help with flowers that attract bees!

aimeruni · April 18, 2012

I primarily grow veggies, and would like to try herbs. I've never grown flowers, so know nothing about growing them.

Mainly I want to grow them to attract bees to pollinate the stuff that requires insect pollination of blossoms to set fruit (squash melons etc.)

I'm basically looking for something that loves hot weather, because they'll be grown during summer, since that's when my squash melons etc. will be grown too.

Also I was told bees are attracted to certain colored flowers more than others? Is this true, or just a myth; if it's true, what colors do they seem to like?

Also something that is easy to grow from seed and can be transplanted easily would be preferred.

John3 · April 18, 2012

aimeruni besides the flowers you might try making a few of these for the bees.

Crandrew · April 18, 2012

Rosemary is bee crack.

John3 · April 18, 2012

yarrow, lavender, parsley and/or coriander/cilantro (and let it go to seed)
try this link http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/gbt.html

kurt · April 19, 2012

Ladybugs are good pollinators and good insect control if you do not have many bees around.They can be bought and shipped just follow the directions.

jennifer28 · April 19, 2012

I think cosmos and nasturtiums are easy choices for direct sowing into your garden.
One year I thought it might be a good idea to try some marsh marigolds. That wasn't one of my better ideas. Even though it grows easily and attracts bees, it is more like a pretty weed. I find it too invasive. I haven't decided what I am going to do about it yet.

This web site from the University of Georgia has some great info about bees

http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/beekeeping.html

I'm not sure if bees really prefer a certain color flower. Since I keep bees I make sure I have a succession of many different flowering plants so there is always something in bloom for them.

That being said, if I want to save my tomato seeds for a certain variety, I always bag the blossom. Can't be too careful.

RebelRidin · April 19, 2012

We keep zinnia, purple coneflower and bee balm plantings in the beds near the garden. They will attract all kinds on bees.

Tracydr · April 19, 2012

Lavender, citrus, cucurbits, basil, alliums ( elephant garlic, leeks, society garlic, bolted onions), cilantro, arugula, roses, sunflowers, bolted radishes.

sarahs · April 19, 2012

I grow borage in my garden, and the bees go absolutely nuts over it! As a bonus, it's pretty blue flowers are edible and look really nice in a salad. It handled my Southern California heat just fine last summer. This year it self-seeded and I was able to transplant new starts to other parts of my garden.

janezee · April 19, 2012

Hi, sarahs, welcome to the forum.
Don't you just love that borage? I used to grow it in New England, and I'm going to try it here in the PNW for the first time. I hope the mildew doesn't make it impossible for me here.

jane

spacetogrow · April 19, 2012

A house I used to live at had a few perennial bushes of Speedwell (Veronica). I can't remember the name of the variety but it was one that had won awards for being in bloom much of the summer if you occasionally clipped off the over-mature flower spikes. The bumblebees would cover the thousands of little flowers so thickly that you sometimes could scarcely see the flower color.

I'd also read elsewhere that your cucurbits, especially the ones with larger flowers, attract bees from quite far away, which is why they apparently need long isolation distances to avoid cross-pollination.

Sun City Linda · April 20, 2012

Hey Sarahs - welcome! I am just down the road from you in Menifee. I use basil and allysum to attract bees, I guess I'll have to try some borage.

Linda

Fusion_power · April 20, 2012

So I'm a beekeeper. Since most of the common bee attracting flowers have been mentioned above, I'll answer the question about flower colors. Honey bees see 4 colors. Red appears black to them so eliminate red. They see higher into the spectrum than we do so one of their colors is in the low end of ultraviolet which we can't see. That leaves them seeing a spectrum that starts at yellow and goes to UV. Now lets talk about flowers for a bit. Have you noticed that many flowers have an umbel which may be yellow or white and inside near the bottom of the flower is a purple splotch? Rose of Sharon (mallow family) is an ideal example of this color pattern. The splotch is a nectar mark and bees learn to go immediately to this area of the flower.

If you watch bees for a while, you will see them foraging on white flowers (clover), yellow flowers (squash), blue flowers (vitex), and purple flowers (vetch). They don't discriminate based on color. What they are looking for is nectar and pollen. They will visit any color flower so long as it is producing one or the other or both.

DarJones

clara · April 20, 2012

I always plant some yellow snapdragons near my toms. I love those flowers and the bees seem to love them, too, and my toms...! clara

Lcottomsvcs · April 20, 2012

I am a beekeeper also, and my bees love a variety of flowers, regardless of color. They are most interesting in the food (nectar and pollen) they can obtain from the flower. Many hybrid plants which are bred for big, showy flowers are actually poor in nectar. Many plants we consider weeds, such as dandilion(spelling?), clover, golden rod and vetch are actually very good for bees. Plants that get alot of "bee interest" in my yard and are easy to grow include:

sunflowers
lambs ear
hyssop
mints
catnip
chives, garlic and regular
lemon balm
asters (important near the fall when other flowers have dried up)
bee balm
borage
poppies

There is one ground cover, Snow-on-the-Mountain (Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegata), which is bad for bees. It makes a toxic honey. I had to rip it out of my borders when we got our bees.

I hope this helps. Happy Gardening!

