On Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 5:24:19 PM UTC, Martin Brown wrote:
On 30/01/2018 11:02, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Tue, 30 Jan 2018 01:39:25 -0800 (PST), stuart noble
wrote:

I've been asked to clear a patch of land to make it more bee friendly. Not an expert on flowers, but there are a lot of these plants. Could someone identify them? Should I get rid? Thanks for any advice

http://i66.tinypic.com/350scax.jpg

Sorry, don't know how to format that as a link. Need help on that too! :-)

I'm not sure whether the first is a speedwell or a deadnettle, but I
think probably the former.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=326

I think it might be purple deadnettle hiding its colour because of low
winter light levels. Waiting for it to flower or turn purple will
distinguish all possibilities. I also note cleavers aka stickyjack
seedlings in the same photo which I really would count as a weed.

The second is creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus_repens

The third is fumitory (Fumaria officinalis)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumaria_officinalis

I get all three in my garden. I usually remove them by hand-weeding,
although the buttercup roots can be a bit difficult as they go deep
and are tenacious. If you've got a large area to treat, I'd use
glyphosate, but it's best applied when the weeds are growing well and
is not very effective at this time of year.

I have never found glyphosate effective against creeping buttercup. It
invariably survives when I nuke ground to be cleared with glyphosate
along with any waxy holly and ivy seedlingss. I don't find it that deep
rooted or difficult to dig up though - ground elder and horsetails on
the other hand are a serious problem. Miss a tiny fragment of root and
ground elder is back and horsetails roots go down to the antipodes.

I don't know how appropriate their flowers are for bees; I guess all
flowers have some nectar so bees might visit them, but there are
probably better plants than those three.

If it is mainly for the bees then I wouldn't persecute any of them just
add a other nectar rich plants that can hold their own and flower at
different times of the year. Apple and pear trees are good for early on.

Red valerian (Centhranthus Rubra)is also good and can hold its own
against all comers. A white form also exists locally common at Whitby.

http://www.seasonalwildflowers.com/red-valerian.html

Later in the year sedum spectablie is also good. You will obviously
bring in butterflies and moths with nectar rich plantings as well as
catering for the bees.

I obviously don't know what the landowner has in mind, but there are
plenty of flowering shrubs that attract bees. But if they just want
low-growing things, clover, various thymes, comfrey and cotoneaster
horizontalis are good. Some suggestions here
http://beefriendly.ca/25-plants-for-...n-your-garden/
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/goul...ources/flowers

The tinypic was OK; you don't need to include the [IMG] at the
beginning and end though. I just cut-and-pasted the URL from the
middle.

The URL worked OK as a link for me on Thunderbird.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Thank you both. These detailed replies do make one lazy!
As we have a park next door with plenty of wild flowers, I might concentrate on something a bit more cottage garden ish.