With World Bee Day coming up on the 20th May 2021, and entries for this year's 'Waggle Dance' already open (please get yours in by 10pm AEST 15th May 2021 families), now is a good time to look at what you can plant to help our local native bee species and European honey bee Apis mellifera, along.
The bee 'waggle' is that movement bees make to communicate to other bees where there are flowers. It's the bee knees in motion!
Although we live on one of the few continents that has flowers that bloom all year round, as well as a climate that supports growing fruits and vegetables all year round, great news for the 20,000+ bee species that exist globally, urbanisation is adding in concrete and taking out trees and plants. As a result the pollinators – animals vital for plant reproduction – have seen their food supply, those flower-rich habitats, decline.
Australia is home to over 1500 different species of native bees, with about 200 in Sydney. This Issue we'd like to share a few gardening tips on what you can plant now to help them through the next few months - food to eat and flowers to enjoy are part of that.
Fortunately the Pittwater Swamp Mahogany will commence blooming at the end of this month, and persist through April, and lillipillis are also ending their flowering as they begin to fruit in March.
Other native plants that will flower all year round and help the bees are all your grevilleas and callistemon species and the native rosemary (Westringia).
Bees also are attracted by Oregano, Marjoram, Sage, Thyme, Borage and Lavenders and Daisies, another Autumn to Winter flower:
Vegetables to grow in Sydney's Temperate zone in Autumn include spinach, green beans and peas, as well as herbs like coriander, garlic, parsley and thyme.
Brassicas like broccoli, bok choi and mustard greens produce flowers that are also a favourite food of many insect pollinators – simply leave some of your harvest to flower. Salvias and Basils are also good choices that will attract a variety of beneficial insects.
Remember to plant native flowers like coastal rosemary, Hardenbergia violacea (“Happy Wanderer”), Wattles, and Grevilia’s (especially “Honey Gem” and “Flamingo”) to support some of our pickier native insects.
Some of the Best Native Plants for Native Bees
Brachyscome: These long-flowering ground covers are popular with stingless bees.
Callistemon – Bottlebrush: These nectar-rich flowers also attract native bees.
Ceratopetalum gummiferum ‘Alberys Red’ - Christmas Bush: This large shrub, with dense cream flowers in springtime, attracts many native bees.
Eucalyptus: Gum blossom is often covered with clouds of native bees – local varieties Spotted gum and Angophoras are very attractive to native bees
Grevilleas: Many Grevilleas such as Grevillea Moonlight provide good nectar for bees.
Hibbertia scandens: The Common Teddy Bear Bee and the Common Blue Banded Bee love buzzing the flowers of Hibbertia scandens.
Leptospermum polygalifolium - Lemon Scented Tea Tree: Leptospermum species are in the ‘top ten’ list in Native Bees of the Sydney Region – A Field Guide.
Scaevola humilis - Fan Flower: Many small native bees and leafcutters visit these flowers.
Senna clavigera: The Common Teddy Bear Bee, the Common Blue Banded Bee and the Emerald Homalictus buzz the flowers of this bush. Leafcutters also clip pieces of the leaves for their nests. Long flowering period.
Thryptomene saxicola FC Payne: This graceful winter flowering shrub attracts stingless bees and other native bees.
Westringia fruticosa - Coast Rosemary: Westringia is also in the ‘top ten’ list in Native Bees of the Sydney Region – A Field Guide. It flowers over a long period and is tough and reliable.
Autumn is a great month for planting, as temperatures drop and the harsh summer sun eases but the soil is still warm enough to promote plant growth. Now is the time to sow seeds for Spring, especially for Winter or Spring flowering annuals, as well as all your Winter veggies.
Here’s a few more tips to help the bees along in your garden with just few simple steps:
- Choose pollinator-friendly species, such as thistles, lavender and oregano, for your garden.
- Ensure there is always something in flower, from early Spring to late Autumn and onwards into Winter.
- Mow the lawn less often, even just in a small patch, as this allows dandelions, clovers and other plants to flower. Autumn is a great time to ease off on the mowing as the grass won't be growing as quickly as it does in mid-Summer.
