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Plants offer to attract bees

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The Leicester Mercury is campaigning to save the bee – and we have teamed up with Coles Nurseries to offer discount plants that will help the insects thrive in your garden.

Earlier this month, we launched an appeal, backed by beekeepers and wildlife experts, urging residents across the county to plant flowers to encourage bees into gardens.

Thanks to the miserable, rainy summers of the past few years, the harsh winter and a huge decline in green spaces nationally, there has been a widespread drop in honey bee and bumblebee populations.

We are calling on readers to help save the bee, and now we can help you do it.

Leicestershire company Coles is giving readers the chance to buy buddleia plants – loved by bees and other insects – for less than half price.

Coles spokesman and plant expert Vince Edwards said not only do they look pretty in the garden, they also provide a haven for bees and butterflies.

He said: "The buddleia probably produces two to three times more nectar – glucose, sucrose and fructose – than other plants.

"Butterflies and bees will hone in on that.

"Due to this high quality nectar, they are very popular with all sorts of insects.

"Bees aren't the most aerodynamic insects and so use a lot of energy to get about, so they need good nectar for energy, to thrive and be healthy. It's their primary source of food.

"Off the back of that, they're buzzing about and cross-pollinating across the whole of the garden."

Vince said some garden-lovers had concerns about buddleias because they grow quite quickly, but urged people not to be put off.

"It's quite a strong plant and can grow quite vigorously, so some people have their reservations," he said.

"They do need a little management but if you look after them right they're fine – and if people are looking to encourage bees and other insects, it's a great plant to have."

Mercury readers can pick up a buddleia plant from Coles, in Uppingham Road, Thurnby, for the discount price of just £2.50 – down from £5.99 – by cutting out the attached voucher and presenting it at the counter.

Bumblebee expert Maggie Frankum, of Knighton, Leicester, said that although buddleias are good, gardeners should plant a range of plants to provide the best environment possible.

She said: "Bee people should try and get a range of plants to flower throughout the year.

"Herbs like marjoram and lavender are good. The more the merrier - think of it as a nectar filling station. The most important thing for any bee garden, though, is to lay off the pesticides."

Residents in Harborough and Oadby and Wigston districts are already doing their bit, planting bee-friendly seeds and building 'bee-hotels' to replace lost natural habitat as part of a Friends of the Earth campaign called The Bee Cause, which also calls on the Prime minister to create a Bee Action Plan.

Sir Edward Garnier, MP for the area, has praised his constituents and is doing his bit, too.

He said: "Forgive the pun but I never thought bees would create such a buzz.

"It is good to see people helping. I have signed the call for a Bee Action Plan, calling on David Cameron to legislate in order to tackle all major causes of bee decline."

Friends of the Earth spokesman Andrew Pendleton said: "We're delighted that Sir Edward is listening to people in Harborough and has pledged to help save bees.

"Bees are vital to our food supply, green spaces and economy, but they are in trouble. The Government must act urgently to stop their decline."

Plants offer to attract bees


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