Foxgloves were covered, now waiting for borage and cerinthe to get going as they won the bees phone-in vote last year. Comfrey also attracts a lot of interest, but if borage and cerinthe are the Ant and Dec then comfrey is whoever's doing the follow up show on ITV2.
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
At the moment their favourite flowers in the garden are the astrantias ..... but they are very much second division compared to the very loud hum from the lime trees. These aren't even fully in flower yet .... but the bees just love them.
If I think about the whole of the year, then the stand out winner would be the humble ivy. There is so little else giving nectar so late in the season that all the bees head for it.
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
"I bought lots of bee friendly plants and they ignore them all. "
Which is why I'm asking here - what are the triumphs, ignoring the hype.
In my experience, always lavender. It’s a magnet for them in my garden and has been for decades. Interestingly, our first hard crop this spring has produced much more vibrant flowers and colour, and more bees.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Cicero
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If I think about the whole of the year, then the stand out winner would be the humble ivy. There is so little else giving nectar so late in the season that all the bees head for it.
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
I bought lots of bee friendly plants and they ignore them all.