It is considered an attractive balcony flower with its delicate, mostly blue to violet colored flower heads. The blue daisy likes to display its lush flowers there for many months. But how important is this representative of the Asteraceae for the bee world?
Are blue daisies valuable to bees?
For bees, blue daisies arevaluable because they bloom early and their flowers can be present throughout the summer and into autumn.
Does the blue daisy provide lots of nectar and pollen?
Compared to other flowers, the blue daisy only provideslittle nectar and pollen. Nevertheless, due to the abundance of flowers, it is important for bees looking for food.
Why is the blue daisy bee-friendly?
Although the blue daisy provides little nectar and pollen to bees, it is valuable for these insects due to itslong flowering period It reveals its numerous flowers as early as May. These can continue to develop again and again until October. This makes the blue daisy a permanent bloomer and therefore a bee-friendly plant.
How do the flowers of the blue daisy stay present for a long time?
So that Brachyscome iberidifolia or Brachyscome multifida can produce new flowers again and again,The faded flowers should be cut off regularly. This is the only way to prevent seeds from forming and new flower buds to form instead.
It is also important to protect the blue daisy from snail damage, tofertilizeand so towatering every two to four weeks, that it does not dry out on one side and is not exposed to waterlogging (€10.00 on Amazon) on the other side.
How does the blue daisy become a bee pasture?
Since it does not represent a rich bee pasture on its own, it can only become a bee pasture incombination with nectar-rich plants. The overhanging growth makes the blue daisy ideal for this. It can easily be used as a base for nectar-rich balcony flowers in a balcony box or pot, such as:
- Daisies
- Sage
- Verbene
- Vanilla flower
- Fan Flower
We also recommend the perennial blue daisy (Brachyscome multifida), which, unlike the annual blue daisy, does not grow overhanging, but is bushy and upright and remains small.
Tip
Not only bees like the blue daisy
Don't be surprised if the blue daisy not only attracts bees. It is just as valuable for other insects such as butterflies, bumblebees and hoverflies that search for nectar.
