Planting for Bees

[BrianO]

Hello All

Probably been covered in some format already but is a worthwhile topic to rehash given the pressures on colonies

As a keen gardener and a future beekeeping fanatic ( halfway thru beginners course and am already bewitched and fascinated ! ) want to get as much optimum bee friendly planting in , have read various and I know of plenty of lists for the different sub seasons of what is good re pollen load and nectar flow, but what are the absolute optimum plants and why, and any other important features re growing etc.

Know that the beginning , mid summer , and autumn winter are fallow times. So what can anyone recomend, for any time to provide a bumper yield for bee's

Obviously double flowered species are a no no.

Read about for instance Impatiens Glandiflora being an invasive flower but huge pollen producer , and willow , gallanthus for early spring, heather for winter, phacelia http://www.ibra.org.uk/articles/20080611_3 and much more , but love to hear any personal reccomendations and why ?

Thanks

Brian.

 

[Luminos]

Lavender and alder buckthorn - covered in bees the whole time they were flowering

 

[alldigging]

I have got phacelia seeds and lavender seeds and will be growing plants and passing them on people on my allotment and street.

I bought a mahonia recently and since having it have spotted a huge example not very far away!

 

[BrianO]

Snap !!

Just purchased a pack of Lavender seeds for planting and giving out to anyone who will take on our allotment ( also where councill are to instigate " Pilot " project for hives in may .. cant wait ! ).

Also Sunflowers , bumlebees seem to love them !

 

[Travelator]

Bees will travel for miles to find good nectar sources in the summer, so what you plant near your hives is mostly irrelevant.

In the winter (especially autumn and early spring), they will be very grateful indeed for a source of pollen near the hive. (Nectar isn't such a big deal, because they can get the waiting staff to provide buckets of syrup).

So, look for things that flower very early or very late.

Having said that, lavender is fantastic if you want to see lots of different bee species working away.

 

[peteinwilts]

To grow Lavender with limited success, you could really do with a propogator. lavender does not grow well from seed.

For lavender, cuttings is king!

In autumn, I send a post to the local freecycle group for trimmings. I collected many fresh bin bag full, and even a couple of massive plants that had been dug up.

I now have several hundred lavender plants. Unfortunately, I have left many to long to plant out so will be taking many cuttings again this year to try again....

I tried to grow phalacia straight into well mulched ground. Many came up, but the bees pretty much ignored it. It was the year of a good summer (about 3-4 years ago!), and the bees priorotised the bramble and clover. (they also ignored several hundred sunflowers)

 

[alldigging]

Having said that, lavender is fantastic if you want to see lots of different bee species working away.

I have comfrey on my allotment and that was covered in bumblebees last summer. Some absolutely huge ones. I am going to try and get decent photos of them this year. They are so noisy!

 

[alldigging]

To grow Lavender with limited success, you could really do with a propogator. lavender does not grow well from seed.

For lavender, cuttings is king!

In autumn, I send a post to the local freecycle group for trimmings. I collected many fresh bin bag full, and even a couple of massive plants that had been dug up.

Ok I won't expect the full 50 plants from the seeds then!

I took two sprigs off a lavender and stuck them in a pot of soil in the greenhouse so I've got them - and I know where the original is still

 

[waverider]

Phacelia, borage and nepeta were given great interest by the bee's last year.

 

[Skyhook]

Some out-of-season favourites- Mahonia, esp. Charity; and Viburnum tinus- both great for pollen if you get a warm spell like the one a few weeks back. Last spring my bees were working Alder catkins like mad, and had the warm weather come a little earlier, I assume they would have done the same with hazel.

 

[BrianO]

Brilliant.

Wiil try the seeds but definitely go the cutting route , as stands to reason a seed of a plant of mediteranean origin would be slightly reluctant to subject itself to the wonders of an Irish summer !!

This book looks very interesting anyone seen it ?? http://www.plantsforbees.org/

Interesting re Phacelia, nobody tried growing Impatiens Glandiflora , book i have on Honey has a section on planting for bees and raves about its pollen production mentioning bees returning to the hive after foraging looking like they have emerged from a bag of castor sugar due to the amount of pollen they have been subjected to whilst forraging on the flowers of same .

 

[peteinwilts]

The ones I have in full sun have done ok, but the most successful Lavender (and rosemary) I planted were partially shaded near a westerly facing wall.

They 'may' like a slightly cooler and damper Ireland. They don't like standing in water though. Plant with plenty of grit.

 

[blackie]

just had delivery of 5k of borage seed and 1k of phaceilia ready to sow for honey bees and bumbles

 

[peteinwilts]

just had delivery of 5k of borage seed and 1k of phaceilia ready to sow for honey bees and bumbles

Nice!! How big an area should it cover?

 

[blackie]

1/2 acre im hoping borage is cheap in bulk i can only try

 

[sunhivebee]

bee plants late summer/autumn

1/2 acre im hoping borage is cheap in bulk i can only try

Thank you for all contributions so far - this is a brilliant thread.
My number one late season plant recommendation is cosmos. Very easy to grow from seed, very lovely looking and extremely attractive to bees. Lots and lots of flowers from a single plant, ideal gap filler but also great in meadows.

 

[richardbees]

Has anybody mentioned Michaelmas Daisies as an end of year pollen source?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Has anybody mentioned Michaelmas Daisies as an end of year pollen source?

Or gorse, that flowers pretty much all year round.

 

[madasafish]

Brilliant.

Interesting re Phacelia, nobody tried growing Impatiens Glandiflora , book i have on Honey has a section on planting for bees and raves about its pollen production mentioning bees returning to the hive after foraging looking like they have emerged from a bag of castor sugar due to the amount of pollen they have been subjected to whilst forraging on the flowers of same .

It's Himalayan Balsam . Illegal in UK to plant in wild. Acres of it. Attempts made to eradicate it.

 

[susbees]

I have comfrey on my allotment and that was covered in bumblebees last summer. Some absolutely huge ones. I am going to try and get decent photos of them this year. They are so noisy!

Honey bees will go for comfrey enthusiastically....some by the traditional route, others use the robbing holes at the base made by the shorter-tongues bumbles. But they prefer borage .