Forum:

flowers

What flowers do Bees love to pollinate?

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 19313

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4873

I like...

posted 3 weeks ago

10
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

This year we are not seeing very many bees.

We want to attract them to help pollinate the tomatoes.

What flowers do you suggest?

Any suggestions are welcome though I would like something 3 or 4 inches tall.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Douglas Alpenstock

master pollinator

Posts: 5888

Location: Canadian Prairies - Zone 3b

1723

posted 3 weeks ago

8
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

The only low stuff I have close by is white (Dutch) clover

I have taller stuff in the general vicinity that bees love: red clover, sweet clover, catmint, sunflowers, and the usual harmless weeds (dandelion, annual nettles). And my scarlet runner beans are close by as well.

Cindy Mortera

Posts: 54

posted 3 weeks ago

8
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Anne Miller wrote:This year we are not seeing very many bees.

We want to attract them to help pollinate the tomatoes.

What flowers do you suggest?

Any suggestions are welcome though I would like something 3 or 4 inches tall.

For attracting bees to the garden, look for small, nectar-rich flowers that bloom for a long season. Some good options around 3 to 4 inches tall include creeping thyme, sweet alyssum, dwarf marigolds, low-growing clover, and some compact native wildflowers.

It also helps to plant a mix of flower shapes and colors so different bee species can feed easily. Avoiding pesticides and leaving a few areas a little wild can make a big difference too. Bees often return when they find a steady food source and a safe place to live.

Timothy Norton

Steward of piddlers

Posts: 7989

Location: Upstate New York, Zone 5b, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall

4628

I like...

posted 3 weeks ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I find that borage and milkweed attracts their fair share of pollinators, especially bees, to their flowers. The nice thing about borage is you can just cast the seeds out onto the ground and they seem to grow just fine in my climate.

- Tim's Homestead Journal - Purchase a copy of Building a Better World in Your Backyard - Purchase 6 Decks of Permaculture Cards -
- Purchase 12x Decks of Permaculture Cards - Purchase a copy of the SKIP Book - Purchase 12x copies of Building a Better World in your Backyard

PEP - BB60 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

Matt McSpadden

gardener

Posts: 3257

Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

1802

I like...

posted 3 weeks ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

A second vote for sunflowers for the big pollinators and a second vote for sweet allysum for the small pollinators.

"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis
Visit https://themaineingredient.com for organic, premium dried culinary herbs that are grown, processed, and packaged in the USA.

Judith Browning

Posts: 10577

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3760

posted 3 weeks ago

9
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I've seen a lot of bumblebees and other pollinators on our comfrey...I apologize to them whenever I cut some and try to cycle through different clumps for cutting (we have a lot!).

a few on cosmos, sunflowers and melon flowers but over all many fewer the last two or three years.

Steve says he just saw a lot of honey bees on the trash receptacle at the gas station...the most pollinators in one place he's seen🙄

Edit to add passionflower vine....bumblebees, at least love it!

and I thought tomatoes were self pollinating and that wind or maybe just shaking the plant a bit was enough?

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Joao Winckler

master pollinator

Posts: 343

Location: UK

119

I like...

posted 3 weeks ago

9
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Comfrey is a magnet for them if you have the space. Mine is covered in bumblebees from spring right through to autumn and it grows back after cutting so you get multiple flushes of flowers. Not short though, so depends if that matters. For something lower, creeping thyme works well between paving or at bed edges and they seem to love it.

Leaftide - garden planner w/ 876 plant types. Need permaculture testers for fruit trees & perennials. Free Pro month for detailed feedback, even just suggesting plants

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 19313

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4873

I like...

posted 3 weeks ago

8
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Judith mentioned Cosmos which is what I am leaning towards.

I am looking for transplants since I want something already blooming, not seeds.

Need a jump start, ...

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Judith Browning

Posts: 10577

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3760

posted 3 weeks ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Anne, if you can find them, a variety of cosmos called Bright Lights is what I've grown for years, The orange and yellow flowers seem to attract everybody, bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds....and they take the heat and drought here most aummers.

It's not blooming yet here but tithonia is actually the very best flower that attracts pollinators in our area....I've seen butterflies and bees fight over the flowers...the bloom time is late compared to comfrey that blooms early and if you cut it back occasionally it will keep blooming for months.

I think fennel is our best for the tiny insects.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Jay Angler

master steward

Posts: 15917

Location: Pacific Wet Coast

10363

I like...

posted 3 weeks ago

8
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Judith Browning wrote:Steve says he just saw a lot of honey bees on the trash receptacle at the gas station...the most pollinators in one place he's seen🙄

Were they harvesting sugary garbage, or looking for a "cavity" to nest in?

I saw bees swarming in my field once and then taking off through the forest. I was a beautiful sight and sound, and I hope they found a good home.

