Garden centre celebrates bees and butterflies (From Times Series)

Potters Bar Garden Centre celebrates bees and butterflies

9:10am Sunday 3rd June 2012 in News By Emma Innes

Potters Bar Garden Centre is inviting gardeners to a free event where they can learn how to attract bees and butterflies to their gardens.

The centre, in Dancers Hill Road, Bentley Heath, is hosting a bees, bugs and butterflies festival to raise awareness of friendly insects and how to attract them to their gardens. The event starts tomorrow and runs until July 1.

Matt Jaworski, manager, said: “Despite being gardeners’ friends, bees, bugs and butterflies are in decline so we will be helping our visitors learn how to encourage more of them into their gardens.

“Bees and butterflies are very important to gardeners because they feed on flower nectar and, as they feed, they transfer pollen on their bodies and legs from one plant to another.

“Without bees, many arable and horticultural crops couldn’t produce a harvest, which would seriously affect our food supply.

“Bugs such as ground beetles, lacewings and ladybirds are also helpful because they act as a natural pest control by eating the insects that can be a particular nuisance for gardeners.”

During the festival, visitors will be able to get advice on plants which attract bees, bugs and butterflies into their gardens including buddleia, dill, lavender, mint and tansy.