Flowers That Attract Bees

Creating a garden that hums with life is a joy, and it starts with choosing the right flowers that attract bees. These essential pollinators are drawn to specific blooms, and by planting them, you support local ecosystems and ensure your own garden thrives. This guide will help you pick the best plants and design a space that bees will love to visit all season long.

Not all flowers are created equal in the eyes of a bee. They look for plants that offer abundant nectar and pollen. Often, they prefer single flowers with easy-to-access centers over complex, double-bloomed hybrids. Native plants are usually the best choice, as they have evolved alongside local bee populations.

Top Annual Flowers for Bees

Annuals complete their life cycle in one year, offering quick, vibrant color. They are perfect for filling gaps and providing instant bee food.

Sunflowers: Their large, pollen-rich centers are a bee magnet. Choose single-stem varieties for the most pollen.
Cosmos: These airy flowers are easy to grow from seed and provide landing platforms for bees all summer.
Zinnias: A fantastic source of nectar, zinnias bloom relentlessly until frost if you deadhead them.
Sweet Alyssum: Its tiny, fragrant flowers form a carpet that attracts smaller bee species.
Borage: Known as the bee’s bread, its star-shaped blue flowers are edible and constantly refill with nectar.

Best Perennial Bee Favorites

Perennials return year after year, forming the backbone of a sustainable bee-friendly garden. They establish deep roots and often require less water once mature.

Coneflower (Echinacea): A native powerhouse with daisy-like flowers that provide both nectar and pollen through summer.
Bee Balm (Monarda): True to its name, its tubular flowers are adored by hummingbirds and bees alike.
Lavender: Its fragrance is lovely for you, and its spikes are full of nectar for bees. It thrives in sunny, well-drained spots.
Salvia (Sage): Many varieties, from perennial to annual, offer long blooming periods and are incredibly bee-friendly.
Catmint (Nepeta): This tough plant blooms for months with minimal care, and bees are constantly buzzing around its grey-green foliage.

Essential Herbs and Shrubs

Don’t forget your herb garden and landscape shrubs! Many are excelent for bees and provide you with culinary rewards.

Rosemary & Thyme: Their small flowers are packed with flavor and nectar. Let some of your herbs flower for the bees.
Oregano: The flowers are even more attractive to bees than the leaves are to cooks.
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia): While known for butterflies, its long panicles are a superb nectar source for many pollinators. Choose sterile cultivars to avoid self-seeding.
Blueberry Bushes: They offer beautiful spring flowers for bees and delicious berries for you—a perfect partnership.

Designing Your Bee-Friendly Garden

Planting the right flowers is just the start. How you arrange them makes a big difference in how usefull your garden is to bees.

Plant in Clumps

Bees are more likely to find and visit groups of the same flower. Plant in clusters of at least three to five plants, rather than scattering single plants around. This makes their foraging more efficient, saving their energy.

Ensure Season-Long Bloom

A bee needs to eat from early spring to late fall. Plan your garden so something is always in flower. Start with crocus and hellebores in spring, move to summer staples like coneflower, and finish with fall bloomers like sedum and goldenrod.

Provide Water and Shelter

Bees need water too! A shallow birdbath with stones for landing does the trick. Leave some bare, undisturbed ground for ground-nesting bees, and consider a simple bee hotel for cavity-nesters. Avoid using pesticides, as they can harm bees directly or contaminate their food.

A Simple 5-Step Planting Plan

Ready to get started? Follow these easy steps to create your pollinator patch.

Pick Your Spot: Choose a sunny location—most bee-friendly plants need at least 6 hours of direct sun daily.
Prepare the Soil: Remove weeds and loosen the soil. Mix in some compost to improve drainage and add nutrients.
Select Your Plants: Choose a mix of annuals, perennials, and herbs from the lists above. Aim for a variety of colors and shapes.
Plant in Groups: Arrange your plants in those important clumps. Remember to check the plant tag for proper spacing.
Water and Mulch: Water new plants thoroughly. Add a thin layer of mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds, but keep it away from plant stems.

Maintenance is straightforward. Water during dry spells, deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms, and leave some plant stems standing over winter to provide insect habitat. By following these principles, you’ll create a beautiful, resilient garden that supports bees and other vital pollinators. The sight and sound of a healthy garden ecosystem is its own reward.

FAQ: Your Bee Garden Questions

What colors are bees most attracted to?
Bees see colors differently than we do. They are especially drawn to blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow flowers.

Are there any flowers bees don’t like?
Bees generally avoid flowers that are red (which appears black to them), highly hybridized “double” flowers with no pollen, and some strongly scented plants like marigolds.

How can I attract honey bees and native bees?
Planting a diverse range of native plants is key for native bees. Honey bees will visit many of the same plants. Providing nesting sites like bare soil or bee hotels helps native species specifically.

Is a bee-friendly garden safe for pets and children?
Yes. Bees in a garden are focused on foraging, not aggression. By planting dense flowers, they will be busy high up on the blooms. Simply teach children to observe without touching, and everyone can enjoy the garden safely.