Buds and Blooms: ‘Bee’ kind to our pollinators

By Medicine Hat News on July 14, 2018.

We are working with Dennis Douglas from Fat Bee Honey Ranch who sells honey and hives. It’s always a difficult decision when you choose flowers for your garden. There are so many things to consider putting in your yards.

Plants with a long flowering season assure the bees of a continuous food supply. Early spring flowers are a relief to bees that have been on a meagre ration during winter. Having just one or two plants of a type, however bee-friendly it may be, does not serve the purpose. Instead, plant large patches of the same plant in an area, or have a mixed planting with a few selected bee favorites.

Here is a list of some beautiful flowers that attract bees.

Bee Balm (Monarda) — These aptly named North American natives deserve a place in every bee-friendly garden. They readily grow in most parts of the country and flower profusely through summer.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) — The cheerful Rudbeckia is another North American native popular with bees and other pollinators. These perennials are easy to grow and quickly establish themselves in sunny spots, performing well even in poor soil and dry conditions.

Stonecrop (Sedum) — These succulents with showy heads of tiny flowers are easy-care plants with neat habits. Once established, they thrive without much mollycoddling, making them the ideal choice for dry areas and lazy gardeners.

Goldenrod (Solidago) — It is quite natural for hordes of wild bees to throng to these herbaceous perennials that are native of the American continents. A feast of nectar and pollen await them in the tiny flowers that make up the golden yellow branching spikes.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleja) — This flowering bush is a butterfly magnet as the name implies, but bees and other nectar lovers like hummingbirds find the long spikes of tiny, fragrant flowers equally attractive.

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) — This perennial is guaranteed to draw bees and butterflies to your garden all through its flowering season extending from midsummer to late fall. The pink-purple flowers are used for preparing cold and flu remedies, so it is an additional reason to plant them in your garden.

Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium) — Although called a weed, the large pink and purple flower heads of the North American perennial is not only attractive to bees but looks spectacular in any garden that can accommodate them.

Lavender (Lavendula) — This aromatic plant of European origin is now popular in temperate regions around the world. Besides attracting bees, the pretty lavender blooms that come out from late spring to summer can perfume the home and garden and flavor your dishes.

Snowdrops (Galanthus) — One of the first flowers to appear in late winter to early spring, the snowdrops do not often wait for the snow to melt away. And the bees that have nearly emptied their winter reserves can hardly wait for their arrival.

Crocus (Crocus) — This is another early flowering bulb that can provide the much needed sustenance to bees. Coming out in jewel-like blues and purples and cheery yellows, these little flowers can have a great impact on the bees as well as the landscape.

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) — Whether you plant this onion relative in your flowerbed or vegetable patch, bees would flock to its purple flower heads. This is a great choice for people who are allergic to the aster family of flowers but still want to welcome bees into their garden.

Sunflowers (Helianthus) — Sunflowers with their large central discs provide ample opportunity for bees to forage for nectar and pollen. You can grow native sunflower species almost anywhere in the country as long as they are planted after the last frost.

Roses — Bees are attracted to some roses, but not all. Single-petal roses and old-fashioned fragrant roses with open centres are what you should look for. If you can see the tuft of stamens at the centre of the flower clearly, they are visible to the bees too.

Catmint — Catmint is not just for cats. Bees are just as crazy about these fragrant flowers that cover the plant in summer and fall. The drought tolerant and deer resistant perennial is free-flowering and low-maintenance.

Cranesbills (Geranium) — These hardy geraniums with really long flowering season right from early spring until the frosty days of winter make them a winner in the bee garden.

Salvia (Salvia) — Salvias and bees are made for each other. Their tiny flowers on long spikes carry quite a bit of nectar to attract all the bees in the neighbourhood.

Butterfly weed (Asclepias uberose) — This perennial milkweed with yellow-orange flowers is native to North America and play host to the monarch butterfly larvae. But that doesn’t keep away the bees!

Common Heliotrope (Heliotropium) — This flowering plant with clusters of tiny, deep blue and purple, fragrant blooms held atop deeply veined foliage is a bee favourite. The vanilla scented flowers are a delight in any garden, but the plants are not cold hardy.

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) — Bees love these easy-care annuals that can be used to fill any unattended part of the garden with colour and life. The lacy leaves are just as pretty as the flowers that appear in loose spikes.

Blanket flower (Gaillardia) — These tough, drought-resistant plants with a profusion of daisy-like flowers can provide sustenance for bees in gardens many other flowers shy away from.

Not only these ornamentals but most fruit trees and herbs have flowers irresistible to bees. Keeping your garden free of pesticide and other chemical pollutants would go a long way in providing a safe haven for bees and other pollinators.

Let save the bees and “bee” friendly!

Joyce Swaren is the owner and head horticulturalist at Blondie’s Gift and Garden