Ground covers are a decorative and easy-care addition to any bed. But did you know that bees can also benefit from the plants? Introducing 15 bee-friendly ground covers for sun, shade, and winter.
Among the beneficial insects in the garden, the bee is one of the best known and most popular for many. Given their remarkable performance as pollinators, this is hardly surprising - in fact, many plants in our gardens even depend on the help of bees. It is all the more regrettable that the number of bees, especially the highly specialized wild bee species, continues to fall.
Choosing bee-friendly plants is a great way to support the bees in your garden. Ground covers in particular are very bee-friendly and also benefit the gardener. They are easy to care for, can be used almost anywhere and, in contrast to lawn or gravel areas, often offer a good supply of food for the small animals. We will tell you here which plants are considered particularly bee-friendly ground covers.
Tip: Above all, you should focus on diversity: Bees need an adequate supply of food all year round, which only a diverse garden can provide.
A great one Seed mixtures, such as our Plantura bee pasture, are therefore an alternative to conventional individual plants, because the different plant seeds score points with different flowering times.
Bee-friendly ground cover for the shade
Shaded areas in the garden are often difficult to create. A decorative and at the same time insect-friendly way of greening the areas is to plant ground covers. Bee-friendly ground covers in the shade can be an extremely good source of food for the hard-working animals.
Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa)
In semi-shade and between trees, the wood anemone blooms from the beginning of March and often until the end of April. This makes them perfect as the first food suppliers for bees.
Ivy (Hederahelix)
As a bee-friendly ground cover for the shade, ivy is perfect. Since the inconspicuous flowers of the ivy only appear from the end of August into September, the ivy is one of the last and most important food sources before winter.
Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis)
With its early flowering from March to April, the liverwort is one of the bee-friendly groundcovers because it provides the animals with a good supply of pollen. The flower feels at home in a shady spot and easily survives the winter under a light layer of mulch.
Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia)
The small, single flowers of the foam flower appear from April to May. The profuse bloom attracts bees and butterflies alike and is a welcome source of food.
Spear (Astilbe)
With its late flowering period from June to September and a good supply of pollen and nectar, the king's pier is a particularly good source of food in autumn. Varieties that stay small make wonderful ground covers that bees like to fly to.
Bee-friendly ground cover for the sun
Sunny locations are also good for planting bee-friendly groundcover. With their magnificent flowers, most ground covers are not only suitable as a source of food, but also prove to be great eye-catchers.
Thrift (Armeria maritima)
The decorative thrift is not only particularly easy to care for, but also bee-friendly as a ground cover. From May to June, it shows its spherical inflorescences, which not only bees like to fly to, but also other beneficial insects.
Hot Stonecrop (Sedum acre)
Easy-care, robust and hardy - the succulent stonecrop is perfect as a bee-friendly ground cover. Numerous small flowers appear from June to July, which serve as a reliable source of food for bees and other insects.
Blood Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum)
As a ground cover, the blood-red cranesbill is considered to be bee-friendly, which is not least due to its long and late flowering from Juneconnected until October. During this time, many bees are particularly happy about the additional supply of nectar and pollen.
Catnip (Nepeta)
Not only cats are very fond of catnip - the plant is also suitable as a bee-friendly ground cover. The high nectar value in particular makes the plant attractive to insects.
Carpet Phlox (Phlox subulata)
If you are looking for a ground cover that is flowering and bee-friendly, you can hardly ignore the carpet phlox: With its lush flowering from May to June, it attracts numerous bees and offers them a rich supply of pollen and nectar.
Bee-friendly and hardy ground cover
Winter-hardy ground covers are extremely popular with many gardeners because they are considered to be particularly easy to care for. However, ground covers can not only be hardy, but also bee-friendly at the same time. These five plants are the best example:
Small Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
The small periwinkle is suitable both as a bee-friendly ground cover for the sun and for the shade. There, however, it shows fewer flowers. These appear from April to May and can bloom a second time in August and September, which makes them particularly valuable to bees.
Carpet Dogwood (Cornus canadensis)
Unlike its close relative, the carpet dogwood is an evergreen groundcover that is also bee-friendly. From May to June the plant shows its flowers, which bees like to visit.
Prunella vulgaris
With its blooms from July to September, the little peasant provides food exactly when it is slowly becoming scarce for many bees. The insect-friendly ground cover is also popular with butterflies and bumblebees.
Creeping Bugles (Ajuga reptans)
With its shiny metallic leaves and eye-catching inflorescences, the creeping bugle is not only a decorative, but also a bee-friendly ground cover. When it blooms from April to June, the hardy groundcover is a popular source of food for bees and bumblebees, but also for butterflies.
Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)
Low cinquefoil varieties make perfect bee-friendly ground covers that are also hardy. Especially its long and persistent flowering, which extends from June to October, ensures that the plant is very popular with bees.
Not only ground covers can be particularly bee-friendly - you can find out which perennials are particularly well accepted by bees in our article "Bee-friendly perennials: The most beautiful bee perennials for the garden".