Best for bees

Oh I absolutely love bees. I only got into gardening last year and for some reason, the names would really confuse me or seem very difficult to remember but this year I've had no problems so can finally, and happily, contribute to these sorts of discussions. Agree on everything here and will add:

Ceanothus - as mentioned already, absolutely great. I have a small tree and a shrub type (don't know their names as they were here before I started my big planting frenzy). Very good for spring (or that's when mine flower anyway) and swarming in bees.

Weigela - not sure on the spelling. Very pretty pink small tree type. They absolutely love this.

Salvia Caradonna - this is, so far, my number one bumblebee and honeybee plant. I'd absolutely kill for some Viper's Bugloss but can't find it anywhere other than from specialist wildflower centres and all the ones I've called have sold out. But this salvia is excellent. Very hardy, easy to cut back and neat and will, if you trim them right, just keep delivering all summer. This is the plant, along with the fox-gloves, they'll go for the most reliably.

Cotoneaster - the plant that just keeps giving. Bees love it, birds love the berries, grows in the sun or shade, clay, dust. No problems. Absolutely terrific plant. Absolutely swarming in bmblebees when it's in flower.

Pulmonaria - my trusty little spring plants. If I had to recommend one, I'd go for the Diane Clara as this is very tough, seems to have no problems with powdery mildew, and the one they seemed to like the most. Had really large bumblebees on this in the spring which I'll assume were queens.  

Aquilegia - Another spring one but mine have only just gone into seed so I reckon I must have had a very good year with them. The dragon-fly one is beautiful and they absolutely love them.

Scabiosa - probably my favourite flower. The blue types specifically. Really pretty. Another massive bee feeder and especially liked by the bigger bumbles.

Astilbe - I didn't think any would bother with this but, rather interestingly, have had a lot of attention for it from the few solitary bees I've got (and am desperately trying to get to nest).

Foxgloves - Put in a few of the new Illumination Pinks (sterile and perennial) and they've gone crazy for them. Also the Camelot Lavender and white ones (really unsure on names, sorry). They love these on rainy days because they get to feed and not get their bums wet. The Illumination Pink also puts up quite a few flower stalks quite prolifically. Very happy with it.

Erysimum - Also mentioned above. Very pretty, very reliable, isn't actually in as much sun as it could probably do with but happily getting along and still producing masses of flowers. Another bee favourite.

Nemesia - I've got this dotted around so they have something to get to if they need to be closer to the ground (as on windy days we've had recently). Lovely, delicate, much tougher than it looks.

Lavender and thyme in pots - also as mentioned, very reliable and they love it.

Pyrocantha - growing this as a hedge/screen on one side. Little flower they seemed to like and produces bonus berries for the birds later in the year apparently.

Rhodedenron - Doesn't flower very long but at that period just coming out of spring into summer so very useful. For some reason, they really love them in the morning and then ignore it for the rest of the day. Quite interesting.

Dicentra Alba - Another useful spring one. Very interesting. I thought it had completely died and it shot straight back out within a matter of weeks. Beautiful flower and they seem to like this a lot as well and again, particularly the bumbles (I think someone locally must be managing a hive because I've had a lot of honeybees this year but they tend to focus on the Salvia almost exclusively)

Various shrubs - Cornus Alba Sibirica, Vibernum Tinus Spirit, Vibernum Davidii, Box Holly, Pittosporium: all these either produced flowers in the spring or they will produce berries apparently. I always under-valued shrubs but they definitely feed on them and they are mass flower producers too so aspiring bee guardians definitely shouldn't overlook them.

Cosmos - I absolutely love this. I know they're going to die back this year but they are so, so, so easy. Just got them from the garden centre, popped them in the ground, and off they go. Another massive bee favourite. Next year I'm going to try and grow some blue ones from seed so I can make my garden all blue (it's not really important the colour but just to try anyway). Highly recommended for them because, again, they love it.

