Ideas for a bee friendly yard????

[April Manier]

So another post was talking about the decline of bees. SCARY!

Please list your ideas for creating a bee friendly yard. Keep it clear and concise with pics if you have 'em!

 

[silkiechicken]

Wish I could find the pics... I planted about 2 dozen forget-me-nots and they were coated in bees every day for the month or two they were in bloom!

 

[journey11]

One of the very best things you can do is to let your yard go natural. Don't be so determined to erradicate everything that isn't grass. Cut your grass tall--at least 3-4" (which is best for the grass itself anyway) so that the clover blooms can remain for the bees to feed on. It's one of their favorite and most important summer forages. The clover will bloom through a long period during the heat of summer when most other bee forages are gone.

A bird bath or other small water feature also provides a spot for the bees to get some water. They need a lot of water during the summer, which they bring back to the hive to evaporate and thereby cool the hive.

 

[wifezilla]

I get the most bee activity around my japanese spirea bushes.

Bees also love clover. I overseeded part of my lawn with clover.

I think the thing to do is have things that bloom at different times so the bees have a steady food supply.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Spirea is a good one, but there are several other bushes and flowers really good for bees. Butterflies too. Mint and basil blooms seem to really attract a lot for me and it seems like they are blooming a lot, especially if you deadhead.

I plant extra basil and let one go to bloom to attract the pollinators. About the time that one plant starts to go to seed, I strip it so it renews itself and let another one go to bloom.

The mint is not in the garden. That is isolated so a lawn mower can keep it under control.

 

[wifezilla]

Now that you mention herbs, I remember the bees going pretty nutso when my oregano and thyme bloomed.

 

[Collector]

DW has lots of flowers around or house that bees and humingbirds like. One that the bees really like is a large clump of crimson scabiosa. The patch is like 6x8' really thick and when they are blooming you can hear the hum of bees when you walk by.

 

[wifezilla]

That is a good plant for bees. I can't grow it because the cats LLOOOOVEEEEEEE it. They roll around in it like cat nip and basically love it to death.

 

[thistlebloom]

Another really good bee plant is Joe Pye weed (botanical name Eupatorium purpureum).It has a flat bloom that the butterflies also love. It's a later bloomer, like Augustish around here. Bee balm also is a fantastic bee flower, and it blooms for nearly 2 months in my garden.

 

[lesa]

It is so interesting to watch what the bees like and when they like it. I notice later in the season, they are less picky! Letting some veggies go to flower, seems to be appreciated. My bees were working my broccoli flowers, well into November...They go crazy for oregano. I have a plumb poppy that they work- but only for a day or two, then I never see them on it again.
My all time favorite bee plant is borage. They love it and it makes the honey taste delicious!