Bringing Back Bees
/Believe it or not, bees are a great gift to us. Without bees, there would be limited flowers and very few fruits and veggies. Bees want both nectar (for energy) and pollen (for a balanced diet), but the recent hybridization of flowers often decreases both nectar and pollen output. Therefore, to bring bees back to your plants and keep them steadily returning, there are some simple steps to follow:
- Choose plants with a succession of flowers throughout the growing season
- Utilize native plants to attract native bees
- Don't use pesticides
- Choose several colors of a flower
- Plant flowers in clumps, but have diverse plants throughout the season
- Build a bee house
- Provide water
- Remember that bees prefer sun over shade, and that they don't do well in the wind
You can attract bees and other pollinators to your garden by planting some of the following:
- Aster
- Black-Eyed Susan
- Caltrop
- Creosote bush
- Currant
- Elder
- Goldenrod
- Huckleberry
- Purple Coneflower
- Joe Pye weed
- Lupine
- Oregon Grape
- Penestom
- Basil
- Cotoneaster
- Wallflower
- English Lavender
- Giant Hyssup
- Globe Thistle
- Marjoram
- Rosemary
- Zinnia
