Grow a Garden That Buzzes with Life
These plants are perfect for planting many of the bee friendly plants we mentioned, such as lavender and sunflowers, because they have plenty of nectar. Lavender flowers from June to August in full sun with good drainage and attract honeybees to enjoy the nectar, while pest repellents keep away unwanted bugs. Sunflowers are a giant of a summer to fall flower head, providing pollen that is good for bee health, helping to fight off disease. Growing open-pollinated sunflowers is particularly beneficial to bees.
Bee Friendly Plants
Now, the time has come to add some additional plants. We also recommend bee balm and borage to support all seasons of bees. In mid-summer, the red and purple flowers of bee balm create an absolute bee utopia! The flowers are native, deer-resistant, and provide an incredible landing site for bumblebees. We also plant borage, which self-seeds throughout the star-shaped flowers to provide an abundance of pollen and has the bonus of being able to harvest the buds as a delicious ingredient. As with all our plantings, it is very important to plant in dense clusters and avoid the use of pesticides. And voila! A thriving local bee population.
