Favourite Garden Flower for your Bees?

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kighill

House Bee
Beekeeping Sponsor
Joined
Feb 5, 2009
Messages
315
Reaction score
1
Location
Ravenshead Nottingham
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
Forever more.
I have just started using my greenhouse again and I am currently trying to grow a few bee friendly flowers.

I have sown two types of borage, white and blue both are coming along nicely.

I would like to know what other beekeepers are growing/planting.

To promote Bee friendly gardening If interested I will give away Ten small pots of Borage to any beekeepers willing to collect.

Ps Not all to one beekeeper.:)
 
lavender, toadflax, campanula, sedum, sea holly there are loads, just looking around is a great way to see what bees collect from
 
Went to a garden centre to see which flowers honey bees loved - masses around the Veronica - try and visit every few weeks to see what plants they really like - masses around the icelandic poppy as well.
 
I have a lovely large bed of early bell heather which I had great enjoyment watching them work in the spring and just recently planted an other large bed of lavander to flower July/August.

Honeybees will go some distance away from your own garden but it's nice to have few plants at home to enjoy seeing the girls working. Also lovely if you have children or grandchildren.
 
They love campanula. My neighbour has a large patch in her garden and the girls have been all over it.
 
Definitely borage; also red hot pokers, Alliums (the big, pompom type) and most of the kind of herbs you get in kitchen herb gardens: lavender, thyme, oregano, marjoram, chives.

:)Mine also love cotoneaster, as do the bumblebees. It has very insignificant-looking flowers, but they have lots of rich nectar. You get a lovely show of berries after a good bee visitation.
 
Borage, of course, salvia, honeywort (cerinthe), and escallonia, which is always 'humming'. And the bumbles just love foxgloves.
 
Mine seem to like the privet that has just come into flower. I don't know about buddleia as yet because mine is refusing to bloom so far :confused:

I'd be interested in borage seeds Kighill. whereabouts are you though (other than UK ;))
 
:rolleyes:Mine ignore my garden in favour of the wildflower meadow
 
Fleabay has a seller of borage seeds. It grows well from seed.
T

Yes, but Kighill kindly offered to donate some to those willing to collect & let's face it, most of us are quite happy to have 'donations to the cause' whenever we can ;)
 
Borage, phacelia (bees love for the nectar), echiums, wild geranium, poppies - the bigger the better - for pollen,

plus anything my neighbours plant.

Loads of crocus for spring.

And of course - found wild..hb...
 
I noticed ALOT of bumble bees on the Hebe varieties and some honey bees, problem is i cant seem to find seeds for these anywhere online. What other names may they be under? i would like a little variety :D
 
I am in Ravenshead Nottingham so most likely a little far for you but you are still welcome to a couple of pots.
I bought the seeds off the big auction site.
Ony a pound or two, all of the seeds planted have germinated.

Sorry the above reply was intended for Ellem.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for suggestions so far.

Thank you for your replies, some plants I have never heard of although I do have quite a few of the other types. I will make a list of the ones I do not have and visit Wilkos for some seeds. Currently 75% off at my local store, so I have just bought loads of different types including some packs marked ‘bee friendly’ along with umpteen seed trays to grow them in.

I plan to make a large bed out of the Borage and plant the Campanula in one species pots for the patio.

The below is a list of some of the plants I have or am in the process of growing for my bees. Ps I am not trying to drum up trade, just having a play with my greenhouse and Horticultural skills.

Lavender, Campanula (coming along in the greenhouse), sedum, sea holly or similar,
Veronica (in the greenhouse) Red Hot Pokers, Alliums (bought loads this year and will try and grow more from the seed) Cotoneaster, Creeping Thyme (just sowed some seed) Foxgloves. Red hot Poker (I think) Some Poppies.

Most of my Crocus rotted away over winter. I have bought loads more ‘in the green’ for next season.

I also like to see Bumble Bees so have several plants for them; I agree they go mad on the Cotoneaster.

I have had a taker for some free Borage but still have some spare.

I visited a local garden centre the other day and bought numerous pots of Native British Flowers which we intend to plant in a border of British plants. Quite a few do look like native British Weeds.

Ps I am seven miles from Junction 27 of the M1 in Ravenshead Nottingham.
 
Echium blue bedder and Limnanthes Douglasii, the poached egg flower. Two long flowering species that are second to none.
 
Ps I am seven miles from Junction 27 of the M1 in Ravenshead Nottingham.

Hi Kighill, I'm at a reenactment at the Meadow Covert pub in West Bridgford this weekend coming, so if it's convenient for you I could always pic some up then :Angel_anim:
 

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