Many bee species populations, including honey bees, have been been declining and you can make a difference in your own garden by planting bee friendly plants.
Copyright: sonnydaez / 123RF Stock Photo
Did you know that bees love to live in urban settings where there are short flight paths to a wide variety of different plants, shrubs and flowers? In fact, bees are more likely to thrive in your backyard, community or patio garden than on vast acres devoted to single crop plantings.
All creatures that eat plants (including humans!) depend on pollinators. Almost three quarters of the foods we eat, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and herbs, need pollinators to reproduce. By attracting the bees, you not only help them, you will triple the yield of fruit and veggies in your bee friendly garden.
Here's a few of our favourite Bee Friendly Plants to attract and help bees thrive in your backyard garden.
Perennials for Pollinators
Bee Balm – This aptly named perennial flower is amazing for the bees while still beautiful in the garden, long flowering, full sun 24” high comes in red or pink.
Echinacea – A sturdy pink flowers with interesting cones. Hardy, late summer flowering. Grows 36” high in full sun.
Hyssop – Lovely tall spires of magenta blue flowers, fragrant, mid summer bloomer, Grows 24”-36’ in full sun or part shade.
Foxglove – Tall showy old fashioned flowers that bees love. They come in a wide variety of colurs but most in shades of purple and pinks. Best in part shade. They can grow 36” or taller!
Shrubs
Lilacs - A common favourite! The bees were so enthralled with the lilac shrubs growing over the path to my back door that you couldn’t hear yourself above all the buzzing. Lilacs grow about 8’-10’ tall and wide so give them space and they love full sun.
Honeysuckle – This fast growing wonderful shrub is covered with blooms late spring. Grows 8’-10’ tall in sun or part shade. It comes in yellow, light pink and dark pink
Weigela – Lovely tubular flowers in June and often on and off for the rest of the summer this shrub comes in all kinds of colours and sizes to suit every space.
Herbs
Bees love herbs and some of their favourites are lemon balm, oregano, mint, sage, thyme, lavender and rosemary.
Obviously this is a small list of bee friendly plants to choose from but if you are interested in making a difference in a bee’s life this summer then drop in to your local garden center ...or stop by and see us. We can help!
Even what seems like a small contribution, just a tiny flower pot or patch, with your favourite perennial or herb, can provide a valuable pollinator habitat for the bees. So why not create a welcome place for the bees this summer? After all bees are easy to please!
Kelly
Gemmell's Garden Centre Smiths Falls & Brockville - Your Ottawa Valley Garden Centre.
Proudly serving Stittsville, Kanata, Smiths Falls, Brockville, Kemptville, Manotick, Carleton Place, Perth, Merrickville, Cornwall, Richmond & everywhere in between.