Bees Butterflies and Blooms

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Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 12 6:13 pm Post subject: Bees Butterflies and Blooms
This looks like a good programmes tonight at 8.00pm on BBC2, on attempts to stop the decline in all of the above. The first of three programmes.

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 12 8:03 pm Post subject:
Watching it now

robkb

Joined: 29 May 2009
Posts: 4205
Location: SE London

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 12 11:41 am Post subject:
Have recorded it to watch later. Her wild flower book is very good indeed, but sometimes she comes across as a bit of a madam on telly.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 12 1:25 pm Post subject:

robkb wrote:

...sometimes she comes across as a bit of a madam on telly.

I wouldn't have said 'a madam' exactly, but like most posh people, she sounded as if she'd had a couple of stiff gins at times.

I thought she looked a bit, well, rough actually...

robkb

Joined: 29 May 2009
Posts: 4205
Location: SE London

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 12 1:33 pm Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

I thought she looked a bit, well, rough actually...

I thought she looked fine

but she does quite often show that innate attitude that some 'posh' people have, that others are there to do her bidding.

Or perhaps I'm just showing that huge chip on my shoulder again

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 12 2:02 pm Post subject:
I caught the last couple of minutes where she was sat in a chair talking and TBH I found her style totally non engaging and rather sleep inducing. Certainly didn't inspire me to want to watch the next episode despite it being a subject I would normally leap at.

Mithril

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 1755
Location: wessex

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 12 2:18 pm Post subject:
I'm not familiar with her but I thought she came over OK. It's interesting how different people are switched on / off by TV personalities. Hope she doesn't put people off as the bees need all the help they can get.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 12 1:29 pm Post subject:

I actually got around to watching this programme the other night and found it very interesting. The woman wasn't half as bad as some of you had suggested and I got quite a bit of inspiration from the programme content.
As a result of watching it, we've put quite a sizeable piece of land to one side as a non lawn mowing area. I've been peering through various web sites for wild flower and grass seed and look forward to not having to do quite as much mowing. We'll just have paths a single mower cut wide to the rotary clothes line and to other points of interest. I have the second episode recorded ready to watch.

robkb

Joined: 29 May 2009
Posts: 4205
Location: SE London

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 12 2:05 pm Post subject:

Bodger wrote:

As a result of watching it, we've put quite a sizeable piece of land to one side as a non lawn mowing area.

Top man

I don't dislike her, but I watched the Sissinghurst series where unfortunately she stomped around telling everyone who worked there how to do their jobs and generally came across as a bit of a nightmare.

That said, I've met her at her own garden and she was completely charming. And her books are excellent. And it's pretty hard to argue against the point of this series.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 12 9:55 pm Post subject:

Here's a useful aid to go with the programme.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17073830

Karen and I have always though of ourselves as being sympathetic towards wildlife in the way that we garden but after watching the first two episodes of this series, we are going to throw ourselves heart and soul into helping our bees and butterflies. Watch out for some of the things that we have planned.

PS I've been tipped off that some of the Home Bargain Stores are currently selling packets of 10,000 wild flower seeds for £1.49p

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 12 9:57 pm Post subject:
I haven't seen it. Who is "she"?

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 12 10:18 pm Post subject:
Sarah Raven. Suprise suprise, she's already got a book out to go with the series. https://www.sarahraven.com/shop/sarah-raven-s-wild-flowers.html

LisaP

Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 127
Location: milton keynes

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 12 8:32 am Post subject:
Ooo, only just found this - looks worth catching up with on iPlayer... I love this pdf too: https://www.dunscar.com/imgs%20download/BeeMenu1.pdf Its a "bee menu" of suggestions of what to plant all year round so the bees don't just have the summer flowers

robkb

Joined: 29 May 2009
Posts: 4205
Location: SE London

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 12 8:46 am Post subject:

Bodger wrote:

Sarah Raven. Suprise suprise, she's already got a book out to go with the series.
https://www.sarahraven.com/shop/sarah-raven-s-wild-flowers.html

To be fair, the book came out several months ago, and is seriously good (rubbish as a field guide though - it's huge).

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 12 12:13 pm Post subject:

This is my favourite book on planting for bees

Bee Plants
by Martin Crawford
2000. ISBN 1-874275-22-X. A4, 111 pages.
A directory giving details of over 1050 species which are of use to bees, both wild and hive. Details include time of year of benefit (eg flowering for nectar production), type of benefit (nectar, pollen, honeydew etc.), siting requirements etc.

£12 from https://www.agroforestry.co.uk/publorders.html

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