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Best flowers to attract bees?

Mike

Might know the answer
Messages
977
Location
Kentucky
Planting Zone
6b
I've been wanting to plant flowers for a while now that are bee and butterfly friendly and after reading this interview done be TED Talks makes me really want to do this some spring time next year.

For butterflies I'm thinking common and swamp milkweed.


What flowers would you recommend that would attract bee's and butterflies?
 
M

Mr_Yan

Guest
I have daisies and purple cone flowers mixed together in one bed. This works well for that area and is LOW maintenance. These flower from mid to late summer.

In another spot, well away from my veg garden, I have a rose-of-sharon (aka althea). This is a hibiscus species of shrub that flowers continuously through the late summer. I say planted well away from the veg garden as it will attract the Japanese beetles like nothing else in my yard.

Clover is also supposed to be really good for bees.

How about some early flowering tree(s) - almond, apple, peach - that will flower before the lower flowers are even breaking the ground?
 

Mike

Might know the answer
Messages
977
Location
Kentucky
Planting Zone
6b
Good point. I'm planning this garden bed on the other side of the yard compared to my vegetable garden.
 
N

noodle

Guest
In my experience lavender attracts honey bees very effectively. It smells nice too and is very low maintenance (unless you want to shape the growth).
 
I

IcyBC

Guest
I have asters, white coneflowers, shasta daisies, and black-eyed Susan in my garden and they seem to attract many different bees. My little garden is gearing toward bees, butterflies, and skippers. Every year I tried to add a new annual flower too, and this year I bought Latana to get the pop of colors from them!
 
S

Susan

Guest
I have always found that black-eyes Susans and Daisies attract a lot of bees and butterflies.
Clover, also, attracts bees. They visit it often for nectar and pollen.
 
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