Regardless of whether they are the honey-producing variety or not, all bees are good for the garden. Welcoming them into your yard by filling it with flowers that attract bees is just one small way you can aid their survival while also supporting the environment. Creating a conducive setting in which bees have plenty of pollen and nectar on which to feed helps these ever-important pollinators to not only survive, but to thrive.
Bees Love Native Plants
There are a few tricks to encourage bees to frequent your garden, the simplest of which is to plant flowers that bees love. (Note that it’s especially important to ensure these plants are placed in locations suited for optimum blooming.) Incorporating as many native plantings into your landscape as possible is also appealing to bees. Native flowers will attract native bees which have evolved and co-existed together harmoniously for centuries.
Globe Thistles are popular with bees. Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
Plant the Flower Colors Bees Love
Filling your yard with blooms in shades of blue, purple, white, and yellow can attract bees to your garden. When planting flowers in these color schemes, be sure to cluster them rather than planting them sparsely. This will entice more bees to buzz your way, as they prefer larger, concentrated pollen and nectar sources. Bees also swarm toward sunny locations and will be more likely to frequent plants that thrive in full-sun areas rather than in shaded gardens.
Ready for a list of flowers that attract bees? Here are ten common flowering plants that are known to be favored by bees. Planting a combination of these blooming beauties is a sure way to keep busy bees buzzing around your garden all summer long.
Flowers That Attract Bees
Black-Eyed Susan
Daisy
Roses
Sunflower
Zinnia
Bee Balm
Dandelion
Clover (all varieties)
Goldenrod
Milkweed
Many people consider dandelion, clover, goldenrod, and milkweed weeds, but it’s very important to remember that these weeds are also crucial food sources for both bees and butterflies. Think twice about removing these plants from your landscape and never use pesticides to eradicate unwanted vegetation. Most chemical pesticides will have adverse side effects that can harm or kill off bees, sometimes eradicating an entire colony. Remember, bees that are attracted to your yard by weed flowers will also pollinate the more favorable plants, fruits, berries, and vegetables in your garden.
This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.
Shelley (Fleming) Wigglesworth is an award-winning freelance journalist from Maine and a certified Maine Master Gardener who writes gardening articles on a regular basis for NewEngland.com. Her work can be found in the following publications: The Village Magazine, York County Coast Star, Yankee Magazine (online), National Fisherman Magazine, Commercial Fisheries News, Points East Magazine, Coastal Angler Magazine and The Maine Lobstermen's Association's "Landings."
