8 bee-friendly gardens to visit to make half term a hive of activity

Bee trails, pollinator paths and honey-themed menus are among the attractions of these gardens buzzing with family fun.

Show gardens this summer are set to be buzzing with bees, as the push on plants for pollinators continues – and children are being encouraged to get involved.

While a huge silhouette of a bee forms the focus of this year’s RHS show garden at Chelsea, and the smaller-scale Landform Balcony Garden by Nicola Hale demonstrates how a balcony for bees and pollinators can transform the smallest urban space into a valuable wildlife corridor, families can also do their bit for these vital insects.

It’s not too late to encourage kids to plant up their own containers with bee-friendly plants including sunflowers, salvias and asters, for colour as well as wildlife interest.

As National Children’s Gardening Week (May 29-June 5) and half term holidays approach, gardens nationwide are offering a plethora of bee-friendly events, from garden trails to pollinator-friendly games.

Here are some of the activities on offer:

1. Sow and grow, RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey (rhs.org.uk)

As well as sow and grow sessions, in which participants are invited to plant pollinator-friendly seeds to grow at home, there is also a Superbee Discovery Trail, where families can follow the route to the Heather Garden to see beehives and bee sculptures and learn more about bees, honey and the queen bee. Foodies will love the pollinator cookery workshops where they can cook up pollinator-inspired dishes such as honey butterfly cakes.

2. Pollinator Pathmaker, Eden Project, Cornwall (edenproject.com)

The Eden Project in Cornwall will be launching Pollinator Pathmaker over UK half term (May 22- June 3), a major new 55m-long living artwork created by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg. On arrival visitors will also receive a free family pack full of pollinator-friendly games and activities inspired by the event. Families will be able to follow an all-new and interactive Create-a-Buzz trail and learn how to make their own bee-friendly garden.

3. ‘Artizani’ attraction, RHS Garden Bridgewater, Salford, Greater Manchester (rhs.org.uk)

Discover the secret life of bees in Artizani ‘The Bees’ multi-sensory installation comprising hives, each of which hides a unique, unexpected interior world. You may find yourself looking into the vastness of space, or teased by a telescopic hive soaring into the air. There’s also a 3D printing demonstration of a bee house with Wainman Design, as they build a house for bees, where you can learn how to draw your own design for a future bee house.

4. Hive of activity, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate (rhs.org.uk)

Bee keeping demonstration, RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

The event marquee has been transformed into a hive of activity, which features a giant walk-in beehive where you will see what it looks like in a hive from a honeybee’s point of view. Visitors can also admire a display beehive donated from the Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers. During the week there is also a garden trail and beekeeping demonstrations.

5. Dance moves, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Chelmsford, Essex (rhs.org.uk)

Did you know that honeybees talk to each other through a dance move called a waggle dance? Visitors who take the Superbees trail around the garden at Hyde Hall, Essex, will learn other fascinating facts about these vital insects – and may even master their own waggle dance.

6. Honey bee trail, Erddig, Wrexham (nationaltrust.org.uk)

This popular self-led ‘Hello Honey’ bee trail takes visitors through the pretty 13.5 acre walled garden to discover more about these fascinating insects and how we can help them as numbers decline. Children should enjoy finding the eight information and activity stations hidden in the trail, while the Hayloft restaurant offers some honey-themed menu items to celebrate the role bees play in food production.

7. Build a bee hotel, Great Fen Countryside Centre, Ramsey Heights, Cambridgeshire (wildlifebcn.org)

Join The Wildlife Trusts for a half-term family fun day making solitary bee hotels and wildflower seed bombs to benefit our essential pollinators. Visitors will learn about the bees of the UK and how we can help them. All materials provided.

8. Beeswax candle making, Morden Hall Park, London (nationaltrust.org.uk)

Bring your children to this hands-on candle-making workshop, where they will learn how to make beautiful beeswax and use their creativity to decorate their own creation with natural materials. Each session lasts 30minutes. Just drop in – there’s no need to book.

There is also a honeybees and beekeeping talk and trail (aged 7+) with a local beekeeper on Friday, June 3, who will show a virtual hive and equipment that beekeepers use while managing their bees in the park.

For full details of dates and times of activities during half term, visit the gardens’ websites. To find out more about National Children’s Gardening Week visit childrensgardeningweek.co.uk.

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