Pulmonaria, Bowle's mauve, aquilegia in the spring but Cotoneaster horizontalis was the champion, just because of the quantity of flowers. You could hear it from a distance and I spent ages watching the bees on it, going from flower to flower, their pollen sacs bulging. Since then not so clear which is the most popular, partly because we've had a lot of wet and chilly weather with fewer bees about, They do like the foxgloves though, and I've seen more than one taking a nap inside a flower, so perhaps it is the protection they like too!
Now that my son is no longer a toddler we don't need our lawn to be the size it currently is. My forthcoming projetc is to reduce my lawn size by 50% (we have a dog) and replace that area with planting for bees, butterflies, moths and pollinators. I will be removing certain plants from my garden that take up space, and giving them away on Facebook etc to make way for new plants.
I'm comprising my list of plants now (hence this thread) that will provide food for bees all year round and I will have a rule when selecting plants - if it doesn't benefit bees, butterflies, moths or pollinators then it's not going into my garden. The only exception will be plants around the pond I'm going to build, where some plants will be needed to provide cover and shade for pond life.
I have a lot of what I think is purple toadflax and it always has a lot of visitors. They also like the fuchsia, cucumber and zucchini, foxgloves, and geranium.
Basil African Blue - you wouldn’t believe how much bees love it! I have a few of them growing in pots in my garden and on sunny days their brunches are literally moving because of the number of bees feeding off of them. The plant is a hybrid, so doesn’t produce seeds, and instead flowers ALL SUMMER long. Really pretty it is too. Is also edible (for people), so can be used in salads as well.
I think if all gardeners in Britain had at least one of Basil African Blue - the problem with the bees would have been solved already ☺️
I share cuttings with everyone who is interested, so I’m doing my part ☺️☺️
Should anybody close by be interested - please let me know 😊
I'm assuming you overwinter it indoors @Big Blue Sky, or do you grow from seed each year? I doubt it would get to flowering stage here - maybe very late on, but then it wouldn't handle the overnight temps in August. Agastache is another good plant, and good old Verb. bonariensis. Common plants like cotoneaster are terrific, as @Buttercupdays says, and hedging plants like Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Privet.
It think it's also important to remember that it isn't just bees that are important pollinators - wasps, hoverflies etc are too.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We have bees big and small and huge here. They start off visiting snowdrops, crocuses and daffs then move on as different flowers appear. This year that was hyacinths, penstemons, wisteria (very buzzy), geraniums phaeum and macrorrhizum, clematis, single roses, hostas, buddleia and dahlias.
In the wild bits, they've gone for apple mint and nettle flowers, ox-eye daisies, thistles, malva and achillea.
At the mo they're buzzing round the trumpet vine and the first of the autumn daffodils - steenberghia lutea - and some late wisteria flowers.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I have persicaria amplexicaulis in a few places in my garden, both in borders and pots and they get covered in bees. I've just been out to have a look and couldn't even begin trying to count the bees as they don't stay still long enough.
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I'm comprising my list of plants now (hence this thread) that will provide food for bees all year round and I will have a rule when selecting plants - if it doesn't benefit bees, butterflies, moths or pollinators then it's not going into my garden. The only exception will be plants around the pond I'm going to build, where some plants will be needed to provide cover and shade for pond life.
The plant is a hybrid, so doesn’t produce seeds, and instead flowers ALL SUMMER long. Really pretty it is too.
Is also edible (for people), so can be used in salads as well.
I think if all gardeners in Britain had at least one of Basil African Blue - the problem with the bees would have been solved already ☺️
I share cuttings with everyone who is interested, so I’m doing my part ☺️☺️
Should anybody close by be interested - please let me know 😊
Sounds a great plant. Don't suppose you are anywhere near South Yorkshire?
I doubt it would get to flowering stage here - maybe very late on, but then it wouldn't handle the overnight temps in August.
Agastache is another good plant, and good old Verb. bonariensis.
Common plants like cotoneaster are terrific, as @Buttercupdays says, and hedging plants like Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Privet.
It think it's also important to remember that it isn't just bees that are important pollinators - wasps, hoverflies etc are too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In the wild bits, they've gone for apple mint and nettle flowers, ox-eye daisies, thistles, malva and achillea.
At the mo they're buzzing round the trumpet vine and the first of the autumn daffodils - steenberghia lutea - and some late wisteria flowers.