Bee friendly flowers.

I grow native geraniums - Cranesbill. The bees seem very partial to them.

Sacha

I edged one of my borders by the house with white allysum this year and it has been covered in various bees and insects all summer and although its a bedding plant it has a very long flowering season.  I also grow nasturtians for the caterpillars to hatch on - most years I get a good display of flowers as well although the leaves are well nibbled! 

Where we live we can't actually grow lupins in the garden because of slugs but I grow them in pots quite successfully and the bees seemed to love them - you just need to keep cutting off the old flower spikes to keep the plant flowering.  Plus the thousands of ladybirds we had this year really benefitted as they loved the greenfly that lupins are pone to.  Foxgloves were also a success from a bee point of view!

Kezmo

For the first time this year I planted petunias (upright not trailing) in our front garden. Something(s) really enjoyed the leaves as the plants are stripped bare but the leaves are obviously the preferred delicacy as they are still merrily flowering away.

Squirrel

My wild thyme bank always seems to be popular with the bees and hoverflies, as is the buddleia.

Unknown said:

I plant my garden with bees/insects in mind. Last year I grew Cerinthe Blue Kiwi for the first time, it had a long flowering period and was covered in bees, I’m definitely growing it again this year. I’ve also got a few Enchiums growing in pots ready to plant out next spring. I spotted these growing on the coast and each flower spike had 200+ bees on it.

 

I also grow Echinops, Lavender, Centaurea, Nepeta (Catmint), Salvia (perennial sage) and Sedum, I grow Buddleia for the butterflies.

 

Are there any flowers other people grow which is great for bees/insects?

Also Verbena bonariensis, this also self seeds and grows thin and high above your plants, like nectar landing platforms for bees and butterflies.

 The Bumble Bee Conservation Trust has an excellent website, if you click on the link 'help the bees', go to the gardening page, they have a month by month guide of flowering plants favored by our buzzy friends.

Hope thats some help.

Thanks for all your suggestions. The Bumble Bee Conservation Trust site is great, I have downloaded the fact sheets and shall be building some nesting sites. It surprised me how many of the flowers I grow already but there are still some I can add.

There are a few surveys to take part in too.

Unknown said:

Thanks for all your suggestions. The Bumble Bee Conservation Trust site is great, I have downloaded the fact sheets and shall be building some nesting sites. It surprised me how many of the flowers I grow already but there are still some I can add.

 

There are a few surveys to take part in too.

Hope its of some use, it was for me, inparticial the id sheet they do.

All the best.

Caryopteris is great at this time of year. Lots of bees on it at the moment.