April 18, 2012	#1
aimeruni Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Brooksville FL, zone 9a Posts: 67	help with flowers that attract bees! I primarily grow veggies, and would like to try herbs. I've never grown flowers, so know nothing about growing them. Mainly I want to grow them to attract bees to pollinate the stuff that requires insect pollination of blossoms to set fruit (squash melons etc.) I'm basically looking for something that loves hot weather, because they'll be grown during summer, since that's when my squash melons etc. will be grown too. Also I was told bees are attracted to certain colored flowers more than others? Is this true, or just a myth; if it's true, what colors do they seem to like? Also something that is easy to grow from seed and can be transplanted easily would be preferred.

April 19, 2012	#7
RebelRidin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Posts: 993	We keep zinnia, purple coneflower and bee balm plantings in the beds near the garden. They will attract all kinds on bees. __________________ George _____________________________ "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure." Thomas Jefferson, 1787

April 18, 2012	#3
Crandrew Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: asdf Posts: 1,202	Rosemary is bee crack.

April 18, 2012	#4
John3 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alabama 7.5 or 8 depends on who you ask Posts: 727	yarrow, lavender, parsley and/or coriander/cilantro (and let it go to seed) try this link http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/gbt.html

April 19, 2012	#5
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,501	Ladybugs are good pollinators and good insect control if you do not have many bees around.They can be bought and shipped just follow the directions.

April 19, 2012	#6
jennifer28 Two-faced Drama Queen Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital Posts: 955	I think cosmos and nasturtiums are easy choices for direct sowing into your garden. One year I thought it might be a good idea to try some marsh marigolds. That wasn't one of my better ideas. Even though it grows easily and attracts bees, it is more like a pretty weed. I find it too invasive. I haven't decided what I am going to do about it yet. This web site from the University of Georgia has some great info about bees http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/beekeeping.html I'm not sure if bees really prefer a certain color flower. Since I keep bees I make sure I have a succession of many different flowering plants so there is always something in bloom for them. That being said, if I want to save my tomato seeds for a certain variety, I always bag the blossom. Can't be too careful.

April 19, 2012	#8
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Lavender, citrus, cucurbits, basil, alliums ( elephant garlic, leeks, society garlic, bolted onions), cilantro, arugula, roses, sunflowers, bolted radishes.

April 19, 2012	#9
sarahs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Inland Southern California Posts: 8	I grow borage in my garden, and the bees go absolutely nuts over it! As a bonus, it's pretty blue flowers are edible and look really nice in a salad. It handled my Southern California heat just fine last summer. This year it self-seeded and I was able to transplant new starts to other parts of my garden.

April 19, 2012	#10
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	Hi, sarahs, welcome to the forum. Don't you just love that borage? I used to grow it in New England, and I'm going to try it here in the PNW for the first time. I hope the mildew doesn't make it impossible for me here. jane

April 19, 2012	#11
spacetogrow Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: MN zone 4 Posts: 359	A house I used to live at had a few perennial bushes of Speedwell (Veronica). I can't remember the name of the variety but it was one that had won awards for being in bloom much of the summer if you occasionally clipped off the over-mature flower spikes. The bumblebees would cover the thousands of little flowers so thickly that you sometimes could scarcely see the flower color. I'd also read elsewhere that your cucurbits, especially the ones with larger flowers, attract bees from quite far away, which is why they apparently need long isolation distances to avoid cross-pollination.

April 20, 2012	#12
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	Hey Sarahs - welcome! I am just down the road from you in Menifee. I use basil and allysum to attract bees, I guess I'll have to try some borage. Linda

April 20, 2012	#13
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,251	So I'm a beekeeper. Since most of the common bee attracting flowers have been mentioned above, I'll answer the question about flower colors. Honey bees see 4 colors. Red appears black to them so eliminate red. They see higher into the spectrum than we do so one of their colors is in the low end of ultraviolet which we can't see. That leaves them seeing a spectrum that starts at yellow and goes to UV. Now lets talk about flowers for a bit. Have you noticed that many flowers have an umbel which may be yellow or white and inside near the bottom of the flower is a purple splotch? Rose of Sharon (mallow family) is an ideal example of this color pattern. The splotch is a nectar mark and bees learn to go immediately to this area of the flower. If you watch bees for a while, you will see them foraging on white flowers (clover), yellow flowers (squash), blue flowers (vitex), and purple flowers (vetch). They don't discriminate based on color. What they are looking for is nectar and pollen. They will visit any color flower so long as it is producing one or the other or both. DarJones

April 20, 2012	#14
clara Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 1,351	I always plant some yellow snapdragons near my toms. I love those flowers and the bees seem to love them, too, and my toms...! clara

April 20, 2012	#15
Lcottomsvcs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 123	I am a beekeeper also, and my bees love a variety of flowers, regardless of color. They are most interesting in the food (nectar and pollen) they can obtain from the flower. Many hybrid plants which are bred for big, showy flowers are actually poor in nectar. Many plants we consider weeds, such as dandilion(spelling?), clover, golden rod and vetch are actually very good for bees. Plants that get alot of "bee interest" in my yard and are easy to grow include: sunflowers lambs ear hyssop mints catnip chives, garlic and regular lemon balm asters (important near the fall when other flowers have dried up) bee balm borage poppies There is one ground cover, Snow-on-the-Mountain (Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegata), which is bad for bees. It makes a toxic honey. I had to rip it out of my borders when we got our bees. I hope this helps. Happy Gardening!