Attracting pollinators of all kinds is a critical mission in this decade, driven by climate change and ecosystem disruptions. And bees, whether domestic or native, remain the most popular insects among the entire plethora of pollinating insects.
We all know about bees’ love for dandelions, blueberry flowers, and clover, which they use to make delicious honey. But which plants do bees love most? Luckily, scientists have studied the question and recorded the frequency visits in hundreds of flowering plant varieties. Here are some plants that are the most frequently visited by bees. This selection is a source of inspiration for gardeners who want to enrich their garden with plants that are beneficial to insects, and especially to bees!
- Devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa)
- Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
- Cherry and plum trees (Prunus spp.)
- Summer sweet (Clethra alnifolia)
- False indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)
- Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
- Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
- Panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)
- Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)
- St. John’s Wort (Hypericum frondosum)
- Apple trees and crabapples (Malus spp.)
- Linden trees (Tilia spp.)
On the other hand, some plants are rarely visited by bees, including forsythias (Forsythia spp.), magnolias (Magnolia spp.), boxwoods (Buxus spp.), rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.), Koreanspice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii), Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) and smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens).
Bees love my rhododendrons! I also have geranium maculatum (wild geranium) that keeps the bees happy here in southeast Alaska.
Thank you for the wonderful article and list of plants. I have them all including the devils walking stick. Love them all.
My boxwoods are covered in bees when they bloom. It makes treating for box tree moth, leaf miners and psyillids more difficult because I refuse to use systemic pesticides. I am planning to remove my boxwoods. I’ve also seen lots of bees on smooth hydrangeas, but only on cultivars like Haas Halo or Invincibelle Lace, which have lace cap flowers.
Thank you for not spraying and allowing the bees to thrive. Thank you for removing the boxwood,a non native, babysitting plant. If you need to replace them, aronias, ninebarks, and so many natives that have flowers, berries and fall colors that the bees will visit. which I have growing, thriving and right now with the hot weather rarely water, that are not on the list. This website lists plants you may want to add to your garden. https://onplants.ca/shop/