What’s the buzz on bees? Now more than ever, people are looking for flowers that actually attract bees! Why is that? We need the bees! The bee species has declined rapidly in the last few years, and this decline is potentially putting food production in danger. We, as home gardeners, can play a significant role in reversing the decline of bees and helping them to make a comeback. Here is just a short list of flowers and shrubs that bees love!
- Aster
- Bee Balm
- Black eyed Susan
- Cosmos
- Liatris
- Pansies
- Peonies
- Snap Dragon
- Sunflowers
- Zinnias
- Boomerang
- Blues Festival
- Gatsby Pink
- Temple of Bloom
- Viburnums
You probably already have some of these flowers in your garden already! Not only will the bees love you but having a bee friendly garden also attracts other fun things like hummingbirds and butterflies! In order to get your little friends, there even quicker, make sure to group plants and flowers together. Bees love the variety and especially love the bright vibrant colors.
Take care of your plants. This includes watering, weeding, pruning and fertilizing to ensure the most amounts of nectar and pollen for the bees.
Try to limit pesticides or eliminate them all together but if you absolutely need pesticides, neem oil, vinegar, and Epsom salts are natural alternatives that can be used without hurting the bees.
Whether we realize it or not, keeping the bee population going is something we can do that does not take much effort on our part. “Bee” smart about what you plant this year!