by Valerie F. Reinhardt, Horticulture Manager

Visitors often ask me “What can I do to help honeybees?” One thought is to become a beekeeper, but not everyone has the time, space, or knowledge to become a beekeeper.

If beekeeping seems too involved for you, you can help honeybees by planting a honeybee-friendly garden. Whether you love wildflowers, formal floral gardens, vegetable gardens, or planted containers, all are bee-friendly. There are many trees, shrubs, perennials, vegetables, and annuals that provide the nectar and pollen bees love.

Wildflower gardens are a great way to help honeybees and many other beneficial insects by providing a natural environment for them to thrive. Wildflower gardens can be big or small, but the key is in good preparation to ensure the desired wildflowers can grow. Prepare the area before planting to ensure that undesired weeds do not compete with the wildflowers for nutrients and water. Be sure to plant the right number of seeds for the area you are planting. Too much seed can lead to overcrowding and too little leaves space for competitive weeds to germinate. Use four to six pounds per acre or 60 to 70 seeds per square foot. Till and prep the ground and follow planting directions on when to plant.

Crimson clover

Early spring flowering trees and shrubs provide important nectar and pollen sources for honeybees to replenish their stores after winter. Maples, willows, and basswood trees provide an abundance of early nectar and pollen while early flowering witch hazel, forsythia, Korean spice viburnum, Japanese kerria, and flowering quince shrubs brighten landscape and provide food for bees.

Important late summer and fall perennials are extremely important for honeybee survival as well. Joe Pye weed, goldenrod, and ironweed are the colors of early fall followed by asters, sedums, and chrysanthemums.

Another thing to consider is planting flowers and herbs in your vegetable garden. Sunflowers, marigolds, cosmos, and zinnias add color and attract honeybees. Herbs are also great sources of nectar and pollen for honeybees. Bees favor most flowering herbs from members of the salvia family that include all mints, basils, and oregano to member of the parsley family that include fennel and dill. My favorite bee-attracting herbs are garlic chives, borage, and mountain mint.

Some people spend large amounts of money on herbicides to maintain grass-only lawns, but if you choose to create a bee-friendly lawn, you can embrace dandelions as an important early spring food for bees. Clover, Roman chamomile, wild violets, heal all, and ground ivy are all bee-friendly and can be mowed to keep tidy.

For more ideas or information on honeybee-friendly plants, stop by the Plant Science Center.

Goldenrod