Name: Lynda Horn Arkansas (Zone 7b) Eat more tomatoes!
Carpenter and bumblebees are CRAZY about morning glories! They just love them. I grow both purpurea and nils. They will go to both. The hyacinths are a really good choice for early bees. So often there's not much for them in the early spring. Bees also love a lot of herbs; oregano, thyme, lavender and lemon balm are always full of bees when they bloom. Bees see in the ultraviolet range, so they will be attracted to purple and white flowers, and often pink and yellow.
I always amazed how many bees I have on my basils every year. I always plant my basil with my tomatoes, and in the height of the basils bloom time I can hear the bees buzzing when I walk out the door.
Here's a variety of different bee species on many different blooming plants.
