Wildlife
Pollinator Gardens Usually Fail on Water, Not Flowers
Bees drown easily and cannot land on open water. A saucer of pebbles is often the missing element in a well-planted pollinator bed.

Bees use water for cooling the colony and diluting stored honey, not only for drinking. They need a landing surface with the water surface just below it, which is why they cluster around damp moss, birdbath edges, and puddle margins rather than pond centres.
A shallow dish filled with pebbles or marbles and topped up daily in hot weather costs nothing and is the easiest addition to an existing planting scheme.
Put this into practice
- What to Plant This MonthWhat can I plant right now where I live?
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