GROW THESE BEE-FRIENDLY FLOWERS RIGHT NOW

Growing a bee garden is as easy at it gets for a home gardener. There’s no need to seek out exotic blooms or struggle with fussy flowers that need to be pampered.

Some of the best plants to grow for bees are what I consider the underdogs of a garden: those “plain Jane” flowers and hard-working herbs that normally wouldn’t get a second glance.

Here are my top five favorites that make the list for how easy and low-maintenance they are.

Borage

01.

Borage is a culinary and medicinal herb that’s usually grown as an annual flower. It’s the most delightful edible plant, with a sweet, refreshing flavor similar to cucumber. I wonder if that’s why the bees can’t get enough of it?

02.

Bees love the plant’s flat, easy landing pads and profusion of pollen- and nectar-rich flowers. Calendula blooms all season long from spring through fall, and even moreso when picked and deadheaded regularly.

Calendula

03.

The mounds are basically beacons for bees, which are drawn to the flower’s rich nectaries. One look at echinacea’s spiny blooms and it’s no wonder that its scientific name is derived from the Greek word ekhinos, meaning hedgehog!

Coneflower

04.

Milkweed (Asclepias) is best known for being the host plant and sole food source of the monarch butterfly larvae. But milkweed also benefits bees, which love the clusters of little flowers that produce an abundance of nectar even in dry years.

Milkweed

The mint family (Lamiaceae) includes culinary classics like mint, basil, sage, oregano, rosemary, thyme, savory, and lavender, as well as lesser-known lemon balm and anise hyssop.

05.

The mint family

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