Visit Redhawk's soil series: https://permies.com/wiki/redhawk-soil
How permies.com works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads

oddball - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

textiles - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

dimensional lumber woodworking - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by jordan barton

Food Prep and Preservation - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Leigh Tate

greywater and willow feeders - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Leigh Tate

Judith Browning

Posts: 10577

Location: a temperate, clay/loam spot on planet earth, the universe

3760

posted 3 weeks ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Were they harvesting sugary garbage, or looking for a "cavity" to nest in?

Jay, It was sugary garbage unfortunately...there are local bee keepers here so we see honey bees in this small town fairly often.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 19313

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4873

I like...

posted 3 weeks ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Cindy Mortera wrote:

For attracting bees to the garden, look for small, nectar-rich flowers that bloom for a long season. Some good options around 3 to 4 inches tall include creeping thyme, sweet alyssum, dwarf marigolds, low-growing clover, and some compact native wildflowers.

Thanks for the suggestions. This made me laugh!

I love Sweet Alyssum, though it grew to about 2 feet for me. Dear hubby, against my wishes, pulled it all up since it was so tall.

This said, it made a great mulch plant to hold water in soil.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Victoria Polmatier

Posts: 4

posted 3 weeks ago

6
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

The most bees: Plantain, oregano, elecampane, clovers, self-heal, thyme, winter savory. We have narrow-leafed and a small plantain. The bees love it and I’ve left it in the pathways of the veg garden and anywhere else it wants to grow. It lasts a long time, keeps blooming up the stalk and the bees hum when I walk up. Of course there’s no barefoot gardening but seems perfect to me. Fairly easy to remove in areas I don’t want it.

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 19313

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4873

I like...

posted 3 weeks ago

6
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I have plantain and clover though I have never seen bees on them.

Years ago I found self-heal in our woods though I doubt I could find it again.

Thanks, as it is good to know that I have things they like.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Jamie Chevalier

pollinator

Posts: 214

145

posted 2 weeks ago

10
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

There are hundreds--thousands in some countries--of native bees. Some have long tongues, and some have short tongues. Of course, the smaller, shallower flowers suit both. All pollinators have an easy time with umbell flowers, which have umbrella-like flower clusters, with many small flowers in a flat cluster. Yarrow, carrots, parsley, and cilantro are all members of that family.

A wide variety of bees and beneficial insects are attracted to these, and butterflies also appreciate the flat secure landing space. I always suggest yarrow as a perennial and cilantro as a quick-blooming annual. Alyssum is another suitable flower, and attracts predator insects that eat thrips, mites, and other small pests.

Cruciferous flowers, the cabbage family, are also bee favorites. Perennial arugula attracts so many bees that you can hear them across the garden. Kale and othe brassicas that bolt to flower are bee magnets as well.Phacelia tanecetifolia "Bee's Friend" is similar.

Thekla McDaniels

gardener

Posts: 3845

Location: Western Slope Colorado.

970

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

10
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

4 inches or shorter is the hard part. The ones I can think of have been listed already. I don’t know if there are low growing asters, but the native asters of this region provide a source of something for the bees. Their flowers are tiny daisies, about half an ounce inch diameter.

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant is an excellent forage plant for bees. That’s Cleome serrulata, but it’s a lot taller than 4 inches. It begins blooming shortly after the solstice and continues until fall cold or lack of water kill it. I have seen it shoulder high, and as wide covered in mauve flowers… and humming with bees. It’s one of my favorites to grow.

Best luck: satisfaction

Greatest curse, greed

Forest West

Posts: 7

posted 2 weeks ago

9
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

If you want to attract honeybees, there are a number of plants you can choose from. Borage is a phenomenal plant. Did you know that once a bee visits the borage flower and sucks up its nectar, that within 2 - 10 minutes the borage plant replenishes it again. The majority of all plants will not replenish its nectar till the following day. That is why I continually see bees on my borage flowers all day long. Another plant that draws honey bees is kale and letting it flower. Cat-mint plant is another magnet for bees. There are so many other flowering plants but this is a start

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 19313

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4873

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

8
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Forest thanks for the mention of borage. I know we had that growing here when we moved here.

Thanks for all the suggestion everyone.

We went to town on Monday though there were no transplants available.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Danusia Lucja

Posts: 1

posted 2 weeks ago

3
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Judith is correct, tomatoes are self pollinating. They teach that in ecoversity’s permaculture program.
Also, I was going to suggest clover for lower ground flowers as well that the bees love.

Jay Angler

master steward

Posts: 15917

Location: Pacific Wet Coast

10363

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Danusia Lucja wrote:Judith is correct, tomatoes are self pollinating.

Most tomatoes are self pollinating, but I have twice seen native bees on my tomato flowers, so there appears to be something that is attracting them. There are Industrial Honey Bees very nearby and I don't see them taking an interest in the tomato flowers.

