flowers for the bees

[garys520]

I have a good sized garden that I'd like to plant some flowers for my bees.  What variety of sunflowers, asters and other "bee friendly plants " are the best for a 30'x30' area with good sun. A lot of the seed catalogs are advertising  flowers that are low in pollen, so I want to make sure that I get the correct variety.  My neighborhood is loaded with small fields of wild flowers and I want to add even more for the girls to enjoy.   

[John Schwartz]

Hi Gary!

Here in Oregon in my yard, the bees go nuts about the lavendar, salvias, flax, cone flower and similar. I personally like to intentionally plant blue/purple flowering plants that last a long time or are staggered throughout the year. Of course they love my apples, maples, raspberries, tomatoes, etc but those are short-lived.

-John

[ONTARIO BEEKEEPER]

I like to plant stuff that takes over.  Sumac is one, it grows fast and pumps the nectar out.

[John Schwartz]

Interesting, Ontario... what kind of Sumac? How long is nectar flow with that plant?

[ONTARIO BEEKEEPER]

Its called staghorn sumac. It starts blooming in July and lasts about  3 weeks to a month. When the flowers/cones turn red its done; the nectar is flowing when the cones are green. ( I've always heard of the red cones being dried and used in smokers, apparently good for the bees. I've never tried it ).

Its great for the bees, but don't plant it anywhere you don't want it to take over, it sends up tons of shoots every year.

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Any type of sunflower will be fine as long as you can see the flower parts. I'm not a huge fan of "Teddy Bear" for example. The same info applies for Cosmos, Coreopsis and ever Marigolds. Assorted varieties of varying height and number of flowers are best. 

Aster novae-angliae and Aster novi-belgii gets lots of bees. Aster novae-angliae was an excellent Monarch plant as well.

Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium fistulosum also does a great job of attracting assorted bees, and can be a butterfly magnet as well.

Liatris is a great one too. Just plant all the corms a few inches apart and you'll get a nice group of flowering plumes. Ones that flower in late summer are excellent for monarchs such as Liatris ligulistylis. They will fall over though or won't grow right if they're in the wrong soil.

[David LaFerney]

Buckwheat grows quick enough to plant after your main garden is done (here in TN) and blooms until frost - which is good here because nectar is scarce after July 1.

[Finski]

.
I have trained 40 years bee friendly flowers. After years I amd amused in some species which I keep all the time and they are beautyfull.

1) Vercasbum nigrum  Finnish X Yougoslavian .  The Finnish plant has normally one stem and it become brown in August. Yougoslavian has many stems and it has no idea to start wintering in time. It blooms one month later. The crossings of these bloom 2 months

The plant in the picture is one individual.



Flower gives only pollen.

[Finski]

This is a vine from  Chile. It is very frost hardy. Leaves tolerate -7C and flowers -5C.

The flower has very large nectar store. I think that it is meant to humming birds.

[Finski]

One of my favorit Verbascum phlomoides.
It is biennal. If you give to it a lot of nutrienst it may grow 8 feet  high.
It gives pollen.

If it makes crossing between V. olypicum, the crossings cannot makes seeds and plants  flower 3 months or more.

[annette]

You can't go wrong with rosemary. The bees are on it almost all year round. There is a very large hedge of rosemary around the house where I keep my bees.  They bloom almost all year round.

[CVBees]

You can't go wrong with rosemary. The bees are on it almost all year round. There is a very large hedge of rosemary around the house where I keep my bees.  They bloom almost all year round.

Unfortunately only in temperate climates but I do attest when it blooms here in PA the bees are on it like white on rice.  We dig up and bring a few inside every year and plant them back in spring.  Along with new plants.  Man I would love to be in a zone like yours Annette.

[Kathyp]

oregano-they love that stuff.  buckwheat is easy to grow.  any kind of squash.  mint, lavender, sage, lettuce gone to flower, vetch.

[JWPick]

Try The Melissa Garden and a few other sites that list bee friendly plants and flowers. It lists some interesting properties of pollen and nectar from each plant. Be sure and check you Temperate Zone for each plant/flower you might be interested in. Good luck!

[KD4MOJ]

 I just purchased some Agastache "Blue Fortune" that folks were raving about here on the forums... can't wait to get it in the ground and see if they go for it!

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[gardeningfireman]

Cleome (spider flower), Liatris, Buckwheat, Clover, Goldenrod, and Eupatorium are all bee favorites here in NE Ohio. Japanese Knotweed is also a favorite with a lot of nectar, but it is invasive.
Alan

[harvey]

Japanese Knotweed is invasive!  Hmmmf   seems a lot of japanese things are evasive!   Japanese beetles!, Japanese Carp!  Now a flower,  Hope that at least the flower doesn't bite?

[hardwood]

Yep, Kudzu, Potato vine, and hydrilla are all from Japan too (all very invasive in the south). I'm just waiting for Godzilla to make it across the pond now!

Scott