Bees are some of the world’s most important creatures, and they deserve the utmost respect and care. A bee-friendly garden is a great way to show our appreciation for these hardworking pollinators by providing them with ample resources such as food and shelter. By choosing plants that attract bees and other pollinators, you can become an integral part of the ecosystem and help to ensure a thriving environment for future generations. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of a bee-friendly garden, and how to build one with plants that bees and other pollinators love.
1. Creating a Garden Oasis for Pollinators
Creating a bee-friendly garden is an important step in preserving local pollinator populations. Every garden is unique, depending on the climate and season. Below are some of the pieces that are important in assembling an oasis where bees and other pollinators can thrive.
- A Variety of Flowers: An eclectic mix of flowers, preferably in bloom throughout the growing season, provides pollinators with the nectar and pollen they need. Include both native and exotic species, with a focus on single-flower varieties that are easier for bees to land on and extract food from.
- A Water Source: Pollinators need a source of water just like any other organism in the garden. It can be anything from a shallow birdbath or overflowing fountain, to a small pond or even an open-air dish filled with pebbles for the bees to rest their wings on as they sip water.
- Safe Places to Nest: Natural materials such as wood, bamboo, and leaf litter are ideal, providing food and shelter in the form of nest cavities. For example, bees, wasps, and butterflies love to nest in hollowed-out twigs and stems. Or, consider creating artificial habitats like bee houses and butterfly houses.
By providing pollinators with the right elements in your garden you can transform it into a vibrant oasis. This is a great opportunity to get creative and let your garden flourish while supporting the conservation of local pollinator populations.
2. Planning for an Abundance of Beneficial Insects
If you want to ensure that your plants stay healthy and plentiful, you’ll need to take proactive steps to make sure you have plenty of beneficial insects around. By properly preparing your garden with plants that attract these beneficial bugs, you can create an environment where they flourish and stick around.
Inviting in Beneficial Insects
- Grow flowers in and around your garden to provide essential nectar and pollen to predatory insects like hoverflies and parasitic wasps.
- Build bug hotels and homes for solitary bees and lacewings.
- Leave some leaf piles around, to provide cover for insects like ladybugs.
Try and keep the garden as ‘wild looking’ as possible. Provide plenty of spots where insects can stay and nest without any human interference. You don’t need to keep it perfectly manicured. Practical outgrowths like dropping leaves or flower heads and leaving some bare soil can provide beneficial habitat.
Create Plant Variety
- Mix together different flowering shrubs, bulbs and ferns.
- Provide different plants that flower at different times of the year, to provide food sources throughout the entire growing season.
- Group plants by family, such as carrots and parsley, as insects like to feed from one family at a time.
- Utilize biennial plants for a longer term food supply for beneficial insects.
Time and patience is key when . Make sure to plan out the most effective garden setup that takes the needs of each species into account, and you will be rewarded with a healthy and vibrant garden for years to come!
3. Planting a Rainbow of Bee-Friendly Blooms
Vibrant color is a natural attraction for bees, making planting different blooms a great way to attract and keep a thriving bee population. Here are a few flowers to consider when you’re creating your bee-friendly garden.
- Foxglove – This bright purple flower is the perfect addition to your garden. Foxglove blooms from early summer to late fall, providing plenty of nectar for bees to feast on.
- Penstemon – Blooms from mid-summer to early fall, Penstemon is a wildflower that’s easy to grow and can be propagated from rhizomes. These flowers come in a wide range of colors, making them the perfect choice for any bee-friendly garden.
- Lupine – Lupines come in an abundance of colors, making it easy to add some brightness to your garden. Lupines bloom in late spring and are a great source of nectar for early summer.
- Aster – This wildflower grows easily and blooms late summer to fall. There are many varieties of asters, some with single, double, or semi-double flowers.
In addition to brightening your backyard with these blooms, you can also make sure to include other plants and herbs that bees love, such as lavender, sage, and oregano. Attracting bees doesn’t have to be difficult, just provide them with a variety of blooms that have different colors, shapes, and sizes. With the right combination of flowers in your garden, you can create a riot of colors that will encourage the bees to pollinate and thrive.
4. A Bird’s-Eye View of Bees’ Favourite Flowers
Bees are busy buzzing around their favourite flowers! Whilst they may all look the same to us ‘humans’, the world through a bee’s eyes is very different. To the honeybees and bumblebees, each flower is a cheery beacon of nectar – an invitation for them to come and take a sip!
Though diverse, there are some that are especially favoured. The gardens of the world are a revolving buffet of bee-pleasing treats, with rewards to be found in every season. Here are the crème de la crème for the discerning little buzzers:
- In spring, the humble crocus and daffodil are among their favourites.
- Heading into summertime, the fragrant lavender, clover and rosemary come out to play.
- What’s a bee to do when autumn arrives? Reach for the asters, chrysanthemums, and zinnias!
- When winter rolls around, your helpful bee friends will still be at it, gathering the first nectar of the season from camellias, winter heather, and mahonia.
Bees have their own very special way of seeing the world. For them, the town squares, parks, and pavements of the world are a dizzying array of restaurants, bars, and cafes – all offering a deep and delicious drink of nectar. All that’s left is for the human observers to take a seat, enjoy the show, and raise a glass to our industrious filial friends!
