No guests yet, but it's still early.
Maybe I should paint a tiny "Vacancy" sign.....

Interesting thread. I only have a tiny patio garden but grow as much as I can to encourage insects. One of the best plants I've found while visiting gardens for attracting bees is Eryngium - sea holly. It looks wonderful too!

Those are beautiful, Kniphofia! I know I've seen your posts before of many beautiful flowers.

Mikkweed isn't the prettiest...but it IS a necessity for monarch butterflies..only plant they will lay eggs on. Please incorporate

wildflowers said:Pretty! Do you grow it from seed? I have Verbena bonariensis seeds that I need to plant.

wildflowers,

Yes, I originally planted from seed. Most of my plants overwinter in the garden so no need to replant unless I want a few to transplant into new areas. This plant will reseed if not deadheaded but the new seedlings are so easy to scrape off if not wanted. Even the mature plants, for me, are easy to remove; just pull and all of the roots come up as they are quite shallow rooted. I grow these plants among my milkweed, hoping to encourage the pollinators to visit the milkweed blooms (for seed pods).

Here in mid April, the overwintered plants are already setting bloom heads in my central Arkansas garden. They will bloom until frost for me, more so if I deadhead.

I am also trying a shorter version of verbena, 'Verbena rigida - Santos Purple' this year, to use in the front of the bed. I hope it is as successful in drawing in the pollinators.

Myles

kqcrna said:Ummm.... I don't think seeds are killed by cold? Rather, freezing preserves seeds. In fact, the Doomsday seed bank is maintained at -0.4° F.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
They might be eaten by critters, or washed away by rain, or buried... but freezing preserves them.

True, but maybe the wet freezing/thawing and whatever during winter kills a lot of seeds? Otherwise, wouldn't everything self-sow?

Yes---it probably kills early sprouts and not the seeds.

CarolineScott said:Yes---it probably kills early sprouts and not the seeds.

Yes -- that, or the seeds just rot...

(and, I realized later that I shouldn't have said "everything" would self sow -- obviously not "everything" has viable seeds... but since no one jumped on me for that one, I guess you all knew what I meant! )

I am growing yellow Helenium, they are pretty much like Echinacea purpurea (Cone Flowers)



Verbena; these have lots of stems, quite long stems . I was surprised how many stems and how far they spread out towards the lawn is best way I can explain..bees love Verbena.

Sunflowers; goes without saying Bees love them. I have a Sunflower germinated doing well and I did three,two for a friend's two kiddies.

Scabious; these are driving me mad, they would be a lovely as they are black and speckled with white but I just can't get them to germinate. I don't have a propagator and no cistern so reliant on my Skybox heat.

Agapanthus

Hostas.

Fritilareas

Peonies; another I try but fail except once when I got two flowers after six years...

Hollyhocks; one I am trying.

****************

Plants that Bees love I do not grow but have done.

Lupins

Dahlias; last year I grew Bishop Of Landaff and there was loads of flowers till Autumn, quite tall a variety plant.

Agastache foeniculum



Veronicas



















[

For weeks a small leafcutter bee species has LOVED my veronica blooms...and also used the leaves to cut discs for nesting. I LOVE leafcutters.

Most of the herbs...if allowed to flower, may not look like much but tend to be huge pollinator magnets.

Most people plant for mid season. More focus needs to be on really early flowering and late flowering plants.

You would be surprised at how much pollinators use holly blooms...and they are pretty early.

Monardas...hummingbirds and bees! Great plants.

Black-eyed susans are great for long flowering period and attractiveness to pollinators.

Leaf cutter bees are very cute. I love seeing them too, and other native bees.

All great choices, Urban Wild!

I agree with herbs being really good pollinator magnets!

Hollys are one of those flowers that I've tried growing without success so far. But, I never give up.

Black-eyed Susan's are one of my favorites! They attract all kinds of pollinators and other beneficial bugs. I can always find something going on in B-E Susan patch!





She also attracts some not-so-beneficial insects. But, it's all good in the scheme of things...

Dandelions....they flower before a lot of others and they are always present but not aggressive....in my area where late frosts can knock out a lot of natives, the dandelions are always buzzing with activity!

Thistles....always there....full of bees, butterflies and flies.

Mountain mint....gets a later start but this genus, hands or wings down, gets the most visitors! It is busier than the goldenrod!

Dogbane is another top choice among pollinators...

Good thing about all these? Deer don't touch 'em

On the contrary -- we had a doe browsing through the dandelions in our yard this summer, picking off each flower head. Never saw that happen before! Even so, I'm pretty sure our dandelions are in no danger of extinction...

Yup you're right, I misspoke....the deer around me are resorting to thistle leaves too....but seems to make the thistles stronger....and the dandelions seem to flower from early Spring til winter if the temps don't get too low! Just seem like good plants to have as back ups in case the natives get chomped or don't flower due to late frosts!

I agree -- dandelions are the first thing to flower here, and the early bees make good use of them!

From personal hands-on experience: salvia. And no matter how many other types of flowering plants you have, lavender always to get the most attention.

Wildflowers: white clover

I simply love white clover and always sprinkle some seeds in with my grass seed. Not that there is too much grass here but there is white clover. And the Honeybees love it.

White clover is definitely enjoyed by the honey bees here too! We like to add clover seeds to grassy areas. There are no manicured lawns around here.

For pollinators & beneficial insects, I let 11 acres go natural. Whatever nature plants is what we have. I notice a change in predominate plants each year. One year it will be Queen Anne's Lace, another year it will be thistle. We always have milk weed, but I notice dandylions only grow where mankind has cultivated. They stop at the edge of the woods or unplowed meadow. Anyway, loads of insects within 700 feet of my gardens. My gardens & perennial beds have always been organic, and in 1979 I became certified.

wildflowers said:What are your favorite flowers and pollinator attractors?

Half-black Bumble Bee
and penstemon flower

Green Sweat Bee
(Agapostemon)

Orchard Mason Bee (Osmia lignaria)

Western Bumble Bee on
Maximilian Sunflower
(Helianthus maximiliani)

Bees prefer blue, purple, and yellow flowers, and sweet fragrances. They see ultraviolet colors – found on the flowers such as buttercups and black-eyed Susans.