Our Insectory is Doing Fine

I have a very busy life. I've mentioned in previous posts that we own and operate a couple of small businesses, and because of this I am approached through out the day in a plethora of ways (land line phone, cell phone, e-mail, web site, calls patched through from my answering service, potential clients just stopping by to see what Farmhouse Furniture is all about, and more than once I am handed a napkin or piece of scrap paper with an idea for a piece of furniture).  Well, my wife is one of those two-dimensional-napkin-drawing people wanting a piece of furniture for some corner of the house.

Well, she did it again!  After taking a class at Longwood Gardens this past winter, she informed me she wanted me to make her an INSECTORY.  Of course I told her that I could... if she would just tell me what an insectory is. She proceeded to explain that an insectory is a garden with specific foliage designed to attract pollinating insects to your garden. An insectory is highly beneficial to any garden home because it attracts foraging bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and of course, the night pollinators too!
By inviting the pollinators to your insectory, you are welcoming bees, the necessary component in every garden, to pollinate your tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, and zucchini.  Our insectory is directly opposite our victory garden and as a result,  we noticed a big difference this year as our veggies multiplied tremendously.

If you weren't aware before,  our honeybees in this country are suffering from CCD (colony collapse disorder).We are losing our bee population at an alarming rate, and no one is quite sure why. I will make sure to get into this in more detail in a future post. But for now, enjoy a few photographs  documenting the progress of our insectory. And if you get a chance, plant a few bee-friendly flowers or plants because every little bit helps.

I started by tilling a 4 x 25 ft. area between the chicken coop and vegetable garden.






Then, I dug out four granite posts I found back in the woods last year, and I put one in each corner to outline the area.

I framed the granite posts with 2" x 8" white oak and filled it with some rich soil.

An early stage.

This is a fine shot of a perennial called Yarrow

Purple Salvia - A favorite of bumble bees!

Garden Pinks are  a favorite for any insectory

Then, we added a whimsical bee hive to welcome our new guests.

We thought we had a hummingbird but it turns out this insect is called a Clearwing Moth Hummingbird.

Salvia and in the background, White Coneflowers!

Thanks for spending some time at The Farmhouse.