I will keep observing...

Visit Redhawk's soil series: https://permies.com/wiki/redhawk-soil
How permies.com works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads

Thekla McDaniels

gardener

Posts: 3845

Location: Western Slope Colorado.

970

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

6
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

They might be collecting pollen…

Best luck: satisfaction

Greatest curse, greed

Thekla McDaniels

gardener

Posts: 3845

Location: Western Slope Colorado.

970

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I’ve been thinking about coreopsis all day. It’s a good bee plant. It grows in a compact form, solid green below flowers on taller stems. I am most familiar with Coreopsis lanceolata which flowers bright yellow.

It’s a perennial which grows up to 24 inches tall. If you deadhead it, it blooms right through summer and into fall. If a person doesn’t have time to do much deadheading, you can just shear all the flowers off at once with hedge clippers. The flowers will be in all stages. You can just shear half the plant… front or back half, the shorn half will begin to develop more flowers… and when the new flowers are getting close, shear the half with the older flowers that you left last time.

As I write this I think it may not be something a permie farmer has time for…. Certainly the only time I ever did that was when I was working as a fine gardener… but on the other hand, older people slow down, and I betcha there are plenty of people with pretty front yards who keep their farming operations in the back. It’s a handy thing to know, how to prolong the bloom.

Anyway, I got looking for dwarf coreopsis and the shortest ones max out at 10-12 inches. Turns out the plant breeders have been busy with coreopsis genus. They come in the most stunning red as well as red with yellow. Almost as much variation as cosmos.

They’re in the sunflower family. Good shaped flowers for bees.

Best luck: satisfaction

Greatest curse, greed

Forest West

Posts: 7

posted 2 weeks ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Thekla McDaniels wrote:4 inches or shorter is the hard part. The ones I can think of have been listed already. I don’t know if there are low growing asters, but the native asters of this region provide a source of something for the bees. Their flowers are tiny daisies, about half an ounce inch diameter.

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant is an excellent forage plant for bees. That’s Cleome serrulata, but it’s a lot taller than 4 inches. It begins blooming shortly after the solstice and continues until fall cold or lack of water kill it. I have seen it shoulder high, and as wide covered in mauve flowers… and humming with bees. It’s one of my favorites to grow.

Thanks for this suggestion. I have not heard of this plant before (Rocky Mountain Bee Plant). I am a beekeeper and I'm always looking for a good nectar and pollen source for the bees. I will plan on getting some seeds and see if I can get some started for next year. Another plant that I am starting are asters. They bloom well into the fall and I'm hoping they will be a good late food source and especially for those late swarms that miss the main nectar flow.

Burra Maluca

out to pasture

Posts: 13343

Location: Portugal

4504

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

10
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Judith Browning wrote:I thought tomatoes were self pollinating and that wind or maybe just shaking the plant a bit was enough?

Modern varieties are, but some people are growing more promiscuous varieties that would benefit from the attentions of pollinators.

How permies.com works
What is a Mother Tree ?

PEP - BB10 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

Thekla McDaniels

gardener

Posts: 3845

Location: Western Slope Colorado.

970

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Forest,
Rocky Mountains bee plant is an annual. It needs winter and will germinate in the spring. Mine is just coming into bloom now.

If you have the right conditions, then you will love this plant! It’s a prolific reseeder. It doesn’t need rich soil. It’s native to my region, but I grow it in my garden. I have seen it growing in the sand and gravel of a dry streambed. We never know how much water is down there, so I won’t claim they don’t need much water.

The tricky thing about getting it-them started is that the seeds need to be on the ground for the winter. Breaking dormancy is not so much about a cold period, but about oscillating temperatures in the cold and cool range.

Mice and birds probably eat or gather the seeds. I generally put a lot of seed down because I save it. I wouldn’t want to toss one seed down, and then look for the seedling in the spring🤣🤣🤣

If you’re in a likely climate region for the plant, see what seed you can find. I expect I will get some new seed this year, but what I have must be viable because it germinated.

Contact me if you can’t find any seed, or enough to seed heavily in a space you can keep an eye on. I probably already have enough to spare you some.

Best luck: satisfaction

Greatest curse, greed

Inge Leonora-den Ouden

pollinator

Posts: 3558

Location: Meppel (Drenthe, the Netherlands)

1220

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

5
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Judith Browning wrote:...

and I thought tomatoes were self pollinating and that wind or maybe just shaking the plant a bit was enough?

My thought too.

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

textiles - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Nicole Alderman

oddball - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Barkley

Food Prep and Preservation - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Ash Jackson

community living - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Nicole Alderman

foraging - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

greywater and willow feeders - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Ash Jackson

animal care - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

natural medicine - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Ash Jackson

electricity - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

round wood woodworking - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

commerce - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

Inge Leonora-den Ouden

pollinator

Posts: 3558

Location: Meppel (Drenthe, the Netherlands)

1220

I like...

posted 2 weeks ago

7
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

This morning I saw three bee-like creatures in two flowers of the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus). Two were the more fuzzy type (mostly called 'bumble bees'), the other one looked more like a honey bee.

