Wildlife garden
Bee-friendly plants: how to help wild bees and bumblebees
Bee-friendly plants are plants rich in nectar and pollen that together flower from February to October: start with native shrubs such as goat willow, blackthorn and hawthorn for spring, and add brown knapweed, field scabious, bird’s-foot trefoil and wild marjoram for summer.
What to do
- Provide early flowers: goat willow, blackthorn, cornelian cherry and hazel give the first pollen in February–April.
- Plant shrubs and trees that flower in May and June, such as hawthorn, field maple, dog rose, bramble and raspberry, and a lime if you have the space.
- Sow or plant perennials for summer: brown knapweed, field scabious, bird’s-foot trefoil, viper’s bugloss, large thyme, wild marjoram and purple loosestrife.
- Think of late summer and autumn: heather and ivy flower into October, when there is hardly anything else.
- Plant in groups of the same species, in the sun: bees would rather fly to a large patch of flowers than to scattered single plants.
- Don’t use pesticides, and leave a patch of bare, sunny soil: many wild bees nest in the ground.
Why it helps
- Belgium has some 400 species of wild bee and the Netherlands more than 350, and many of them are in decline. Many species are specialists: they only collect pollen from a few plant families.
- Bees need food all season long. A garden that only flowers in May and June leaves them with nothing in March and September.
- Native plants feed more species of bee than exotic ornamentals, and double flowers (with extra petals) often have no nectar or pollen left.
Which plants?
- Goat willow Salix caprea Broadleaf tree · flowers March–April Native
- Blackthorn Prunus spinosa Shrub · flowers March–April Native
- Cornelian cherry Cornus mas Shrub · flowers February–March Native
- Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna Broadleaf tree · flowers May Native
- Field maple Acer campestre Broadleaf tree · flowers May Native
- Large-leaved lime Tilia platyphyllos Broadleaf tree · flowers June Native
- Dog rose Rosa canina Shrub · flowers June Native
- Bramble Rubus Shrub · flowers June–August Native
- Raspberry Rubus idaeus Shrub · flowers May–July Native
- Heather Calluna vulgaris Dwarf shrub · flowers August–October Native
- Common ivy Hedera helix Climber · flowers September–November NativePoisonous
- Brown knapweed Centaurea jacea perennial · flowers June–September Native
- Field scabious Knautia arvensis perennial · flowers June–September Native
- Bird's-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus perennial · flowers May–September Native
- Viper’s bugloss Echium vulgare annual · flowers June–September NativePoisonous
- Broad-leaved thyme Thymus pulegioides herb · flowers June–September Native
- Musk mallow Malva moschata perennial · flowers June–September Native
- Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria perennial · flowers June–September Native
- Wild marjoram Origanum vulgare herbaceous plant Native
- English lavender Lavandula angustifolia Dwarf shrub · flowers June–August
When?
February–October.
Garden jobs in FebruaryGarden jobs in MarchGarden jobs in AprilGarden jobs in MayGarden jobs in JuneGarden jobs in JulyGarden jobs in AugustGarden jobs in SeptemberGarden jobs in October
Take up the challenge
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Make a bee hotel (March–May)
Hang a bee hotel in a sunny, dry, south-facing spot, or leave a patch of bare soil for ground-nesting bees. -
No Mow May (May)
Let your lawn grow and flower in May: daisies, clover and dandelions feed bees and butterflies.
Did you know? In cold weather a bumblebee warms up its flight muscles by shivering them without moving its wings: that is why it can fly at around 5 °C, when honeybees stay inside the hive.