# Bee lot planting/?s



## WI-beek (Jul 14, 2009)

Looks like I will be buying a field lot of about 7 acres (agricultural and will stay ag). Two sides will be open (bordering other lots for development) and two border woods that will stay undeveloped. I want to plant a solid border that others cant see through on open sides. Whatever I plant, in five years I dont want border lots to be able to see through as much as possible. What should I plant? Im thinking a couple row of pine and some kind of bush inside of pine. Whatever bush I plant has to be primo for the bees. 

Remember Im in Wisconsin (zone 4) so bushes that die from freezing dont work.

Thanks for help.
WI-Beek


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## Cris (Mar 10, 2011)

Unfortunately, the best screens (arborvitae, junipers etc) aren't really the best flowering ones. If you want to plant something lower to fill in then some of the boxwoods shrubs would do well but they don't get very tall, just spread out.
And roses planted in full sun will survive just about anything even if you wack 'em back to ground level every winter.


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## beestooth (Apr 10, 2011)

Holly ....... privet ....... Blackberry .........


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## John V (Jun 7, 2010)

beestooth said:


> Holly ....... privet ....... Blackberry .........


Absolutely Holley! The bess work it like crazy, at least here. It's a big source for spring build up. AND.... it's evergreen!

Later, John


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

Pivet and Holly get worked pretty hard here.

Black berries are good, but they can get out of control. Also, they may not grow as high as you might like. If you go with Blackberries, make sure you get a self supporting thornless. Assuming you will want to pick berries.

-Kevin


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## WI-beek (Jul 14, 2009)

My Uncle has wild blackberries that grow in the woods in clearings 10 feet tall, no kidding. grow thick as heck, produce big fat berries, flower thick and my bees go insane on them. They more or less mark the beginning of my summer major flow. Thorns dont scare me, its the spiders, and hornets, lol.

But no, I want a bush that grows like 12 feet or so, dense foliage and produces a long flow. I know, I want cake and to eat it too. I just want to keep my bees out of sight and out of mind of the whining and crying neighbors that will be sure to build in adjacent lots. If I were as rich as they surely will be, I would buy forty acres of woods in the center of dairy county, and locate my bees in the middle. Yes I am so optimistic, aint I.


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## WI-beek (Jul 14, 2009)

Hey, maybe I will get lucky and one of the snobs will pay me three times what my lot is worth to get rid of me!


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## forgeblast (Feb 4, 2011)

forsythia is a nice screen, I would second the blackberries (i have had excellent luck from nourse farms, excellent product), high bush blueberries, if its a bit soggy you could go with high bush cranberries too. Hazlenuts might work. One thing to keep in mind is that the critters may chomp on what you plant so you may want to do a search here
www.yardscaping.org/plants/swcdplants/deer_resistant_plants.pdf 

also dog wood, or crab apples might work.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Elderberry, Triple Crown Thornless blackberry, Illinois Everbearing Mulberry tree, sumac, Bailey Red Twig dogwood, serviceberry, plums, sour cherry.


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## WI-beek (Jul 14, 2009)

Hey everyone. First let thank everyone who took the time to share some advice.

I found some good info on building and preparing windbreaks from my states own department of natural resources. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/forestry/publications/tip/WindbreaksWebLowRes.pdf

It will likely be late summer or even next spring before all the red tape has been gone through and I get my hands on the property so I have plenty of time to plan this project. I intend to turn this land into an extreme spring through fall honeybee paradise that will someday pay off in honey. I will plant white clover instead of grass and stands of rape etc. The area is already pretty decent. It is does lack in very early spring forage if we have an early kick off like last season and late fall forage is non existent. Even if there is not enough on the property to make huge surplus crops it is keeping the bees strong so they can cash in on the areas big flows that will bring the checks home I hope.


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