Flowers- It's more than just looks!

Early Spring Crocus

I am planning  this years' bee garden, which also functions as a butterfly and other pollinator garden.  When making my choices of what to try, what to leave behind and what to plant more of there are many qualities to consider.

The shape of the flowers is primary for honeybees, as they cannot glean the nectar from anything that is too long and narrow- those are reserved for butterflies, hummingbirds, moths and larger bees with longer mouth-parts.

Color is important as honeybees do have preferences but are not exclusive- they particularly like blues, whites, purples and yellows.

How many plants of this variety will I need to catch the interest of my honeybees?  They prefer  a location with many of the same flowers and will frequently ignore a couple of plants.

Grecian Windflowers- Anemone blanda

Nectar producers are key in my choices and here is where the most difficult decisions and choices are.  Here is where there is difficulty in finding out how much and how consistently nectar is being produced by a particular species, variety, cultivar.  How will the climate and weather in my particular area affect nectar production?  Will I find differences in nectar production between species and hybrids that can limit their use in a bee garden and who has answers to these questions?

I search through seed catalogs during this season and try to make the best decisions but I find it to be mostly trial and error.  I like best those catalogs that point out butterfly and bird friendly plants as it tells me two important things- the plants have nectar; they are not sterile and will produce viable seed.  That means they will also have useful pollen- another important food for bees.  Another important bit of information is where a plant originally comes from- temperature zone and location.  Is the plant happiest with wet feet? Does it need a warm winter?  Does it need real cold for an extended time in order to produce flowers?  And finally, when does it bloom and for how long?

 Each year, I catalog the winners and losers from my researches.  I try reasonable ones in different areas of my garden to find the best micro-climate for the plant.  I experiment and try very hard to learn from my successes and failures.

There are those who are benefiting and maybe even depending on the choices I make in my Bee Garden.

Allium giganteum

Fall Aster-  Aster nova-anglia