Plants for Bees

With spring coming up, here are some of the plants you could grow to help the bees.

There are a number of flowers which benefit bees greatly. With Spring coming up it's a good idea to get planting!

Bee Flowers and Plants

The ideal flowers and plants for bees and insects vary by country. Bees and insects tend to thrive on native species; a study done in the Netherlands showed that 423 insect species could be found on a native oak tree, while only 12 species were found on an imported oak. A plant can be considered native if its grandparents were from the same region. I read a newspaper article about ideal plants for bees here in the Netherlands. I decided to undertake action and start planting, it’s important to start early so you’re ready for the summer!

Buying the Plants

I went to the local garden plants as, the plants bees like are common to find. The article I read suggested the following plants:

Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) - Koninginnekruid

Valerian (Valeriana Officinalis) - Echte Valeriaan

Common Comfrey (Symphytum Officinale) - Smeerwortel

Lady’s Mantles (Alchemilla) - Vrouwenmantel

Cranesbill Geranium (Geranium Cantabrigiense Biokovo) - Ooievaarsbek

Pulmonaria (Pulmonaria) - Longskruid

Columbine (Aquilegia) - Akelei

At the garden centre I found most of the plants. I was able to find the Valerian, Lady’s Mantles, Cranesbill Geranium, and Columbine. I bought two of each plant type. I also bought a seed packet with bee flowers.

Planting the Plants

I then started planting the plants. They all required complete or half sunlight, and I planted them accordingly. After planting I watered them. I planted some in pots and others directly in the ground. For the seeds I made the ground wet and sprinkled the seeds and pushed them into the ground. The seeds should start sprouting over the following weeks, the plants will start to bloom over the summer months.