Practical workshop "Natural courtyard design: pollinator- and insect-friendly balcony and ornamental plants"
We can create habitats for biodiversity not only in our meadows, but also in our small natural spaces such as (farm) gardens, balconies or around the house.
Insect friendly plants
Never are we more aware of the busy buzzing of insects searching for food than in spring and early summer! Even without a large garden, bees, bumblebees, and other insects can find a diverse range of food in window boxes or small garden areas through the careful selection of balcony plants, ornamental plants, perennials, and herbs. By choosing seasonal plants, bees can enjoy a rich supply of flowers all year round.
To provide food for bees, bumblebees, and other pollinating insects, avoid plants with double flowers or use them only as a complement to insect-friendly plants. Double flowers have often lost their natural function because their stamens and carpels have been bred to become additional petals—which, while attractive, provide no food. But don't worry: Even though the popular geranium isn't bee-friendly, it can still be combined with insect-friendly plants and herbs such as snowdrop flowers, black-eyed Susans, lavender, basil, or fan flowers, among many others, to provide plant diversity.
Tip: Herbs complement each other well with colorful blooming flowers and perennials. This way, bees, bumblebees, and butterflies enjoy the colorfully planted flower boxes just as much as humans do.
3 basic rules of the garden world
In the world of sustainable gardening, there are three fundamental rules that are of great importance: Chemical-synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, as well as peat in the soil, are no-gos! These simple yet important principles not only contribute to protecting our environment but also to promoting a healthy and diverse garden landscape.
WOERLE Farmers as active living space designers
WOERLE farmers enjoyed an exciting afternoon exploring insect-friendly ornamental plants as part of the "We Build for Diversity" project, funded by the federal, state, and EU governments (with ÖKL as project sponsor and WOERLE Cheese Factory as project partner). Speaker Daniela Lehner from the Lacon Landscape Planning Office explained in detail to the participants the needs of insects and the importance of single-flowering ornamental plants for their habitat.
Afterwards, under the guidance of gardener Stefan Monger, the participants got to work: everyone had the opportunity to design their own insect-friendly flower boxes.
Many thanks to our speaker and all participants for this successful practical workshop, which once again showed us how each individual can make an active contribution to the preservation of our biodiversity, often with the simplest of means.
For example, did you know…
- that not only bees can pollinate flowers?
- that beetles have existed for more than 300 million years and were active as pollinators long before bees?
- that in Earth's early ecosystems, beetles were the main players in plant pollination?
- that even today beetles still play an important role as pollinators?
- that in addition to bees, flies, beetles and other insect species can pollinate flowers?
- that beetles are responsible for about 10% of plant pollination worldwide
