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  • From: "Nancy Bracewell" <Cather39@bham.rr.com>
  • To: "'permaculture'" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Reaction to 60 minutes piece on Bees
  • Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 20:15:14 -0500

I have those books and used to study them on my front porch swing -- two
pleasures in one. I grow nasturtiums and love them for their flavor.
Marigolds always present.
Your message is almost poetry with your description of the best way to grow
both! I grew okra in my shrubbery in Florida but the pest got to them. My
6-year-old son was getting the pods as soon as the blossoms turned!
So, permaculture doesn't change a thing in that regard and I'm so glad. It's
not good to have too much of the same plants in a bunch because it attracts
specific pests.
I have so much to learn. Thank goodness for this list! It's my dessert!

Nancy

Cob is fire proof, but our society outlaws it. --Ray Cirino

http://people.tribe.net/raycirino/photos/3352a8b8-0373-47dc-8728-6feaf3716e3
c


-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Robyn Francis
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 4:34 AM
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Reaction to 60 minutes piece on Bees

On 2/11/07 2:52 PM, "Nancy Bracewell" <Cather39@bham.rr.com> wrote:

> I have always heard "vegetables for the body, flowers for the soul . . ."
> about gardens. Should we add "and the bees"?
> Is there anything negative about growing flowers among the vegetables?
>
> Nancy

Hi Nancy - Bill once spoke eloquently about how all food producing systems
need to be designed as floristic (flowering) systems to attract not only
pollinators but a whole arsenal of beneficial insects into the system.
Flowering plants can also function as host plants, catch-crops and serve to
confuse and/or repel many pests when inter-planted with food crops.

There's a lot of common 'ornamental' garden flowers that are edible, herbal,
aroma-therapeutic and otherwise useful, and many are excellent companions
plants and dynamic accumulators in the veg garden. Salvias (sages),
asteraceae (daisies), apaiaceae (carrot family) and amaranthus spp are
particularly good attractants for a range of valuable pest-predatory
insects.

I encourage plenty of flowers with the vegies and vegies with the flowers,
and flowers under the fruit trees -- an integrated garden will feed body,
spirit and all the senses and provide important ecosystem services through
feeding bees and butterflies and other little critters above and below
ground.

Negatives? Just make sure you select appropriate flowers and monitor/control
them re invasive and weed potential. The Louise Riotte companion planting
books are worth tracking down- Carrots Love Tomatoes and Roses love Garlic

And don't forget to celebrate the beautiful flowers of many veg and herbs as
they go full cycle to produce fruit and seed.

Ciao Robyn

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