Top 10 Bee Attracting Flowers

It’s no secret that the bee population has shrunk in recent years.

The good news is that helping the bees is easy – and it can all start right at home by planting bee friendly flowers.

While a bee is busy feeding on nectar, going from flower to flower, she’s also helping to fertilize– by brushing up against the pollen of one plant and transporting it to the next.

They are so good at this that 30% of the world’s food crops depend on pollinators like bees to grow.

Different bees are attracted to different types of flowers, so planting a wide variety is best – the more the merrier.

Top 10 Flowers for Bees

Aster

Asters are bee friendly flowers, both for their shape, and ease of feeding. Different bee species have different lengths of tongue, and asters are great for both.

Chives

Allowing your chives to flower will attract the bees. Timing is everything here. As soon as the bees are out and hungry in spring, chives oblige with nectar.

Echinacea

This favorite perennial plant comes in a wide variety of colors and is guaranteed to attract the bees for a snack. Also known as a coneflower, the upper area of the bloom creates a perfect feeding ground for bees, all summer long.

Dahlia

Certain types of dahlia, like the Starsister Red and White and Starsister Scarlet Yellow are ‘open centered’, meaning that hungry bees have easy access to a quick snack.

Foxglove

Foxgloves make a great meal for hardworking bees. And they bring a fairytale beauty to an outdoor space. And although they are great for bees, they do come with a warning, all parts are toxic if ingested, so watch children and pets around them!

Lavender

Lavender will attract the species of bees with longer tongues, such as bumble bees and carpenter bees. And it will provide your yard with heavenly scent all summer long. Be sure to cut some for drying!

Sedum

This hardy perennial is diverse and drought tolerant. The beauty of sedum is that with its profusion of tiny blooms, it can hold multiple bees at one time – all busily getting their lunchtime fix, making it one of our best bee friendly flowers.

Monarda

Also known as ‘bee balm’, this herb is a bee friendly flower, both for its color and shape.

Liatris

Liatris is a perennial wildflower whose showy tall purple spikes are like a siren call to bees.

Coreopsis

This perennial wildflower attracts bees with its small, easily accessible pollen centers. It’s also a great drought tolerant plant for those long, hot summers.

Thanks for doing your part in helping our incredible bees to thrive!