What's attractive

[Rob the Radish]

To bumblebees, I have decided to go mad this year and surround my veg patch with flowers for the bees, also love the colour it adds to the plot, yet most things I have or look at are either blue or purple.

I would like to buy some bulbs, that will flower every year and give a good display of colour, or scent, any suggestions, I would like to attract bees, butterflies and ladybirds (I think).

Most of what I have now seems to be early spring flowering, so perhaps summer and early autumn bulbs would be good.

[arpoet]

Foxgloves as an early attracter works for me and nasturtiums for a mid to late season attracter is good, but have a look at online and paper seed supplies as many sell flower seeds ideal for bees.
Kings seeds I find good for this.

[Scarlet]

For summer bulbs I think of alliums and perhaps oriental Lillie's. Wouldn't you be disturbing them when you harvest your veg?
How about dahlias? I love them and they come in all colours, I always think they are a traditional allotment flower that has dwindled in popularity, gladioli for cutting used to line the local allotments when I was a kid.
Annuals are easy and often self seed, marigolds and sunflowers are my favourite as they are trouble free and last most of the summer.

[Noosner]

To bumblebees, I have decided to go mad this year and surround my veg patch with flowers for the bees, also love the colour it adds to the plot, yet most things I have or look at are either blue or purple.

Blue and purple are bees' favourite colours! What about rosemary, which flowers for longer than other herbs and is blue/purple to boot?

[Rob the Radish]

Thanks for the replies so far, I have planted some alliums, they will not get disturbed as I am section ing areas off for the flowers, and making beds along the fence lines edges of plots etc, as much as I want growing space, keeping the bees happy are important to me as well.

I will look into the suggestions so far.

[mothhawk]

The only thing that will attract ladybirds is greenfly

Limnanthes (poached eggs) are yellow and white and attract bees in late spring/early summer, but when they grow thickly slugs will often lurk under them too.

I have a hardy fuchsia (magellanica I think) that started flowering in June and is about four feet tall and still covered in flowers, and in spite of a couple of nights where the temp dropped to 3 degrees, there are still a few carder bees working the flowers. They seem to like it even more than lavender.

[arpoet]

I should add that I have Veronica that produces tall spikes of tiny pinky red flowers that are full of bees all summer long.

[Bex]

I should add that I have Veronica that produces tall spikes of tiny pinky red flowers that are full of bees all summer long.

I just had to look up Veronica as we have a couple of allotment hives. I'll get some to keep our bees happy. They got 32lbs of honey from the lottie bees.


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[arpoet]

I just had to look up Veronica as we have a couple of allotment hives. I'll get some to keep our bees happy. They got 32lbs of honey from the lottie bees.


Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum

Lucky You Bex... I just love real honey.

[Bex]

We can buy a jar when we pay our rent and then its a free for all if there's any left after rent time lol

I try and grow a few flowers to keep them happy. I grew some cornflower double blue this year and they loved them.

[Glutton4...]

If you have room in a sunny corner, bung in a Buddleia. It's not called the butterfly bush for nothing!

If it's just Bees you're after, I get loads on my Roses, and they seem to like anything bright, and anything they have to climb into. They also like Ivy flowers and stinging nettles

One of the gardens I tend has a Lavender garden - complete with its own underground Bee colony. The place is alive with them, so always a good bet.

[Guest]

Don't forget the sedum

File:Sedum spectabile 3.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Oh and comfrey (might want to leave it in a pot and sink the pot to restrict it). Bees get the flowers you get the leaves for a lovely stinky plant feed,

[planetologist]

bumblebees (and I) also love sage.

[Patsy]

The bumblebees on my plot always seem to go for the pink& purple flowers naturally. The pink comfrey is covered in bumbles and flowers again every time I cut it back over the summer season. They prefer the purple foxgloves to my fancy cream ones and the profusely growing oregano attracts many types of bees and other flying insects. The orange , yellow and white flowers don't seem to do it for them. I get great pleasure in watching them and the fledging robins that come to gorge when you disturb the soil are fascinating. I seem to spend more time watching than working but that's half the fun of gardening.

[veggiechicken]

Whatever flowers you choose for your bees, buy the simple, single-petalled varieties - not the fancy, frilly, multi-layered petalled ones. The bees don't want to fight their way into the pollen, they want it simple to reach.