- Avoid pesticides. Pollinators can ingest these poisons when they feed from flowers.
- Cover as much of your garden as possible in flowery borders and natural lawns, rather than paving and decking.
- Pots, hanging baskets and window boxes can further supplement the food supply.
Autumn is also a great time to make mulch that will make your soil richer and help support healthier plants. A mulch bin or a worm farm is an investment that brings big dividends long term.
You can visit the Green Life Garden Centre at Johnson Brothers Hardware Mitre 10 at Mona Vale for all your plants and there's also some great specials in the current catalogue, available until March 13, to save you time in traffic and money= more time in the garden!
Earthcore Planting Compost and Earthcore Mushroom Compost - both currently $6.00
Tumbleweed Compost Bin 240L Kit: $149.00
Includes: Tumbleweed 240L Compost Bin Bundle, 1 x Tumbleweed 240L Compost Bin, 1 x Tumbleweed Premium Compost Accelerator, 1 x Tumbleweed Compost Blanket, 1 x Tumbleweed Compost Aerator
Tumbleweed Worm Farm Kit: $55.00
Worm Feast Bundle Deal; 1 x Worm Feast Worm Farm, 1 x Worm Farm Bedding Block, 1 x Worm Farm & Compost Conditioner
Lattice Wire Hanging Basket Green 40cm: $18.05
Perfect for creating beautiful floral and plant arrangements in your garden or on your balcony. Low maintenance. Strong metal chain. Sturdy construction.
Mr Fothergill's Bulbs Daffodil Ice Follies 3 Bulbs: $6.50
Plant in Autumn/Early Winter. Flowers in Spring.
We want to thank all of you for supporting and trusting us through this 2020, without you we could not be receiving these two important awards.
Thank you for being our customer and thanks to all our great staff for making this possible especially though this full of surprises year.
Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Update: Shop Online Options
Intending to keep our customers and staff safe, we present some additional ways for both our retail and trade customers to do business with us.
Trade and Retail Pick Up
Express Pick up Mona Vale
- Call Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale, and we will pick & pack your order and have it ready for you to pick up in 2 hours. (Stocked Lines Only)
- Drive into our undercover Trade Drive-Thru area at 73 Bassett St Mona Vale, and your order will be ready for pick-up.
- Our team members will help you with your load and finalise payment/paperwork
Express Pick up Avalon
- Call Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Avalon, and we will pick & pack your order and have it ready for you to pick up in 2 hours. (Stocked Lines Only)
- Drive into our back lane off Bellevue Avenue, and your order will be ready for pick-up.
- Our team members will help you with your load and finalise payment/paperwork
Online Retail Stores Go Live
We’ve launched two eCommerce sites offering 2hr pick up in-store and flat rate delivery options on the northern beaches*.
Jbhmv.com.au (Mona Vale)
Jbhav.com.au (Avalon)
With the ability to leave the product on your doorstep, this provides an option of an entirely contactless transaction.
*Flat rate delivery is not available to trade sales, building supplies and trade quantities
** The stock availability is updated nightly, which may mean the stock is unavailable when the order is placed
Trade Delivery to Site
Maybe not new, but certainly worth a mention again!
We can get almost anything delivered quickly onto site!
As always ring the trade desk direct on 9999 0333 and let them know what you need!
Final Thought
Like everyone, we have found ourselves in a new and uncertain environment, but we’re setting up (and digging in) for the long haul!
We want to acknowledge that the decision to retain over 120 staff and meet any future challenges head-on, could not have happened without the continued support you provide us as customers.
