Why Do You Need Bees in Your Garden?

Once you have planted a vegetable garden for the season, the most important thing you can do is sit back and let nature take its course. Bees play an important role in the food chain, providing pollination services in exchange for nectar and honey. Bees feed from one plant to another, constantly moving.

When you attract bees to your vegetable garden, your food production will increase significantly! It’s a good idea to try planting something in or around your vegetable garden that will attract them so they can transfer nectar and pollen from one plant to another, allowing you to grow your own. Enjoy your vegetables, and avoid the need for hand pollination.

When planning plantings that are attractive to bees, make it easier for bees to find food by planting similar plants to provide them with a prominent location.

10 Great Bee-Attracting Plants

Nasturtiums
Herbs
Lavender
Rosemary
Salvias
Agapanthus
Penstemon
Hebes
Echinacea
Anything native to your area

10 plants that bees love

Bees seem to be attracted to certain colors of flowers more than others, so experiment with different colors in your garden to make sure you get the right one for them. Some of the best plants that attract bees include:

1. Lavender

Lavender is at the top of my list. Any type will do. Once established, it is drought tolerant and ideal for the Mediterranean climate. Lavender flowers are easy to care for most of the year and can be used to create a beautiful hedge if that is part of your design.

2. Rosemary

Rosemary, another plant that can be hedged if you wish, also blooms for several months, requires only a small amount of water once established and is difficult to kill. Great with roast lamb or to add flavor to grilled meals.

3. Agapanthus

Agapanthus blooms for about a month each year in early summer, but when it does, it is at the height of the bee breeding season when the hives flourish and the bee population grows, preparing forage for food. Keep children and stores as low-key as possible. It is drought and drought tolerant, be sure to remove spent flower heads as they can become weeds.

4. Hebes

Hebes range in color from white to pink to crimson or purple. Plant them in groups of 3 or 5 in full sun or partial shade (depending on the species) to attract bees, and keep them in your garden for as many days as possible. The longer they are there, the more likely they are to feed on flowering plants as well. Hardy and easy to kill from the cuttings you grow, you can propagate yourself if necessary.

5. Echinacea

Echinacea, or coneflower, is a wonderful addition to any garden with its bright pink, daisy-like flowers. They have been used as a natural herbal remedy for hundreds of years, and even bees love them. Growing shorter than lavender or rosemary, they add another layer of height to your garden that attracts bees.

6. Penstemons

Penstemons are beautiful perennials that can plant themselves throughout your garden. With flowers ranging from pink to purple and white, they are a favorite of bees, and provide a wealth of color in your garden for many months of the year.

7. Salvia

Salvia or sage is another hardy plant that attracts bees and produces white, pink, red and purple flowers, so you can choose one to match a particular color scheme, if that’s your plan. They bloom from early spring to late fall, and they also provide plenty of food for bees and color for your garden. It’s easy to care for, cut off dead ends when it’s finished flowering, and you’ll come back again and again.

8. Native Plants

Anything in your area that bees should bring to flower. Choose hardy, low-maintenance varieties to attract native pollinators.

9. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums make an excellent ground cover or natural mulch around fruit trees or can be trained to climb trellises or trellises. It flowers in late winter and early spring, which will die if the summer is hot. The flowers are bright orange, yellow and red. Bees love them, and because they bloom so early in the spring, they often provide forage when there is nothing for the bees to do.

10. Herbs

Herbs are great for attracting bees, and of course you get the added benefit of being able to use them in cooking. Basil, thyme, oregano, coriander (cilantro), dacoit, lemon balm and borage are great additions to your garden that bees will be grateful for.

Only one or two of these plants will attract bees.

You don’t have to have all of these plants in your garden to increase bee traffic. If you prefer, you can have just one or two types that you prefer. No matter which method you choose, the bees will be grateful for the food, and the fruits and vegetables will benefit from the planned feeding and produce more.