Attracting bees all summer

Attracting bees all summer

Bee-friendly gardening has been creating a lot of buzz here at Breck’s – and for great reasons! But you need more than just good intentions to bring bees to your garden. You need flowering plants that produce good amounts of nectar and pollen and have varied bloom times to provide for bees all summer long. Take a look at some of the best perennials for attracting and sustaining bee-buzz this summer.

Early Summer Flowers for attracting bees

Coneflowers (Echinacea) are the traditional favorites for attracting pollinating bees, along with butterflies, other insect pollinators and even birds. Look for vibrant, long blooming coneflowers, like the bold Mount Hood Coneflower that will effortlessly catch the bees’ attention and provide for them for long.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is characterized by brilliant, flattened heads covered with small but alluring flowers that are a magnet for pollinators, especially bees. Tutti frutti Yarrow Mixture, with its brilliant color combinations and carefree culture is an excellent, automatic choice for any pollinator friendly garden. The aromatic Rainbow Yarrow mixture has a bloom period of up to 3 months, another solid candidate for your bee-garden.

Mid-Summer Flowers for attracting bees

Bee balm (Monarda) lives up to its name: bees really go for it. Something like the colorful, exuberant Bee Balm Mixture will have your garden abuzz for weeks while the dense clusters of fragrant flowers are in bloom.

Hyssop (Hyssopus) is one of the easiest to grow perennials and a great plant for bees and other pollinators. The vibrant flourish of the award winning Blue Fortune Hyssop makes it a captivating presence for humans and bees alike.  Black Adder Anise Hyssop is another wonderful hyssop good for bringing in bees. The singular smoky-blue flowers keep blooming long after other summer flowers have faded away, offering food to the pollinators and some much needed color to the landscape.

Late-Summer and Fall flowers

Aster Sedum (Crassulaceae) is one of the most reliable pollinator friendly plants, with both groundcover and taller varieties serving well to provide beautiful visuals as well as food for the pollinators. Breck’s Lavender and White Sedum Mixture is an easy-care, low maintenance sedum that blooms from midsummer to fall and is fit for varied garden settings.

Sunflower (Helianthus) is the epitome of a pollinator magnet, its irresistible appeal and high nectar content earning it a high spot on the pollinators’ wish-list. Bring in a Happy Days Sunflower and it will, in turn bring in multitudes of pollinating bees and butterflies into your garden in late summer and early fall season.

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