Wild flowers planted at Hagley Park to attract bees

A corner of North Hagley Park has been planted with wildflowers to help boost Christchurch’s bee population.

The 1200 sq m area near Carlton Corner is now home to an array of wild flowers that are helping to attract bees by providing a pollen-rich gathering ground, said Christchurch City Council head of parks Andrew Rutledge.

He said the flowers were planted as a trial to understand what would be involved in establishing wildflowers across community parks in Christchurch.

"There are certain species and colours of wildflowers that we have used that are specifically designed to attract bees.

"These plantings are not only going to help increase our vital bee populations, but wildflowers are also a great way of decreasing our spraying and developing an alternative to mowing.

"While the plantings may attract bees and potentially reduce carbon emissions, by limiting mowing they are also pretty stunning to look at and people are encouraged to use the walkways that have been set up to enjoy the flowers."

Once we have been through a full cycle of the four seasons, we will have a much better understanding of the viability of this approach.

The wildflowers were planted in mid-November, and include a wide variety of types.

Some of the most visible are the three varieties of sunflowers - Moulin Rouge, Sunrich and Procut White.

"If the trial is successful we will expand the plantings in Hagley Park as well as identify sites across the city that may suit this approach year on year."