Plant a bee-friendly garden, bee-cause it matters!
Even if you don’t keep bees, you can still help out our little friends in many ways! One of the best ways, is to plant a bee-friendly garden. In this post we will talk about flowers, herbs and veggies that bees will just be all a buzz about!
Is your garden bee-ing “bee friendly”?
Bees like to collect pollen from a variety of plants and flowers. This is because there are different species of bees that are attracted to different characteristics of plants. That is great news, because it means you can plant several different types of flowers, veggies and herbs and you’ll keep those bees happy!
Flowers and plants come in different heights and different colors which are good for bees. Bees actually prefer that. But if you’re looking for some good flowers that bees will love, a tip for you is that single flowers are better for bees! It is easier for bees to collect pollen from single flowers because they have more nectar and pollen than other plants that have multiple flowers coming from the same stem.
It can also be helpful if you plant things that are native to your region. Local bees are familiar with the plants that naturally grow and exist in your area because they’re used to these types of flowers. It helps bees to know what to look for when searching for that sweet, sweet pollen.
A tip for getting wild!
One more great idea to plant for bees is wildflowers! Wildflowers are always a good idea because they all produce an abundant supply of nectar and pollen in any area or region whether they’re native to your region or not.
Guess what’s up next? Herbs, herbs and more herbs!
Bees love herbs! Some of my personal favorites for our buzzing little buddies are lavender, sage, thyme, and oregano. Side note! Bees do not like basil. And remember, when you are choosing herbs for your garden, be sure to choose plants and herbs that grow at different times of the year. Bees need plants that they can pollinate throughout the entire season so they can successfully gather enough pollen to survive the upcoming winter. For this reason, be sure to keep a varitey of herbs, that can be harvested during different times of the growing season.
Bee-careful about your vegetables!
Most vegetables are great for bees, so I want to emphasize those which are not bee friendly.
Cucumbers are known in the bee-world for bee-ing a bug repellant. And some vegetables are actually self-pollinating and don’t need bees at all. Some of those self pollinating plants include tomatoes, green beans, green peppers & eggplants.
Another bee-careful reminder!
The same goes for veggies as well as for flowers. Remember when you are choosing vegetables for your garden, be sure to choose veggies that grow at different times of the year. We need plants that bees can pollinate throughout the whole season to prepare them for the upcoming winter.
Some vegetables that bees love are onions, carrots, kale, peas, gourds, pumpkins & squash.
Know what else bees love? Fruit!
Bee-lieve it! Bees love fruit!
Fruits are one of those things that bees naturally gravitate towards because they are sweet. They have great nectar and pollen that bees love. Some un-bee-lievable fruits for bees are plums, melons, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries & blueberries. Again, when choosing fruits for your garden, be sure to choose fruit plants or trees that you can harvest at different times of the year. We need fruits that bees can pollinate throughout the whole season, so they have plenty of pollen and nectar for the upcoming winter. Let’s do our part to keep our little bee friends happy!
One last bit of good news!
We are moving to greener pastures, literally! We are moving to the East coast in August. We cannot wait to see what new agricultural worlds open up to us in the east. We are beyond excited for this new adventure, so stay tuned to follow our journey!