Thank you and stay safe,
The Johnson Family
Click on logo to visit Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 website
Johnson Bros Mitre 10 - Avalon (02) 9918 3315
Johnson Bros Mitre 10 - Mona Vale (02) 9999 3340
JBH Timber & Building Supplies (02) 9999 0333
JBH Fencing & Landscape Supplies (02) 9970 6333
www.johnsonbros.com.au Online store: jbhmv.com.au
Previous DIY Pages:
Decking Timbers Caring For Your Deck Decking Finishes Privacy Screens I Privacy Screens II Privacy Screening Hardwoods Autumn Paths and Lawns Insulation Batts Plasterboard Ventilation - Edmond's Ecofan Blackboards for Children and Home Spring Lawn Care Shade Sails & Watering Basic DIY Tools DIY Tools - Power Drills Recycle Your Trampoline into An Air Bed How to Build Your Own Backyard Cricket Pitch Christmas Lights Displays around House and Garden Summer Mildew - Refresh, Renew How to Fix Things That Drip and Bump in the Night Time To Plant Winter Vegetables in a Raised Garden Beds Layout Organsing Your Tool Shed Make Your Own Weathervane Installing A Garden Watering System Decking Oils How To Make Garden Compost How To Winter proof Your Lawn How to create Shabby Chic effect on Timber Furniture How to Build Your Own Raised Garden Bed Growing Your Own Winter Vegies Winter Heating Guide Prepare Your Yard For Winter Eradicating Noxious Weeds From Your Yard How to Fix Furniture Finishes Part I How to Repair Scratches, Dings, and Dents of Furniture Surfaces - Part II Winter Draughts Fix Classic Wooden Tool Carrier Spring Garden Checklist Part I Install Your Own Skylight Retaining Walls for Saving Soil and New Spring Garden Beds Summer Salad Garden Native Plant Garden for A Fairy Arbour Renewing Short Flight of Exterior Stairs Deck Maintenance DIY Summer Tasks You Can Do In Time to Get to the Beach Garden Ponds for Attracting Birdlife, Dragonflies and for the Soothing Sounds of Water Salt Air: Maintenance and Protection Creating an Outdoor Dining Arbour, Gazebo or Patio - Part I Creating an Outdor Dining Arbour, Gazebo or Patio Part II Autumn Garden Tasks Autumn DIY Jobs: Waterproof Your Home Checklist Dealing With Dampness Inside the Home Fixing Your Fence Repairing and Replacing Damaged Decking boards DIY Toy Box and Snow Globes: School Holidays Fun - Winter 2015 DIY Wooden Toy Cars and Perfect Painted Flowerpots: School Holiday Fun - Winter 2015 Shoring Up an Under House Earth Bank – Installing a Basic Retaining Wall DIY One Shelf Sideboard Early Spring 2015 Garden Care Salad Garden For Children Keeping Your Garden and Home Cool in Hot Weather Classic Beach Garden and Camping Chairs 3 Portable Versions Anyone Can Make DIY Outdoor Furniture Mark I: Park Benches for Your Garden Make Your Own Scooter or Skateboard: Summer 2016 Fun How to Install a Solid Core Door and Door Furniture Summer Garden Jobs: Pruning A Hedge How to Make A Swing Chair - With A Frame for Garden Setting Garden Jobs for March to Make A Beautiful and Healthy Spring Keeping Outdoor Nooks Warm During Cooler Months Children’s Step Stool with Storage Stop Winter Rain Lawn Loss and Soil Erosion on Slopes DIY Garden Shed: Part 1 of 4 - Base DIY Garden Shed: Part 2 - Framing Walls DIY Garden Shed: Part 2b - Gable Roof Framing Garden Shed Part 3: Roof Installation DIY Garden Shed: Weather- boards - Door And Window Installation And Paint Finish DIY Coffee Table With Chessboard Inlay Spring Gardening: Feeding Your Soil And Plants - What Works For Each Plant DIY Sandstone Flagging Parking Area - Platform DIY Pre-Summer Checklist For A Safe Home Summer Spruce Up: Interior Paint Tips and Three easy steps to rejuvenate your timber deck The Perfect BBQ Garden Setting DIY Water Wise Garden DIY Side Gates DIY Storm Preparation And Home Protection One To Two Day DIY Weekend Spruce Ups Vegepods For Autumn Planting + Easy To Make Lego Table Or Student Desk That