Helping bees and insects in our very own gardens and parks is probably the most widespread and easy opportunity that we have to make a difference.

Between 2016 and 2020, the Heritage Lottery funded our Cross Pollination Project which brought together scientists, gardeners, artists, and communities in Tunbridge Wells to enable us to grow seeds of knowledge into action.

With help from local communities and schools combined with expert knowledge from Sussex University we created 6 public demonstration gardens loaded with pollinator friendly plants. These gardens were designed to raise awareness of appropriate bee-friendly gardening and offered a citizen science opportunity as local volunteers and students used them to collect important data.

This project also offered fantastic opportunities to get involved and learn new skills as annual talks, training and workshops were offered to the wider community.

The project was managed by the Kent High Weald Partnership, working in partnership with the University of Sussex’s Laboratory for Apiculture and Social Insects, Tunbridge Wells in Bloom, local artists and beekeeper Ellen Montelius and Lizzy Clayman, and other local organisations.

The Cross Pollination Project, as funded by HLF, is now complete, but we hope to continue this important work and carry on expanding and maintaining the establishment of pollinator friendly gardens and green spaces. If you would like to get involved or would like advice on how to make your growing space more wildlife friendly, please get in touch with KHWP.

Pollinator Friendly Plants

These plants are ones we used in the project and proved to be very attractive to daytime pollinators:

• Borage
• Buddleia
• Catmint
• Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff (cactus and pompom dahlias are not good for pollinators)
• Common Fleabane
• Helenium Sahin’s Early Flowerer
• Helianthus Lemon Queen
• Hemp Agrimony
• Lambs Ear
• Lavender
• Marjoram
• Purple Loosestrife
• Verbena
• Wallfower Bowles Mauve