Re: Lavenders and bees

Hullo Irene, Sean and everyone,

I have just come back from an intensive forty eight hour honey tasting
session in Kossovo and was intrigued by the  point  in your letter about
"swarms of bees pollinating lavender flowers". I was talking to an
Oxford-based apiarist there and she said that the bees ignored her Lavender.
Unfortunately she was no gardener and wasn't sure what sort of Lavender she
had in her garden
Here at home too, the honey bees have totally ignored the seed raised "Dwarf
Munstead" and gone for Borage  instead. Meanwhile the bumble bees (Bombus
leucorum) have ignored the borage and crowded over the lavender. Both have
shared the Pot marjoram in equal numbers. Why?.

Do honey bees share human gardeners elitist disdain for what many claim to
be a second rate lavender?

Are certain varieties more accessible to honey bees tongues?....or  perhaps
taste differently

When Medieval garden writers write of the relationship between "Lavender"
and bees, exactly what "Lavender" are they writing about (one assumes, if it
really was a lavender, it was  wild L angustifolia)  or was it simply a
mistranslation such as the notorious one from Vergil E2:49?

Provencal historical records repeatedly refer to the inter-dependence of
bees and lavender and these invariably seem to apply to Lavandula
angustifolia, Do modern varieties of L angustifolia have different
characteristics to the wild forms which make them less attractive to bees?
What is the relationship  between bees and the modern Lavandins? I once
bought some "Lavender honey" in a farm shop in  the Lavandin area of
Provence, but it could have been fake or imported.

All of which brings me back to my original question, why do my honey bees
ignore the lavender hedge  whilst the bumbles go for it with relish?

Then how do bees react to L stoechas? How do they get on with the new New
Zealand varieties, do they prefer the wild form? I shall go and have a look
at the Lavender tunnel tomorrow and see what is happening.

Incidentally, out of all the Kossovan honeys, it was that derived from
chestnuts which got my vote as the most delicious.  Sadly I don't think that
they will be exporting it for a very long time.

Finally and probably wholly irrelevantly, someone at Sequim told me he
always used honey instead of rooting hormone on his lavender cuttings, it's
another of those ideas I keep meaning to try but never get around to.

Anthony




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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Irene Kuffel" <ikuffel@cisco.com>
To: <sean@support.net>
Cc: <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>; <kkonrad1@ix.netcom.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2004 12:54 AM
Subject: Re: Lavenders


>
> Sean and others,
>
>     My question has to do with the longevity of the flowers
>     rather than the plants themselves.
>
>     Have you found that there are certain things you can do to
>     prolong the bloom season on lavenders? We have a lot of
>     L. 'grosso', whose flowers never seem to last for more than a month.
>     This year, they started showing color just in time for July 4th,
>     looked stunning by mid-July, but by end of July were looking sadly
>     faded and brown (and this was a very cool July!)
>
>     Is this about the length of bloom season one might expect?
>     Are there other varieties that provide a longer show?
>     What are the factors that affect the longevity of the flowers?
>     (Possibly the swarms of bees pollinating the flowers
>     make them go through their cycle faster?)
>
> Thanks much,
>
> -- Irene
>
> Irene Kuffel
> Napa Valley, California.
>
> Sean A. O'Hara wrote:
> >
> > At 01:41 PM 8/6/2004, kkonrad1@ix.netcom.com wrote:
> > >I'll ask a question...
> > >I'm in the SF Bay Area, and am probably a Sunset Zone 16, or maybe 17,
> > >which I think is a regular zone 8. Anyway, I have about 6 lavenders in
my
> > >yard (need to get more!), and my two oldest plants, which are actually
> > >lavendins - Provence - are starting to get quite woody underneath. They
> > >are still growing well, and are large with great flowering, but they
are
> > >almost 5 years old. Do they need to be replaced periodically? I prune
> > >after the flowerheads are all dried up, going down a few inches into
the
> > >greenery past the stalks. Is this too little? I've also tried taking
> > >cuttings using the Oasis blocks, but nothing has taken. Any advice?
> > >Kris
> >
> > Hi Kris -
> >
> > I grow a number of lavenders with pretty good success.  Those with more
L.
> > angustifolia blood do tend to have sudden die back or die out-right,
> > largely, I think, because of our richer, heavier soils.  These plant
like
> > very stoney, well-drained soil, and while they will grow luxuriantly on
a
> > rich soil for the first few years, this tends to cause the early death
> > gardeners complain about.
> >
> > My best advice for growing these is:
> > - good sunny exposure
> > - good air circulation
> > - poor, stoney, alkaline soil, even with rocks and chunks of concrete in
it!!!
> > - do not fertilize
> > - water very sparingly, if at all, during the summer
> > - cut back well (as you mention), eventually forming a good dome-shape
> > (this helps traps cooler air ambient humidity within the foliage crown
> > during dry spells).
> >
> > Cutting can be made from soft-wood set into a mix of perlite,
vermiculite,
> > and sand - use of rooting hormone if helpful.  Make several cuttings to
> > maximize success rate.
> >
> > Interspecific hybrids like the Lavadins (L. intermedia), L.
heterophylla,
> > L. "Goodwin Creek", L. "Richard Gray", etc. are often easier to grow and
> > more robust in their growth, flowering longer as well.
> >
> > BTW - The many, many L. "stoechas" cultivars that abound in nurseries
> > today, with various colored flowers and bracts, are less adaptable to
the
> > harsh treatment mentioned above.  They are generally hybrids of L.
stoechas
> > and L. viridis, a tender Canary Island species.  These tend to grow fast
> > and lush, responding to water and rich soil, and sulking in heat and
> > drought.  True L. stoechas cultivars are hardier and tougher and drought
> > tolerant.  But this species also prefers a more neutral to slightly acid
soil.
> >
> > Good luck!
> > Seán O.
> >
> > h o r t u l u s   a p t u s     -    'a garden suited to its purpose'
> > Seán A. O'Hara   sean@support.net   www.hortulusaptus.com
> > 1034A Virginia Street, Berkeley, California 94710-1853, U.S.A.
> >
>
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