Bees will be a-buzzin'
Planting pollinator-friendly flowers is easy and so rewarding! Watching bees makes the garden extra vibrant.
The selections here are our 19 top families to benefit bees. Heavy on native varieties, there's something here for every garden.
Keep bees in mind all year long.
To truly benefit native bees, think beyond summer blooms. Native bees have critical needs all year long, like access to nectar when they emerge in the early spring and shelter through the winter months.
The list below can help you plan your garden to provide ideal conditions.
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Perennials for Early Spring Nectar
Dandelion - Taraxacum
Helleborus - Lenten Rose
Polemonium r. - Jacob’s Ladder *
Primula - Primrose
Pulmonaria - Lungwort
Pulsatilla - Pasque Flower
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Perennials for Late Spring Nectar
Achillea - Yarrow
Ajuga - Bugle Weed
Amsonia - Blue Star
Baptisia - False Indigo
Bergenia - Piqsqueak
Brunnera - Bugloss
Geranium m. - Wild Cranesbill *
Nepeta - Catmint
Oenothera - Ozark Sundrops
Penstemon - Beardtongue
Phacelia - Fern-leaf Phacelia
Salvia -Sage
Zizia - Golden Alexander
Perennials for Summertime Nectar
Agastache - Anise Hyssop
Amorpha - Leadplant
Anaphalis - Pearly Everlasting
Asclepias - Milkweed
Calamintha - Calamint
Callirhoe - Wine Cups
Campanula - Bell Flower
Coreopsis - Tickseed
Echinacea - Coneflower
Eryngium - Rattlesnake Master
Eutrochium - Joe Pye
Eupatorium - Joe Pye
Gaillardia - Blanket Flower
Gaura - Bee Blossom
Heliopsis - False Sunflower
Hibiscus - Swamp Mallow
Lavandula a. - English Lavender
Liatris - Blazing Star
Lobelia s. - Great Blue Lobelia
Monarda - Bee Balm *
Perovskia - Russian Sage
Phacelia - Fern-leaf Phacelia
Phlox - Garden Phlox
Pycnanthemum - Mountain Mint
Ratibida - Gray-Headed Coneflower
Rudbeckia - Black-Eyed Susan
Verbena - Blue Vervain
Vernonia - Iron Weed
Veronicastrum - Culver’s Root
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No Neonics. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
And why it matters.
Neonicotinoids (neonics) have been implicated in the decline of bees and birds. Their impact may be worse than that of DDT - YIKES! That's why we use absolutely no neonics at Wit's End Gardens. That way hungry bees and birds can be happy and healthy.
Get 5 perennials, all natives. From early spring nectar to winter shelter, you can set a bee-friendly garden spread. Learn More
Photos:
Header: © Wit's End Gardens
Pulmonaria: © Wit's End Gardens
Nepeta: Tesla Delacroix, via Wikimedia, CC4
Phlox: USFWS Midwest Region via Flickr, cc0
Sedum: © Wit's End Gardens
Grasses: USFWS Midwest Region via Flickr, cc0
Polemonium: Tom Potterfield via Flickr, CC2
Geranium: © Wit's End Gardens
Monarda: Walters Gardens
Panicum: Walters Gardens