Weeds generally - I have a whole lot of campanula (blue little star like flowers) all over the back of the garden over a sort of patio area but I'm not cutting it back until its finished flowering because again, they're on it all the time. Amazingly, a wild foxglove that I definitely didn't plant has turned up this year on this paving work too so bonus. I'm going to also chuck about a load of wild flower seeds recommended by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and see what happens. Worst is that I cut back anything that's crazy but if they're feeding, I don't care anyway.

Ivy - had nesting robins last year and this year my neighbour's had another family. A very big winter feeder apparently and I've got it running all across one wall. Just trimming to keep in check but not by much.

Errr... I can't think of any more. But yes, those are all my big bee plants! I've also set aside a whole areas at the back that I'm going to set pots into this year to encourage queens. Slim chance, I know, but I'm going to try anyway.

Thanks for the opportunity to post in your thread. I love bees. I will definitely check out your blog, too.

I saw a plant labelled chamaecytisus hirsutus (aka cytisus hirsutus or hairy broom) at a garden centre over the weekend. There were bees swarming all over its yellow flowers. It was a large (5ft or so diameter) sprawling plant in a gravel bed which the staff said had grown from one plant in the past 4 years. Sadly they had none for sale and I can't find anywhere on the internet that has it either, possibly because it's fast-growing and potentially invasive, or maybe because it has no value as a showy sort of garden plant. The garden centre staff did say that if I came back later in the year when the pods were mature they would let me have some. I'm sure I could find a corner or 2 to put some.

Beenaut - that is an amazing list! Thanks for sharing. I'm really interested to hear of your success with Weigela - I've yet to see one that is really successful. And I was hoping someone had tried Illumination Pinks to find if the hybridisation they've done to create this perennial foxglove had knocked out all its wikldlife value. Brilliant stuff!

Maisie - I'm always introgued to hear about plants where the bees are swarming. There are so many plants where the bees sort of like it, but those which are absolute magnets are few and far between. Let us know how you get on.

Thanks, Adrian! I think it's a weigela but I may be wrong actually - like I say, I'm new to it all and this is one of those that's been in for quite a while so I'm not sure. I was told it was one anyway although looking around for images on the internet, it definitely looks like one but it is almost an actual tree whereas all the photos I've seen look like shrub-types. But yes, they definitely swarm all over it when the flowers first come out (May I think it was). I'll get round to charging up my camera this week and put up some pics so someone can check and see if it actually is one.

And yes, definitely on the Illumination Pink. I was also a little sceptical given the sterility/hybridisation aspects but read it was supposed to be good for them so thought I'd try it anyway and so far, I've had them on it absolutely loads and they'll go for it before the other types as well. Also, as mentioned, very pretty, tends to hold its flowers longer and sends up a lot of good value stalks (all mine have got three full ones on-going at the moment). The perennial aspect too is a bonus and the stalks also tend to be a lot sturdier so I haven't had to bother tying them or anything (I'm forever blooming staking foxgloves - my whole garden looks like it's been put together with gaffer tape).

But yeah, today, I have dozens of bee friends all over the garden including loads and loads of bumbles jetting about. Just lovely.

Just came across an article highlighting the RHS Perfect for Pollinators plant list which I thought might be of interest!

Thanks, Ian, that's a really good piece with a long list of plants that will attract insects.

I have many of the shrubs/flowers already mentioned, but also some that haven't (I think) so far. Our Hibiscus has just been flowering for 2 weeks and the bees love it, probably because it produces a huge amount of pollen. The everlasting peas are always popular, I have also planted a tree mallow (Lavertera Barnsley Baby) for the first time. It must have been perfect conditions for it, as there are a mass of flowers and bees!

Marjoram and lots of it!! It looks very dull and boring for most of the year but as soon as it comes into flower, it's absolutely covered in bees of all shapes and sizes, morning noon and night! It flowers for quite a long time too, so you really get the benefit even just for a small patch.