerful pollinators to your garden by treating them to plants that offer insect food, nesting space and shelter. Plant a sunny spot with summer bloomers, dahlias and flower seeds such as cosmos, zinnias, and scabiosa. Choose flowers where you can clearly see the heart, so insects can easily reach the nectar and pollen. Water will remain in the openings after a rain shower, which insects and small garden birds can drink from. You really help these creatures survive by creating a butterfly and bee garden. 

Also plant some narcissus with an open ‘tube’ where you can clearly see the stamens. The early spring bloomers are a source of food for wild bees. Parasitic wasps and parasitic flies (harmless) are also attracted to them. That’s a good thing, because those same insects will later remove pests such as the oak processionary caterpillar, as they feed them (in pieces) to their larvae. So attract them! Of course avoid chemical products.

Ordering butterfly and bee plants

It is very easy to order flowers for bees and butterflies online. We deliver them to your home by post as soon as it’s time to plant them (from October until mid-December). Our webshop with flower bulbs includes not only dahlia tubers and narcissus bulbs, but also tulip bulbs and flower seeds. These spring bloomers and summer bloomers are the most popular flower bulbs and tubers for the garden. Also check out our flower bulb packages.

Care for butterfly and bee plants

Caring for dahlia tubers

Dahlia tubers need little care, just water regularly if it’s dry. And taller dahlias should be supported so they stay upright during strong winds. It is an option to keep the plant lower by pinching them. This makes the plant bushier and produces more flowers. Dahlias are tuberous perennials. They are long-lived, some people have had the same tubers for 30 years. Unfortunately, there are no winter-hardy dahlias. The tubers in the ground can survive a mild winter fairly well. But in a harsh winter, many tubers will not survive the temperatures. If you want to keep them, they need to be taken out of the ground before the frost.

Caring for narcissus bulbs

Narcissus bulbs need little care. Water regularly if it’s dry. The narcissus is a perennial bulb plant, so next year you’ll have narcissus flowers again. It is therefore very important to care for the narcissus bulbs properly once they have finished blooming. You can cut off the flower stems of faded flowers, but leave the foliage. It is important to give the foliage of the narcissus bulbs time to turn yellow. This is best for the narcissus bulb.

The flower bulb can still absorb enough nutrients from the leaves for next year. Once the foliage has completely turned yellow, you can cut it off. In winter, you can simply leave the narcissus bulbs in the ground, possibly covered with some leaves from the garden. Some narcissus varieties stay low and produce small flowers, while others are taller and produce very large flowers. Most narcissus bulbs produce several flowers that spread a delightful scent. Truly enjoyable.

Let it bloom for 8 months

In our assortment you will also find an extensive collection of flower seeds. That means you can grow flowers in your garden from early spring to late autumn, up to 8 months long. Good for the bees and butterflies who, after waking up from winter, will immediately find the narcissus in your garden. Then the tulips will bloom, and in summer the cut flowers and dahlias will bloom even until the first frost sometime in October or November.

Insect hotel

When you dig up the dahlias in November, cut the longer hollow stems to the same length, between the thickened parts. Tie a bunch of stems together with string, or place them in a can or box. Hang your mini hotel in a higher, sunny spot. In the stems, useful insects will shelter during winter, and in spring, wild bees can lay their eggs in them.

Want to know more about butterfly and bee plants, then also read our blogs:

• Butterfly and bee garden