Growing Plants to Attract Honey Bees to Your Garden

Why would anyone want to grow plants to attract honey bees to the garden? Don't bees sting? If you're a gardener then you know that bees are nature's most effective pollinators and increase the production of your garden, your flowers and vegetables as well your fruit bearers. Without bees our gardens would look pretty for a while and then die off without any pollination to further their production. Bees are a blessing for gardeners. They are also a lot of fun to watch and listen to buzzing about the garden on a hot summer afternoon. Bees enjoy a lot of the same plants that hummingbirds and butterflies do so the odds are that you'll be attracting these beauties to your garden as well.

What to Plant?

Go with as many native plants as you can. Native plants will grow better in your yard. They will thrive in their home environment without a great deal of extra care. Local bees and birds will flock to them, they belong there. As a gardener, you're probably already interested or aware of plants that are hardy where you live. Bees like variety. If you're planting a bee garden, plant small amounts of different plants that will be in bloom throughout the growing season to attract the bees all season. The more variety in your garden, the more bees and the more color.

Scents and Color

Bees are attracted to highly scented flowers, think of roses and lavender. The added bonus for you is a sweet smelling garden to walk through. They also like color. Bees can't see red like hummingbirds, but they do like white and yellow, imagine a group of cheerful sunflowers against your fence full of busy bees and then later feeding your songbirds when they ripen. Providing a source of water in your garden will also attract more bees as well as hummingbirds and butterflies.

No matter what part of the country you live in there's a great variety of plants that will attract honey bees and do well in your yard. Here are some to start with.

Herbs:

• Basil


• Catmint


• Lavender


• Sage


• Rosemary


• Thyme


• Bee Balm

Annuals:

• Sunflowers


• Zinnias


• Poppies


• Marigolds

Perennials:

• Clematis


• Foxglove


• Roses


• Sedum


• Tansy Hyacinth


• Geraniums


• Buttercups

Garden Plants:

• Blackberries


• Cantaloupe


• Cucumbers


• Peppers


• Pumpkins


• Raspberries


• Squash

Russell Holmes is a beginning beekeeper who keeps his bees happy with their own natural garden. Stop by my site Beekeepinghowto.info to learn more about beekeeping for beginners.