Planting top 20 for new beekeepers

[nelletap]

It crossed my mind that it would be great to harness forum member's thoughts about the best plants to have near ones hives. For those waiting for their own bees or those who don't want to keep bees but do want to support them this would be useful.

It seemed the 'best' candidates would be:
1. loved by bees
2. covering a range of dates / cover critical times such as early spring or June gap
3. provide extra value - either because they could be used for something else (eg green manure plants might improve soil; lavender could be used in smokers) or even just because they are perennial or self seeding so once bought they should always be there
4. Cover both pollen and nectar givers

any thoughts? Any suggestions? would it help to have a score system - max of 20 with 20 being good? I know best would vary by location but it seems worthwhile?
One of my votes would go to lavender and to consider a lavender hedge on the grounds that it is more useful for the bees to have tracts of plants. would lavender be a high scorer for others? And gorgeous alliums - again especially if they can be grown in numbers.

 

[Pete D]

I will spoil this list and put forward Christmas trees, the old fashioned Norway Spruce type.
Why ............. because they are great swarm capture trees. 3 out of 4 swarms this week cant be wrong. They are nice and low and can be used for something else.........
Pete D

 

[aberreef]

I will spoil this list and put forward Christmas trees, the old fashioned Norway Spruce type.
Why ............. because they are great swarm capture trees. 3 out of 4 swarms this week cant be wrong. They are nice and low and can be used for something else.........
Pete D

Willow, Dandelion, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Bramble, White Clover, Himalayan Balsam, Lime trees are all good pollen/nectar sources for my bees. Add to this plum, apple, cotoneaster, Poached Egg plant and a few other garden plants and that's just about everything I have seen mine collect from

 

[Suzi Q]

On my list would be the poached egg plant, its an annual, self-seeding, pretty to look at, good for nectar, but don't know about pollen. And cotoneaster, a useful semi-evergreen low growing hedging plant, or horizontalis is, and has berries for the birds in autumn, also a bit of autumn color in the leaves.

 

[Luminos]

Osr??

 

[stoneleighhouse]

now now Luminos we dont want to get into neonicotinoids again do we !!

 

[nelletap]

That is a great collection already. Dandelions and phacelia seem worth a mention, too?

 

[Cazza]

For winter time it's got to be snowdrop, crocus, hellebores and Mahonia. Oh and hazel for later.
Cazza

 

[milkermel]

This sounds like a great idea not only for new beeks, but for potential new first time home owners!! (no hidden agenda honest!) please keep this coming or make a table of them Anyone know how good skimmia is, have a shrub outside our rented place that the bees go mad over every season, not sure what one it is, never berries, but bees love it.

Buddlia globosa is another good one i believe?

 

[nelletap]

Anyone willing to hazard a 'score' for each suggestion? I thought that might allow us to come up with the best. Agree on most suggestions so far. Skimmia was one I'd not thought of. I guess most fruit trees are valuable - with more or less similar benefits with the advantage that higher fruit yield might result? I'll try and summarise at some stage. The whole nectar versus pollen info must be available somewhere.

 

[hailtryfan]

My immediate thoughts were borage and manuka. Prolific flowerers all through the summer including the June gap. I have both at the lotty and they're always smothered with bees. And they both look nice

 

[nelletap]

Just found another site that puts borage as a number 1 - nectar rich and self seeding. Love your avatar what is it?

 

[richardbees]

Some Pussy Willow trees (severely pollarded) for early spring pollen and Michaelmas Daisy for late Summer pollen.

I've also got poached egg plant, 'forget me nots' and chives (just opening).

 

[REDWOOD]

All single petaled flowers and Phacelia

 

[BBG]

And knowing that a colony can manage 20 Million flower visits in a day

Buy BIG - very BIG, packets of seeds.

 

[REDWOOD]

or big trees

 

[Luminos]

And knowing that a colony can manage 20 Million flower visits in a day

Buy BIG - very BIG, packets of seeds.

 

[Excession]

Rosemary seems to be a big hit in my garden. Particularly with Tawny Mining Bees.

 

[george]

Borage from no 1 to 20 . I really miss the Borage round High Wycombe , they moved it all to the north of the county . Shame .

 

[nelletap]

I'm doing my bit for the borage near High Wycombe. I see that the bumblee bee conservation organisation see to have just launched a little application that allows you to click on what you have in your garden and then be given a beekind score - it doesn't give the opportunity for you to say how many plants you have got and I guess it is more bumble bee orientated, but interesting nevertheless.