Top 10 Plants for Bees

Top 10 Plants for Bees!

As our avid followers will know, here at KC Cottage we are obsessed with flowers and our garden! As the weather gets warmer we love nothing more than seeing the Bees coming out of hibernation!

It is pretty common knowledge that Bees are sadly on the decline, some factors that are causing this decline include pesticides, climate change, loss of natural habitats for them and diseases. We all feel strongly about the sad decline of Bee’s, and many people will probably think that there is nothing they can do to help save the Bees, but there is great news…you (yes you) can help to save the Bees & this can all be done from your own garden!

Our top 10 Plants to help save the bees!

Herbs

Lavender

Bees love lavender, they are attracted to lavender not just because of all the goodness they can get from the nectar but also the bright colour of lavender!

This isn’t just great for the Bees but you can also harvest the lavender once it has finished flowering and use the seeds in organza bags around the house or the leaves for cooking. Your garden will smell lovely!

Thyme

When flowering, Thyme is great for Bees, as a herb this will also give off a lovely aroma in your garden and you can harvest this for cooking too!

Rosemary

Another herb favourite for Bees and a favourite for us as well when cooking! If you have the Thyme as well you can create some beautiful lamb dishes by mixing these herbs together and the Bees are also getting their food from the flowers so it’s a win/win for us all!

Flowers & Shrubs:

Dahlias

Dahlias in our gardens are just beautiful, Bees are attracted to the open-centred style Dahlia as they can reach the nectar from this flower! They flower from June – September so they’re a great source of food for lots of different Bees!

Sunflowers

These can be great fun to grow at home, especially if you have a few and make it a little competition on who’s will grow the highest! One year at KC Cottage we got giant sunflowers and they must have grown to around 7ft! 

Geranium

When getting geraniums for your Bee friendly garden go for vibrant colours, such as violet, these will attract the Bees

Foxgloves

I have so many fond memories of my younger days and always seeing Bees buzzing around the foxgloves and going in side the flowers to grab some nectar! Keep those memories alive as well as the Bees by planting some of these!

Snapdragons

Another childhood favourite of mine (as well as picking them and gentle squeezing the sides of the flowers to make it look like they are talking! Oh the things we did as kids!)

Bees love these are they can crawl inside the flower head and grab lots of nectar, they are also great for Bees as the Bees are supported while they forage for goodness.

Agapanthus

With its striking bright colours an agapanthus are very popular with Bees, also with the position of the flowers it allows for easy access to the nectar!

These will also make a beautiful addition to your Bee friendly garden as they are just beautiful!

Roses

Personally, I just love roses, so any excuse to have Roses in the garden and I’m all for it! Similar to the Dahlias, make sure you get roses that are open-centred so that the Bees can get to the nectar easily!

As with all flowers that you want to plant in garden, if you have any small pets – cats and dogs – it’s always best to check if flowers could be toxic or pose any adverse reactions to them if consumed! This will help you decide on where you can position your flowers and make your garden friendly and safe for all your animals!