Can Be Dismantled + Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Online Store Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Great New Mona Vale Store: Still In Bassett Street - number 73 Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 New Mona Vale Store: The Greenlife Garden Centre Go Outside And Play: Creating Garden Spaces To Connect Children With Nature DIY Plasterboard Repair DIY Dolls House Or Garage Or Boatshed DIY Child's Waggon - or use as a large planter mover DIY Bathroom Refresh: Zing For Spring Tips for Growing a Native Garden FireCrunch, Australian Developed Fire-proof, Sustainable, Durable and Reliable Building Board Now Available at Johnson Bros. at Mona Vale and Narrabeen School Holidays DIY Ideas for Children: Little Vegetables Garden, Swing, Windchimes Bushfire Season Preparation 2017: Home and Outdoor Areas Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Trade Centre at Mona Vale + Issue No 1 of Mitre 10’s inSITE Magazine for Tradies and Handymen Preparing Al Fresco Areas for Christmas Get-Togethers and Summer Visitors Summer De-bug; Mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches and ants - how to keep the outdoors insects where they belong DIY Summer Projects: Install A Fountain Or Water Feature Late Summer and Early Autumn Projects: A Shed For All Storage Solutions + Garden Tasks + Keeping Our Waterways Clean Autumn Plantings for Winter Harvests 2018 Paintback Collection Event: Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale Saturday, April 7 Reducing Ticks in Your Garden: Garden care, Plants that Repel, What to Wear Outdoors Attracting Insectivore Birds to Your Garden: DIY Natural Tick Control Mother's Day 2018: DIY Rose Garden Winter Mould & Mildew Inside Your home: How to Keep Air and Surfaces Healthier DIY Traditional Rocking Horse Johnson Brothers Trade Day 2018 DIY Mushrooms and Vege Kits: School Holidays Fun Winter 2018 for Curious Kids Woodworking Projects for Beginners: School Holidays Fun Winter 2018 - Simple Storage Box + Wood Tool Box Spring Garden Prep: Soil Care Spring into Spring + JBH August 2018 Trifecta DIY Backyard Doggie Paradise Garden Care for Heavy Rain Days + Non-Toxic Snail and Slug Debug Ideas Garden Design and Plant Management to Minimise Tick Attacks and Infestations - insights from an essay by Bill Conroy BSc. (Agr) (Syd) + a Tribute to Wilfred Lawrence Conroy CBE by Keith Jackson, PNG and others Make Your Own BBQ Kitchen Garden: Gifts That Grow Past That Giving Day Christmas Lights 2018: Light Up the Night How to Keep Your House Cool During a Heatwave Without Using an Air-Conditioner Mid-Summer Garden Care 2018 Winners Of National Hardware Store Of The Year - Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale! + End Of Summer Garden To Do List DIY Fruits of Your Garden: Growing Figs Fruits Of Your Garden: Growing Passionfruit - Autumn Is Also The Time To Plant Strawberries For Spring How To Water Your Plants When Away On Holidays + Some April 2019 School Holidays Fun For Outdoors; A Skateboard Swing Or Indoors; Grow Or Make Pot Plant People Dealing With Autumn Dampness Inside The Home + Mums Day Gifts For 2019 Winter Heating Guide + Get Ready For Winter Specials Keeping Your Garden Dewful During Times Of Water Restrictions and Drought Installing Leaf Stopper Gutter Guard + Trade Day 2019 JBH Mitre 10 Trade Day Guests 2019 An Artfull Garden - for Winter School Holidays 2019 DIY Deck Refurbishment: Turning Wood Into Open Tiled Spaces - Groundworks Father's Day Wish List 2019 + How to Re-stain your Deck timbers and posts for Summer Installing Posts For Decks and Verandahs With Heavier Loads + Installing Membranes For Tiled Decks National Garden Week's 2019 Focus Is On Children(Oct 13-19): Spring School Holiday 2019 Garden Ideas (to get started on) Replacing Balustrades Handrails DIY Tiling Your