There are always plenty insects in my front garden: wild bees, bumble bees, maybe honeybees, hover flies, dragon flies, butterflies, moths and many kinds of beetles too. Probably they love my garden because I do my best to have many native plant species and other insect-attracting plants, and I do this already for about 20 years (in this garden).

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

Jenn Martinson

Posts: 3

posted 1 week ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

The low growing part is so difficult. I’ve been in the same boat wanting something for my window boxes so I can still open my windows without destroying whatever’s inside. Borage is sounding like the best bet.

Have you considered strawberries under your tomatoes? I have some wild strawberries growing with some of my tomatoes and asparagus- it’s great ground cover, the pollinators love the flowers. I’ve read some pros and cons for the pairing, but maybe worth a try? Some research should help you determine if it’d work in your location with certain fungal resistant varieties.

Tomatoes are self pollinating, as mentioned, which is why they are great for hydroponics. I found mine got enough shaking just from regular pruning and tomato picking to keep them pollinated and fruiting indoors through the entire winter.

I love putting flowers in between everything I’m planting in the garden though. I hadn’t done cosmos before and I sowed them too liberally, thinking they’d be spindly. They are giant monsters crowding out a few of my shorter veg plants. I will definitely reserve those for garden edges from now on.

I grew cinnamon basil, blue spice basil, and holy basil this season. My cinnamon and blue spice have stayed a little smaller. The holy basil really bushed out and pollinators are always swarming it. It’s about 1.5’ tall though. But I know there are some very compact dwarf varieties of basil though - perhaps one of those would work?

Jay Angler

master steward

Posts: 15917

Location: Pacific Wet Coast

10363

I like...

posted 1 week ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Jenn Martinson wrote:... Borage is sounding like the best bet...

OK, either Canadian "Borage" is different, or it just *really* *LOVES* my ecosystem, because my borage, and the plant at a friend's place, grow at least 2 1/2 feet tall! I'm pretty sure that had I measured it, one that grew last year had to top 3'. Granted it volunteered where it could tap into the bottom of a compost heap. I don't think I've tried consistently pruning it for shortness to know if I can be kept short. The bees love it so much, I try to leave it be.

Visit Redhawk's soil series: https://permies.com/wiki/redhawk-soil
How permies.com works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads

Thekla McDaniels

gardener

Posts: 3845

Location: Western Slope Colorado.

970

I like...

posted 1 week ago

5
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

That’s my impression of borage, you would have a tough time keeping it below 4 inches. It wants to be at least a foot tall.

As this thread continues, I am thinking strawberries might fill the bill best. Certainly I am going to encourage more of them, especially the small fruited “wild” ones.

If the berries are going to make problems, there are ornamental varieties.

And, what about potentilla? Does that grow in your region? I will see if I can find a better name. I may have misspelled it, and I think it’s also called cinquefoil. It doesn’t bloom as thick as thyme, but it has a longer season.

Best luck: satisfaction

Greatest curse, greed

Thekla McDaniels

gardener

Posts: 3845

Location: Western Slope Colorado.

970

I like...

posted 1 week ago

5
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Potentilla is the genus. There are many species. Prostrata sounds like it would be low growing, but all I could get
on the www was about prostrate gland . Things are getting ever more preposterous!

Cinquefoil is what they call it in the gardening world. It comes in woody shrubs, but the one I am familiar with one that is an herbaceous perennial with yellow flowers. I have seen it growing in the Rocky Mountain high desert and coastal range of California.

Best luck: satisfaction

Greatest curse, greed

Nick Mick

Posts: 179

posted 1 week ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Mountain mint. They love the stuff. Gets as tall as other mints though but it’s more manageable.

Thekla McDaniels

gardener

Posts: 3845

Location: Western Slope Colorado.

970

I like...

posted 1 week ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I posted photos of my beloved Rocky Mountain Bee plant but it disappeared, so I am trying again. Also here is a link to

https://greatbasinseeds.com/product/rocky-mountain-beeplant/

They have a more complete description a list of other common names and growing considerations. And of course, they sell seed.

My photos try to show the indeterminate flowering habit which many plants great bee plants have because as long as conditions allow, the plant makes new flowers. These are very young plants. I expect they will be 5 feet high and wide by the end of the season.

IMG_5261.jpeg

IMG_5260.jpeg

IMG_5259.jpeg

Best luck: satisfaction

Greatest curse, greed

What does a metric clock look like? I bet it is nothing like this tiny ad:

Build a better world. Literally.

https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp