Plants for beauty and bees

Most of you know, the bees need our help.  But we still get people coming to the nursery not wanting to get a plant with too many flowers so it doesn’t attract the bees.

But a few recent headlines about dead bees and conversations with customers have gotten me thinking more about the bees and how we need to help them.  Here are some of my answers to that issue.  

One, I understand if you are allergic to bee stings, there is a legitimate reason to be wary.  But after 8 years of working at the nursery, having my arms immersed in bee-laden plants day in, day out, I have never been stung.   The bees are way more interested in the flowers than you.  The yellow jackets and wasps are what to be more cautious of as well as where a nest is.  If the bees are gathering pollen, they are doing a service to us and the environment and need more flowering plants to keep them healthy and happy.  Check out this great local website I came across that is filled with interesting facts about bees and what we can do to support them and get kids excited about them.

www.beegirl.org

There are so many choices right now for bee attractant plants, come visit to get a first hand look.  The Teucrium chamaedrys, Echinacea, Lavender, Solidago, and Solidaster are loaded with bees carrying pollen to and fro.  Anything in the herb family keeps them happy.  And keep in mind having flowering plants throughout the season.  The Ericas in early spring waken the bees back to their busy duties and the Caryopteris and Agastache feed them into the fall. 

See the previous entry for what else we can do to help the bees.