Many flowers look nice but don't help the bee. Introducing 15 bee-friendly flowers that buzzers will love.
Supporting bees is an affair of the heart for many gardeners, because the hard-working helpers not only produce the delicious honey, but also make an important contribution to the spread and continued existence of numerous plant species as pollinators. So that the bees are rewarded with enough food for their important work, it is worth taking care of a colorful blooming garden. But be careful: Not every flower is also a bee-friendly plant - in fact there are even a large number of flowers, which turn out to be real horror for the little animals. Here you can find out what makes a bee-friendly flower and which types of flowers are particularly suitable for a bee-friendly garden.
Flowers are always bee-friendly, aren't they? In fact, this assumption is a common misconception. Especially bred ornamental plants such as geraniums (Pelargonium), roses (Rosa) or dahlias (Dahlia) can become a problem for the bees: Although the flowers attract the insects with their sweet scent, their lavishly filled blossoms block the way to the valuable nectar or only produce such small quantities that it is not enough for the bees. Better for bees are flowers with single, single flowers, which ideally have a long flowering period - this way, beneficial insects are supplied all year round.
Tip: Seed mixtures like the Plantura bee pasture will transform your garden into a real bee paradise. The premium seeds contain a wide variety of bee-friendly flowers and herbs. This is how the beneficial insects get food from May to September.
1. Yarrow
Large, yellow, white or pink umbels that shine like the sun - no wonder yarrow (Achillea filipendulina) is so popular with bees. With its numerous small flowers, the plant is not only an eye-catcher in the garden, but is alsostill a real magnet for all kinds of useful things. In the garden, the plant, which can be up to 120 cm high, not only impresses with its appearance but also with its undemanding nature. You can find an overview of the most beautiful types and varieties of yarrow in our special article.
Dahlias (Dahlia) are popular garden plants and are particularly known for the large variety of different dahlia varieties, shapes and colours. But not only people are impressed by the beautiful flowers - bees can also enjoy the dahlias. However, not all dahlias are suitable for bees: while unfilled dahlias provide enough food for the hard-working helpers and are readily accepted, many ornamental dahlias are of no help to bees. Although they attract insects with their smell, the very full, almost spherical flowers do not let the bees access the nectar and pollen. For this reason, the somewhat simpler, unfilled dahlias are preferable to the cultivated forms in the bee garden.
3. Carpathian Bellflower
The garden looks like a fairy tale when the Carpathian bellflower (Campanula carpatica) transforms it into a white or violet sea of flowers in summer. In addition to its beauty, the plant is very popular because of its undemanding and easy-care nature, so it can survive temperatures below freezing point without damage. But their long flowering period and their enormous willingness to flower always inspire people and bees anew.
Flower boxes can also be made bee-friendly - for example with verbena (Verbena cultivars). The flower, also known as verbena, is a true classic on the balcony and impresses above all with its variety of colors, but also with its enormous willingness to bloom. In addition, the verbena - in contrast to many other balcony plants - can boast of a high level of weather resistance and a particularly bee-friendly species. But the uncomplicated ornamental flower is not only suitable for the balcony: the plant is also not to be scoffed at as a bee-friendly ground cover.
5. Snapdragons
The snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) is particularly common in cottage gardens. But even in modern garden design,Summer flower increasingly popular. No wonder, after all, the snapdragon has only minimal care requirements and can be planted not only in the garden, but also in tubs and pots. What is particularly impressive, however, are the striking, racemose inflorescences, which have a unique luminosity - bumblebees in particular like to feast on the nectar hidden inside, but the plant is also very popular with bees.
The white stonecrop (Sedum album) can be found in many gardens. No wonder, after all, the succulent plant requires almost no care, copes well with drought and heat and is also extremely frost hardy. The contrast between its simple, white to light pink flowers and dull red foliage makes the Sedum an elegant addition to any garden. But the perennial, which grows like a carpet, is also perfect as bee pasture.
