Plants that bees like....
Last post 12-06-2011 9:49 PM by jon jon . 13 replies.
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17/01/2011 04:32 PM
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- Anthony
- Preesall
- 24 Mar 2010
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194
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 I am currently in the final tages of planning my allotment and my garden and this year I want to attract a lot of bees and butterfly's. I have a few plants that they like, sedums and some compainon plants but would like some suggestions, so please could you help!
Visit my blog anthonysgarden.wordpress.com
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17/01/2011 05:11 PM
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- EvaInNL
- Holland
- 25 Sep 2009
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1,759
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Hi Anthony, good to see you again! Hope you're well I was surprised this year at how many useful insects my coriander attracted, so that would be my first recommendation. And towards theend of the season the daisies (blue harlow car is a popular one) were just teaming with bees! Nasturtiums were a favourite of the ladybugs, both for nesting and later on hiding away under them. I have seeds for all of these if (apart from the daisies) if you're interested. And of course for buterflies you can't beat a buddleia.
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17/01/2011 05:26 PM
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- EvaInNL
- Holland
- 25 Sep 2009
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1,759
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Oh, forgot to mention the salvias were a big hit with the bees as well as the Linnaria Purpurea (have seeds of those as well). Creeping thyme did well with the bumblebees...
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17/01/2011 05:43 PM
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- sue1002
- Ipswich, Suffolk
- 06 Sep 2005
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9,503
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The plants in my garden that the bees like are Linaria purpurea, foxgloves, Sedums, Clematis cirrhosa 'Wisley Cream', Nicotiana, Lavender and the one they really go for is the clover in the lawn. The Buddlejas (especially the white one) attracts loads of butterflies and the bees.
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18/01/2011 01:01 AM
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- AlexS
- Reading
- 06 Sep 2009
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519
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I bet if you googled 'plants attractive to bees' or something like, you'd come up with loads. In my own garden, here are some things the bees particularly like: of the herbs, oregano; of the perennials, globe thistle, echinops ritro; and of the shrubs, abelia grandiflora. I was praising the small tree crataegus prunifolia on another thread, and quite forgot to mention how it hums with bees when in flower - which makes me love it even more.
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18/01/2011 09:27 AM
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- MC
- UK
- 19 Sep 2008
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263
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Lavendar always seems to have a swarm of bees hovering around it!
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18/01/2011 08:13 PM
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- jon jon
- stratford on avon
- 18 Sep 2009
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288
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log onto Bumblbee conservation trust website you will get plenty of advice on bee friendly plants
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19/01/2011 08:52 AM
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- willco
- SE london
- 05 Mar 2009
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30
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Comfrey is always covered with bees on my plot with the added advantage of being a very useful plant for you... you can use the leaves to make a natural fertilizer and use the leaves to line potato trenches. A win-win for you and bees. One word of caution you will need to keep an eye on comfrey as it can spread - no need to be precious with it though; I just dig up a clump and pot up. I place the pots near flowering vegs / fruit to help encourage the bees over. Think of it as plant marketing ;-0
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done
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19/01/2011 01:18 PM
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Hi Anthony, I've heard it said that if you attract the bees early, they will come back to you more in summer. I've not read any scientific papers on that, but it's a sensible idea.
Blackthorn, Sloe, is one of the earliest flowering native trees. Hazelnuts have spring catkins that are full of protein rich pollen that the bees are looking for early in the year. These are small trees that can be pruned back to keep them tidy & have a place on an allotment. Have fun, Ed
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19/01/2011 07:28 PM
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- Nigel
- Paignton
- 27 May 2008
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191
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Anthony I find that rosemary always has a few bees around and I find Phacelia tanacetifolia useful as a green manure, but if a few plants are left to flower it is very popular with bees. Broadbean and runnerbean flowers are also popular. Nigel
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23/01/2011 06:35 PM
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- Anthony
- Preesall
- 24 Mar 2010
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194
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Thanks for all your responses they were all very helpful I looked on the website jon jon and found a factsheet type thingy with a range of flowers so that helps a lot. Thanks once again and hopefully my allotment and garden will be a haven for bees and butterfly's.
Visit my blog anthonysgarden.wordpress.com
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06/06/2011 08:10 PM
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- Anthony
- Preesall
- 24 Mar 2010
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194
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Just a quick update for everyone. My bee border is now being planted up after being properly done. I have put in some of your recommendations, which are corriander, sedums, nasturtuims, asters, lavender, nicotania, comfrey and I think I will use Phacelia tanacetifolia as a green manure on my allotment. Another quick question, do bee's and butterflies like passion flowers and clematis and crocosmias? I will also be getting a borage, the bees abosolutly like them. I think I will get this really tall 14ft borage, it was on gardeners world some time ago however I can't remember its name so if you could help!? I'm going to pick up my plants at gardeners world live and tatton park if I can. Also I'm still open to suggestions so please recommend some more!!
Visit my blog anthonysgarden.wordpress.com
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07/06/2011 07:32 AM
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- EvaInNL
- Holland
- 25 Sep 2009
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1,759
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Hi Anthony, perhaps when you're at GW Live you can ask for very early flowering plants and very late ones. That way your bees will have a steady food supply. For late in the year asters are brilliant for bees. There is a video about the work of Karl von Frisch, who did a lot of work on investigating the habits of bees, he discovered the bee dance and that bees are blind to the colour red. Unfortunately the voice over is in Dutch (and hilariously old fashioned Austrian with yodelling and all ) but there's a very good contemporary one explaining it all here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFDGPgXtK-U.
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12/06/2011 09:49 PM
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- jon jon
- stratford on avon
- 18 Sep 2009
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288
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hi Antony glad to hear your borders going well ,how about adding Hyssop & Nepeta six hills giant both loved by bees
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