5. Flower Power! How to Maximize the Benefits of A Pollinator Garden
Pollinator gardens are a great way to spruce up a landscape while doing some good in the process. Accomplishing just that, they require effort and care to truly maximize their full potential of rewarding the environment. To make sure yours is able to do its job, keep in mind these key tips:
- Include a wide variety of plants to give pollinators as much help as possible. Compile a palette of species that bloom throughout the year in at least 3 different shapes and alternate heights.
- Choose tightly from native plants to ensure local pollinators have a plentiful array of choices come mealtime. Keep an eye out for cultivars and hybrids for an extra touch.
- Sustain a healthy cycle of pollinators returning by avoiding the use of pesticides and herbicides. These will only scare them away and decrease the probability of their return.
Just like any living being, pollinators tend to accumulate baggage in their travels, like disease and contaminants. Planting a refuge garden maximizes the likelihood of them bringing clean material back and thus allowing the ecosystem to function better. Introducing certain animals may increase their ability to stay, too – butterflies, lizards, and bats, just to name a few.
The tips shared and discussed are just the basics to flower power. With a little creativity and effort, your pollinator garden will go from the average run-of-the-mill to a sanctuary for our much-needed helpers. In no time, blooming will be the new norm in your garden – one that’s sure to bring joy and satisfaction to you, and an enormous plus to conservation.
6. What to Avoid: Toxic Substances and Non-Native Plants
When gardening and landscaping, it is important to be aware of what types of plants and chemicals can be doing more harm than good for both us and the environment. Here are the main things to avoid at all costs.
Toxic Substances
The use of chemicals is a necessary evil when it comes to gardening, but that doesn’t mean it should be done carelessly. Be sure to understand what substances and fertilizers you are using and do your research to make sure they are not harmful. Chemicals which don’t decompose easily, such as certain pesticides and fungicides, should be avoided and replaced with natural alternatives.
Non-Native Plants
Non-native plants can be a disruptive force in the natural environment and throw off the balance of local ecosystems. These plants can out-compete native plants for food and resources, leading to their displacement and even extinction. Before planting anything in your garden, make sure to verify its origin. Stick with plants native and endemic to your local area so as not to disrupt the local environment.
- Avoid any chemicals or fertilizers which don’t decompose easily
- Research before using any gardening chemicals
- Opt for natural alternatives
- Only plant native and endemic plants
7. Making a Habitat of it: Choose Plants That Offer Nectar and Shelter
Creating a habitat for pollinators doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By selecting the right plants, you can provide plenty of succulent nectar and sheltered habitats for the bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths and other pollinators that live near you.
- Flower Strike: Plant your wildflower or grassland-style garden with vibrant, drought-resistant flowers in shades of purple, yellow and orange. These colors attract a variety of bright and beautiful pollinators.
- Quit the Butterweeds: Avoid planting butterweed, which is poisonous to our important, friendly pollinators. Even though they look lovely, they can lead to the death of these beneficial creatures.
Aside from selecting attractive wildflowers, you’ll also want to take into account pollinators’ need for shelter. Hedgerows, woody vegetation, vines, trees, and shrubs provide pollinators with nectar-bearing flowers and nest sites throughout the year.
For bees, look for plants such as lavender and rosemary, as well as native wildflowers and trees like dogwood, black cherry, and willow. For butterflies, opt for Buddlejia, Verbena, Parsley, Chives, and Bee Balm. Hummingbirds flock to trumpet-shaped flowers such as foxglove, columbine, and bee balm.
Creating a habitat helps us protect these pollinators and encourage their diverse populations. With the right plants, we can all work together to help our environment and the wildlife that inhabit it.
8. Thinking Ahead: How to Keep a Bee-Friendly Garden Flourishing Year-Round
A thriving garden won’t just bloom for one season. Read on for tips on how to keep your bee-friendly garden alive year-round.
Clean Up In Between Seasons: Before the start of a new season, it’s important to sweep away the debris from the last one. Remove any dead plants, weeds, and general clutter. The space will be much easier to prepare for the coming season when it’s free from things that could potentially harm or disrupt the bee population.
Mulch Matters: Adding a layer of mulch to your garden beds can help to retain soil moisture, reduce weeds, and insulate the soil. Living mulch, such as clover and cover crops, can further add to the benefits of mulching while providing an additional food source for those pollinators.
Container Gardening Is Key: Container gardening is a great way to provide a safe and nutritious environment for bees, even in the winter months. Choose winter-friendly plants like pansies, sunflowers, and lavender to help brighten up your garden as the weather cools.
- Water Early In The Morning: Be sure to water your garden in the morning to keep your bee friends from becoming overheated.
- Leave Some Spots Of Lawn For Wildflowers: Leave certain parts of your lawn uncut to help wildflowers blossom.
- Bring In Decorative Hardscaping: If your garden needs a refresh, consider adding decorative hardscaping, such as gravel and stone pathways, as an attractive solution that also helps provide building and nesting material for bees.
By incorporating these tips into your routine, you’ll be able to ensure that your bee-friendly garden will be flawlessly buzzing ever-onwards. We hope that this article has inspired you to dive into building a bee-friendly garden of your own! Let’s cultivate a safe place for bees and other pollinators together, by planting these simple and essential flowers and herbs that create a vibrant and thriving ecosystem.
