MONDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2011 TEAMWORK WITH NATURE

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."

This quote comes from the genius, Henry Ford. He had it right. What happened? People need to work together. That is success. We must work together as human beings with our environment. Not only must we work with each other, but with nature. For me, harmony with nature is rewarding. Have you ever thought about working with nature? This could mean going green or being a gardener. It could mean saving the bird population or even the bat population on Fire Island. Think of how you could work with nature!

There is perhaps nothing more rewarding than learning. This weekend Rick and I had our beekeeping course. I would highly recommend http://www.honeybeelives.org/ with Chris and Grai. Chris reminded me of myself giving a lecture. When I lecture I get so excited at the prospect of teaching that I sometimes go off on great tangents. This was true of Chris as well. For those who think beekeeping is easy--think again. It takes time, patience and a dedication to these wonderful honeybees. Honeybees are the only bees that make honey. Beekeeping is a natural progression for me after botany and herbology. It brings me great joy to be able to share the serenity of beekeeping with Rick. He is just as excited. It will be amazing as gardeners to see our garden benefit the natural ecosystem. When a bee lands on a flower in the garden, you know your flowers are being pollinated, but also the bees are receiving the nectar they need to survive.

If you enjoy the sight of happy bees buzzing around your garden, you can create a bee garden with herbs. We will pick a spot in the sun and have the entrance of our hive to face southeast.
Plan a dedicated spot for the bee garden. We do not want bees all over our yard or the neighbors, so we are planning to plant all the bee-attracting herbs in once place. Not all herbs want direct sun and some to want all shade. Most herbs can grow in partial shade. We will have water nearby for the honeybees.

I imagine having a bench or stool around the herbs so we can sit and watch our daughters collect nectar and pollen. There are many houses in Cherry Grove with beautiful flower gardens. The gardens that have fences keep the deer from eating them.

There are some perennial herbs bees like. The perennial herbs provide a stable presence in your bee garden. Some of these herbs are bee balm, cat nip, mint, sage and thyme. Lavender attracts bees and is usually perennial but there are some annual varieties too.

Even if you do not have bee hives it is a good idea to add some annual herbs to your garden each year. Supplement your existing perennial herbs with new annuals bees like in the spring. The annual herbs that attract bees include borage, cilantro, fennel and rosemary. What a great smelling garden. You can assist honeybees during this current crisis! The choices you make in planting trees, shrubs and flowers can support the well being of the bees. In early spring the best trees and shrubs to plant are willow, maple and witchhazel. Bees only visit one plant type on their foraging trip. Plant in groups, if possible.

What I am asking, if you want to help the current situations is to educate yourself. Read about the honeybee crisis. Visit a local beekeeper in your area. Maybe even attend a beekeeper meeting in your city or county where you live. Make a difference! Gardening and beekeeping are great ways to enrich our environment. If you asked me ten years ago if would I be truly interested in beekeeping , I would have answered, "No way."

I will talk to my bees like I talk to my herbs and flowers. I listened as Chris from http://www.honeybeelives.org/ talked about his hives with love, affection and pride. Rick and I did not feel overwhelmed with our new prospect, but relieved to know we will not be alone. We will have our professors--the honeybees. Let's face it bees have been around longer than you or I.

Until tomorrow...