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About pollination

Pollination is all about reproduction. Pollination describes the transfer of pollen (the male part of the equation) to the stigma (the female part of the flower). Successful pollination leads to fertilisation, which in turn means seeds and fruit.
As bees fly from flower to flower, they are carrying pollen. If you look at a bee buzzing about in your garden you may notice yellow or white grains packed around their legs or dusted on their bodies.
Many plants can only reproduce (that is produce seeds which are often encased in fruits we eat), if they receive pollen from another compatible plant. This mechanism evolved to prevent self-fertilisation and increases genetic diversity. In some plants, such as kiwi fruit, male and female flowers are even carried on separate plants. Pumpkins, zucchini and squash also have separate male and female flowers and so rely on bees for cross-pollination and the formation of fruit. Without bees we must hand pollinate to get fruit to form.
As well as being required for pollination, research shows that many fruits have better size and shape if they are bee pollinated. Strawberries in particular have been shown to produce larger fruit with good bee pollination.

Add captionThe concern for declining bee populations is driving home gardeners to attract pollinating insects including bees, and become backyard beekeepers. But why are bees so critical that they need our special attention?
The bottom line is that bees are vital for pollination of flowers on many food plants. Indeed around 35 percent of global food production is dependent on bees and other pollinators. Without bees, we’d have no chocolate or honey but we’d also have a lot less fruit and a dearth of some vegetables.
Food plants that require cross pollination (that is the movement of pollen from one flower to another) and rely on bees include most apples, some pears and cherries, blueberries and many other fruits that are rich in vitamin A and folates such as rock melon and citrus. Some edible seeds and nuts such as quinoa, sunflower and almonds need bee pollination, as do some ‘fruiting’ vegetables including beans, peas, tomatoes and capsicum.
Even plants that don’t need bees to produce the parts we eat (such as lettuce, spinach and asparagus) need pollination to produce seeds to grow new plants or develop new varieties.

Factors in bee decline

There is no one factor causing bee populations to decline. Disease, pests, starvation, weather extremes and chemicals are some of the factors that are combining to weaken and kill bees. A condition called Colony Collapse Disorder was first highlighted in the United States 10 years ago when beekeepers were noticing previously busy hives completely empty of worker bees.

Even when bees are healthy, as they are in Australia, extremes of heat and cold, drought (bees need water to drink and to keep their hives cool), lack of food and the widespread use of pesticides (insecticides and fungicides) all reduce bee numbers. Even chemicals sold as organic or ‘safe’ can be toxic to bees.

If it is necessary to use a garden chemical that could be harmful to bees and other beneficial insects, avoid applying it when bees are foraging or look for bee-safe chemicals such as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) or Dipel, which kills caterpillars only.

We think flowers are there to look pretty, but for the plant they are how they reproduce themselves. Most flowers contain male and female parts, which are usually surrounded by petals. The male parts – called stamens – produce pollen. Pollen is usually seen as yellow grains held on anthers.
The female part of the flower is called the pistil and includes the stigma, which accepts pollen. The stigma sits at the top of an elongated structure called a style that takes pollen to the flower’s ovary. When the pollen reaches the ovary, fertilisation takes place so each flower can form seeds and fruit.
Generally bees and other insects transfer pollen from a flower’s anther to its stigma but sometimes pollen is spread by wind, small animals and birds, or even by vibration (known as buzz pollination).
Gardeners are mainly concerned about the world of pollination when they want to grow a productive garden and produce fruit. Without pollination, fruiting plants don’t bear any fruit.
The ingredients for pollination (and fruiting) are pollen, a receptive stigma and a pollinating insect (usually a bee), which carries pollen to the stigma. While it sounds straightforward, complications can occur as some flowers are not pollinated by their own pollen.
They need pollen from another flower, often from another plant and even from a different variety. This is known as cross-pollination and is why bees (and other insects), which fly from flower to flower, are so important. They carry pollen so the cross-pollination occurs. Without cross-pollination, crops may be poor or non-existent, so a really important question to ask when buying any fruiting plant is: “Does it need cross-pollination?

All about pro teas

Despite appearances, proteas are not Australian native plants – but they could have been and there in lies a fascinating story stretching back billions of years, to a time when Australia was part of a super continent we call Gondwana. Also part of Gondwana was Africa and it’s on this continent that proteas – and their close relatives leucadendrons and leucospermum – developed their huge diversity of shapes, forms and colours.
Australia split from the Gondwana land mass and over time produced another branch of the protea family. Australian members include waratah, banksia, grevillea, hakea and macadamia.
Across the ocean in what’s now South America are found other members of the protea family (also called Proteaceae). It’s hypothesised that all these different plants arose from a common protea-like ancestor.

Growing tips
Like their Australian relatives, proteas, leucadendrons and leucospermums need extremely well-draining soil and resent high phosphorus fertilisers. They do best in slightly acidic to neutral soil or potting mix.
Select a sunny garden position with well-draining soil. If the soil isn’t well-draining, create a raised bed for better drainage or grow a compact variety in a large container.
All do best in areas with winter rain and dry summers and are good coastal plants. Where summers are humid, select a sunny open spot that offers good air circulation. This helps avoid fungal problems, which can appear as leaf spotting or dieback.
Proteas and their relatives grow well with little added fertiliser, but can be fed in spring with a low phosphorus native plant food. They are water wise and low maintenance when established. Although they need little care, pruning spent flowers encourages a compact plant with lots of new growth and abundant flowers in the future.

Watering
Established plants need little watering unless times are dry, however new plantings should be watered regularly until they are established. Take care to water proteas adequately during their first summer in the garden. A good regime for established proteas is a weekly watering when there is no regular rainfall. Containerised plants should be checked daily and watered when dry.

Lots of choice
There are many protea species and varieties. Most proteas grown in our gardens are evergreen and frost tolerant. Most named varieties form small to medium-sized shrubs around 1.5 to 2 metres high. All can be kept compact with regular pruning.
While protea flowers offer lots of diversity, they share a similar structure of stiff, colourful outer bracts surrounding a central, banksia-like cluster of styles (style in botany refers to a part of the female reproductive organ of flowering plants). Most protea blooms have a conical shape.
Proteas flower from autumn to spring with many offering a peak of blooms in winter. Whether left on the bush or picked, protea flowers are long lasting and eye catching. They are also bird and insect attracting plants.

In the garden
Grow proteas and their relatives as feature plants or as part of a mixed shrubbery. In the garden they team well with closely related Australian natives such as banksias, or with other South African plants such as agapanthus, red hot pokers and osteospermum daisies.

Leucadendrons and leucospermum
While not producing such the blooms of the proteas, leucadendrons and leucospermum enliven winter gardens. These evergreen shrubs are good planting companions for proteas and Australian native plants.
Leucadendrons have stiff green to grey-green leaves, many with brightly-coloured new growth surrounding small, neat flowers. It is the long-lasting coloured foliage that adds to their garden value.
Leucadendrons can be grown as a hedge or screening plant or as a feature shrub. For a low-maintenance planting, select several different named varieties to give a display of colourful foliage contrasts.
Leucospermums are grown for their round and colourful pincushion-shaped flowers made up of a cushion of coloured styles, much like a grevillea or hakea flower. Flower colours range from bright red, yellow and orange to more pastel apricot or golden tones.
Leucadendrons, leucospermums and serrurias (commonly called blushing bride) need the same care and growing conditions as proteas.