7. Lavender
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is always a good choice for a Mediterranean flair on the balcony or in the garden: the plant with the intoxicating smell and the impressive violet flowers, is not only popular because of its easy care, but also inspires as a medicinal plant, as well as with its edible flowers. In addition, lavender is a real bee friend, providing sufficient food from June to August.
8. Lantana
Orange, red or bright yellow? For those who can't decide, Lantana (Lantana camara) is just the right plant. This plant has an unusual ability: its flowers change color between opening and fading and can sometimes look bright red, other times delicate orange. Even if bees are not enthusiastic about the color-changing abilities of the plant, the lantana is still very popular with them: Due to its large number of flowers, which appear from May to October, the plant is an ideal source of food.
9. Fan Flower
For a long time, hanging baskets were considered conservative - today, however, hanging plant pots are on the rise again and inspire with unusual shapes and materials. who hisIf you want to make hanging baskets not only beautiful, but also bee-friendly, you should reach for the fan flower (Scaevola aemula): Hardly to be surpassed in terms of abundance of flowers, the lovely hanging plant forms cascades of violet-blue flowers that are up to 1 m long can become. In addition, the fan flower is a real permanent bloomer: from May until the first frost, the plant delights people and bees.
10. Blue Pillow
Are rock gardens bee friendly? If you grow the right plants in it, definitely. A good example of a bee-friendly rock garden perennial is the evergreen blue cushion (Aubrieta): In April and May, the plant develops so many small flowers that its green leaves can hardly be seen. Thanks to this abundance of flowers, beneficial insects in particular are big lovers of the plant. But the blue cushion is also extremely popular with people - there are hardly any flowers that display a more intense deep blue than the long-lived and robust rock garden dweller.
11. Nasturtium
Easy to care for, plentiful and beautiful - the nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus nanum) is a real jack of all trades in the garden. Not only does the plant enchant us with its unique funnel flowers, it can also be used wonderfully as a privacy screen and is a real treat for the palate with its peppery-hot aroma. Bees are also enthusiastic about the plant and like to fly to the plant from June to October.
12. snow heather
The snow heather (Erica carnea) with its white to bright pink bell-shaped blossoms has always provided an enchanting splash of color in the winter garden. As early as December, the beautiful plants show their unique flowers and are not only a great eye-catcher, but are also a particularly important source of food for bees at the beginning of spring. Coupled with its easy-care and extremely robust species, the evergreen snow heath is not only a particularly bee-friendly plant, but also a very gardener-friendly one.
13. Cornflowers
Cornflowers (Cyanus segetum) used to be seen blooming at almost every field edge, but today the unique field flower has become rare. But to this day the plant has lost none of its charmlost: Especially the cornflower blue, specially named after it, which the plant proudly wears from June to September, tempts some gardeners to give the flower, once notorious as a field weed, a new home. Luckily, after all, cornflowers are not only real beauties, they also serve the bees faithfully. Wild bees in particular are attracted by the high nectar content of the flower.
14. Sunflower
Among the flowers she is probably one of the greatest. But their bee-friendly nature also makes the sunflower (Helianthus) a real classic. Due to its relatively late flowering period from July to September, the autumn flower provides an important focal point for bees, just before the bees seek refuge in their hive from the cold temperatures. But the bright yellow sunflower is also a real feast for the eyes for humans, which also delights us with its delicious seeds after flowering.
15. Wild Mallow
As early as 700 years ago, the wild mallow (Malva sylvestris) adorned monastery and cottage gardens for the first time. But the plant, which also goes by the name carrot mallow, is still extremely popular today: with its finely veined flowers in soft pastel colors, the wild mallow creates a picturesque ambience and is also extremely easy to care for. But beneficial insects are also enthusiastic about the delicate beauty: it houses a large amount of nectar and pollen, which is why bees and bumblebees in particular benefit. But native butterflies also like to use the plant as a food source. If you want to try the beautiful plant yourself, you don't have to worry about poisoning: the flowers are actually edible and have a very mild taste.
Not only flowers can be bee-friendly, other plants can also help beneficial insects - the most bee-friendly plants for the garden can be found here. You can read here how to best design a bee-friendly flower box.