[LadyM]

Hi there,

I am looking to start raising bees in a year and this year was going to be a prep year. I live on the sand belt in the SC, so most of our ground is sandy loam. Any recommendations on natural/native ground covers that would encourage pollinators?

 

[roadkillbobb]

anything with flowers...that will grow in that environment..you can probably go to the local garden centers and ask them what will grow...

 

[Gypsi]

In north texas horse mint - aka wild monarda - is very popular, but it's tall, not a ground cover. If you can get dutch clover to grow - that's a ground cover but it does often take inoculating the soil to get it to germinate. Crimson clover can be seeded in border edges and flowerbeds, allowed to bloom, and re-seeded. Any wildflowers - they do often get tall but tend to be very popular with bees. in desperation and not a good honeycrop, frog fruit is a ground cover that will live in almost any wet sunny location and is somewhat drought hardy and winter hardy. all good things to run by your county extension agent. If you want natives you will have to contact your local Native Plant society probably. Frogfruit is a texas native, and many of the wildflowers I grow are, but I don't know what is native to your area, and your extension agent might. Don't ask a big box garden center.

 

[roadkillbobb]

I had 2 corn fields for the deer, about 2-3 acres total, the corn used all the nitrogen up, so I planted dutch clover last year for both the deer and it puts nitrogen back in the soil, the seed was inoculated and gre well, I kept it cut about 6 inches tall to get the roots to establish and I had this grassy weed with big seed tails growing and didnt want it to get tall and go to seed, so by keeping it cut, hopefully it doesnt grow again this year...and the bees will love it when it goes into flowering..