Bee Friendly Gardening Tips
Some of us practice bee friendly gardening for the pure joy of watching the pollinators that choose to visit. Others design gardens for food or beauty and the visits of insects are a sweet bonus.
We will have pollinators visit our gardens. If we are lucky a large variety of insects, butterflies and birds will enjoy the bounty of blooms.
Bees make honey from plant nectar. And many types of bees collect pollen to use in rearing young. Both types of food are important to bees and wasps.
It is important to be considerate of all visitors to the garden. With proper planning you can create a true bee oasis or refuge. This page may contain affiliate links or other compensation – (Policy Here)
Bee Garden Design Tips and Features
A bee garden may be a collection of flower pots sitting on a back porch. Likewise, a wildflower meadow covering acres of land is also a bee garden.
No matter the size of your garden, you can make a difference in the lives of area pollinators.
A good design regardless of size or shape, will meet the needs of garden visitors providing – food, shelter and water.
Providing a garden to help bees does not have to be a large undertaking. Bee gardens can be quick and simple.
My post – 5 Easy Ways to Create a Bee Friendly Garden – gives some quick tips.
When planning any garden area, you may not always have the perfect location.
That’s okay, use problem areas to develop mini bee gardens – Make a Rain Garden – Bee Habitat
If you love having hummingbird feeders in your yard, use these tips to avoid problems with bees – 5 Easy Ways to Keep Bees Away from Hummingbird Feeders.
Honey bees are very good at finding sources of water. However, providing a clean water source for bees is easy to do.
And a water feature in the garden adds a special touch of zen – How to Build a Bee Waterer.
Even the most well-designed garden may need a little weed control. Use care and great thought uses any types of pesticides or weed killers.
It is easy to make your own weed killer too – Vinegar Weed Killer .
Flowers for Bees
While it may seem that any flower is beneficial to bees, that is not true. Some plants provide nectar or pollen.
Others provide both nectar and pollen and some provide little or no bee food at all!
A section of any bee friendly garden will contain flowers that are especially useful for bees.
These plants come in all shapes, colors an sizes. If you really want to help bees, be sure to include some of these- Flowers that Attract Bees.
A search for interesting plants that benefit pollinators can bring extra excitement to the garden.
One year I grew sponges – what great fun. Give it a try – Planting for Bees: The Luffa Experience.
Big showy blooms are lovely but these are not the only types of plants that benefit bees.
You can choose plants that benefit bees and have a useful purpose around the homestead – 7 Flowering Herbs for Bees.
When creating bee friendly gardening plans, you don’t have to be stuck in one spot.
You can spread the plant love around and help diversity bee food sources near and far. One way is learning: How to Make Seed Balls.
In a world with millions of blooming plants, the search for the perfect Flowers for Bees never ends. Find the perfect flowers for your garden.
Honey bees need more than just flowers, they need water too. And, sometimes we can give them both in one shot! Consider experiementing with some Lotus Tubers for Your Bee Garden. They are breathtakingly beautiful.
Conclusion: Bee friendly gardening involves many aspects. From choosing plants that will provide food and shelter to avoiding the use of harsh pesticides. Every flower counts – you can make a difference!
Beekeeper Charlotte
