#bee friendly

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 26 November 2024

Producing the best display in early autumn the evergreen subshrub Salvia leucantha (Mexican bush sage) produces spikes of small white flowers with conspicuous downy purple clayces popular with bees. The plant needs well-drained soil in full sun or dappled shade in a frost-free border. Cuttings can be taken in autumn and overwintered in a heated glasshouse.

The industrious little leafcutter bee, taking resting on a calendula leaf after having cut a disc of leaf from another plant.

It was a hot day in Ireland today and the leafcutter was busy. I'm not sure what plant it was targeting but on each occasion it would fly to a particular corner of the garden and rest on calendula or tomato leaves for approximately one minute before flying off again.

In between cutting leaves of course they are busy collecting pollen from various flowers in the garden.

Select plants that are compatible with your zone

The first rule to develop a bee-friendly backyard is to plant varieties of flowering plants that will thrive in your growing zone. However, in every backyard, front yard, garden, or homestead there are also microclimates, and it’s important to keep those in mind. Microclimates are very small areas that have a different climate from the surrounding areas.

Your property also has microclimates and you may, too, be surprised by what you can grow once you figure those out. Just look for areas that have more/less shade, slope, exposure, and wind. One clue to look for is any native vegetation that might be growing where it’s not “supposed” to. Are those areas drier? Wetter? Shady? Those answers can help you know what other plants to try, outside those specified for your zone.

Bees are attracted to certain colors

Just as you have favorite colors, bees do too. They cannot see colors in the red end of the color spectrum, so good color choices are yellow, white, purple, orange, pink, and blue. There are so many gorgeous blooms and colors to choose from and doing a bit of research online helps before you venture out to the nearest nursery.

A few flowers to consider for your own bee-friendly backyard are:

Basil

Coneflower

Fennel

Goldenrod

Lantana

Lavender

Lobelia

Lupine

Mint

Oregano

Rosemary

Salvia

Sunflowers

Sweet alyssum

Yarrow

It’s best to plant flowers that grow in clumps, rather than single blossoms on long stems and then to plant them close together. Bees are more attracted to clumps of blossoms and having them close together makes it easier for them to do their pollinating job.

There are many other colorful plants, but as you can see, both flowering herbs and food-producing plants make bees quite happy and it’s a win-win if you’re trying to grow your own food.

Think year-round, if possible

Your backyard or garden can provide pollination opportunities for bees year-round since bees need pollen and nectar throughout the year. As you begin to narrow down the types of plants that do best in your growing zone, select ones with bee-attracting colors, also check to see when they will flower. Ideally, you’ll want to have plants that flower in the spring and summer, along with those who produce blossoms in the fall and winter. Daylilies and the Lile of the Nile are both perennials and will be ready to produce blossoms again next year.

Re-think insecticides

Along with helpful insects like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs, there are also mosquitoes and other insects that we definitely do not like! However, the over-use of insecticides will also poison bees. Before reaching for an insecticide, do some research and try a natural remedy first.

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