Verandah: and Choosing Your Simple Or Complex Tile Pattern Reduce Bushfire Risk To Older Homes + Preparing Your Yard For Bushfires Time to Put Up those Christmas Lights and Deck your Gum Trees with rows of Jolly! NSW RFS Bushfire Survival Plan 2020 + Reduce Bushfire Risk To Homes + Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Great Water Saving Ideas during Level 2 water restrictions + some 'Don't Sweat Summer' Specials The Inaugural Sydney Edible Garden Trail - Learn how to help your garden survive the heat, drought, and water restrictions DIY Flyscreens DIY Privacy Screen In 2 Hours Family Hardware Store Wins Best In Australia Autumn DIY Jobs: Exterior Jobs to Keep Everything Dry and Cosy Inside the Home Autumn Vegepod Garden: Plant Now to Stay Healthy: JBH Response to COVID-19 Restrictions - We're Adapting! Autumn Holidays Projects: Let's Go Fly A Kite + Some handy Painting Tips for Interiors and Sprucing up that Outside Deck - Easter Hours 2020 Pittwater's Noxious Weeds: A Great Time To Get Outdoors and Pull Them Out and Replace With Native Plants Blooming Lovely: Late Autumn Planting For Gardens Full Of Colour, Cheer + Great Food For The Table Dealing With Dampness Inside The Home - June 2020 DIY A Job For Life: Apprentice Carpenter + Commencement Tool List Winter School Holidays 2020: Easy To Do Garden Mosaic Pavers Little Hands Can Create + Home DIYer: Simple Concrete Slab DIY - A Job For Life: Landscape Gardener Apprenticeship DIY Fathers' Day ideas for 2020 + August Garden Jobs DIY Job for Life: Plumber's Apprenticeship Early Spring Garden Care Spring 2020 + Salad Garden For Children A Job For Life: Certificate III In Electrotechnology - From Apprentice To A Business Owner; Jay Turns Up The Voltage On His Career + Spring Garden Specials - seedlings time! Spring is here and wattles are out in bloom: a love letter to our iconic flowers Perfect Tomatoes, Capsicums and Spring Onions - Summer Salad Staples + what to plant now BBQ Season: some tips to keep your New or Old BBQ Clean Christmas Lights Time 2020: Deck Your Home With Rows Of Jolly! Johnson Brothers Avalon Store Renovations & Mona Vale Store: Everything You Need This Summer In Stock How To Keep Your Home Cool During A Heatwave Dealing With Dampness Inside The Home: The Wet Summer Of 2020/2021 +Nothing By Halves, Johnson Bros. Mitre 10, great new video By Community Requests Autumn/February 2021 re-run: Garden Design and Plant Management to Minimise Tick Attacks and Infestations
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John and Bob Johnson - The Johnson Brothers Profile John William Alfred Johnson - The Eulogies for those who could not attend Mass
Australia's Prime Minister Visits Mackellar - Informal Afternoon Tea with Hon. Malcolm Turnbull October 2016
JBH Win Awards August 2018 Trifecta - 2018 Free Trade Day supporters, Mitre 10 Heritage Advert features JBH Mona Vale Store, Hardware Australia’s 2018 NSW Hardware Store of the Year over 2500sqm.
Front Page Issue 294: 2018 Winners Of National Hardware Store Of The Year - Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale !!!
National Garden Week's 2019 Focus Is On Children(Oct 13-19): School Holiday Garden Ideas (to get started on) & Congratulations Award Winning Johnson Brothers Mitre10 At Mona Vale - 2019 NSW Store Of the Year, 2019 NSW Trade Centre Of the Year and 2019 Village Garden Centre of the Year
Johnson Bros Mitre 10 were awarded as the best Trade Store in the country: February 2020
Family Hardware Store Wins Best In Australia: Johnson Bros Mitre 10 Mona Vale Crowned ‘National Trade Store Of The Year’ - Celebrating 65th Year in 2020
Anzac Day In Pittwater 2020: Candles, Crosses and Online Commemorative Services: Johnson Brothers Family Donates 20 Thousand Candles to Community Light Up The Dawn Initiative
Front Page Issue 447: ANZAC DAY 202
