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Which plant in *your* garden do bees best like?

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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    This section from garden writer Val Bourne is interesting on planting for hover flies and bees. Hover flies have very small mouth parts so can’t always access blooms in a wildlife garden. There is chat about other things until min. 13. 

  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    Lots of bees on Giant Lemon Scabious. And knautia.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I’d love to grow both sometime. In the vid above Val says she would choose scabious over any other plant for pollinators. 
  • WAMSWAMS Posts: 1,960
    Oregano
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Knautia here too and Aconitum, particular favourites are the Veronica blue spires.
     


    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Good morning, 
    We’re having a lovely time sitting in the garden watching the bees on the white echinops. The blue echinops and scabious are also current favourites with the bees.
  • Popular in my garden are Sorbaria Sem, 



    Helenium,



    Teasel (although they sometimes manageto impale themselves on it), 



    Any Heucheras, 



    and the most popular was definitely Ragwort which I pulled once it was done for the year (sorry bees but no!)


  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Lythrum is taking over from Nepeta as the bees' favourite at the moment.


    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    I always search ragwort for the cinnabar moth caterpillars. Just found the first ones today.
    Bees seem especially fond of oreganum.
  • WAMSWAMS Posts: 1,960
    Hollyhocks, buddleia, dahlias, mint, Gertrude Jekyll rose, clematises Prince Charles, Piluu and Polish Spirit. Also hebe just flowering again 
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