SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

44 Pollinator Friendly Flowers and Herbs to Help Save the Bees

Creating a pollinator friendly garden is a win for both you and nature. You create habitat for the bees, which in turn pollinate your garden, which leads to delicious vegetables and better yields.

But what flowers are the best flowers to save the bees and other pollinators? I’ve researched and come up with a list of 44 annuals, perennials, and herbs you can grow in your backyard landscape to attract bees in your garden.

A quick disclaimer–I garden in zone 3b in the Canadian Prairies, so my suggestions reflect what grows here. If you know of another flower that bees love in another zone, please put it in the comments, along with what zone you’re in so we can all learn.

Alyssum

Sweet Alysum can also be grown as a cover crop between rows to help suppress weeds and add nutrients to the soil once it is worked in for the season.

Agastache (Anise Hyssop)

Agastache is a very drought resistant perennial and provides height in the landscape.

Apple Trees (Or really any fruit tree)

Okay, so this one is sort of cheating. But to be fair, have you ever seen a fruit tree in bloom that didn’t have tons of bees buzzing around it? Yes, many fruit trees need the bees to pollinate them, but not all. So plant those apple, cherry, plum, saskatoon berry, or any other flowering fruit free to encourage bees.

Related: 28 Hardy Fruit Trees for Zone 2 and Zone 3

Asclepias (Butterfly Weed)

Butterfly weed isn’t just for butterflies–bees love it too!

Aster

There are many varieties of asters to choose from, from the late summer blooming perennial, to the kind used as bedding plants or grown from seed in a cut flower garden.

For more native plant ideas to incorporate into your garden, check out this post.

Bachelor’s Buttons

Kids of all ages love bachelor buttons. They’re easy to grow from seed and bees can’t get enough of them.

Borage

Borage is an excellent companion flower in the garden and has medicinal purposes as well. In some climates it can get invasive.

Blanketflower

A stunningly beautiful native flower that’s also drought resistant. These are also great to plant in a spot that gets tons of heat

Calendula

Calendula is a workhorse in the garden. It’s easy to grow from seed, loved by pollinators, is a good companion plant for vegetables, and can be used as an ingredient is soaps and diy beauty products.

Related: 14 Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden

Catmint

You might plant catmint for the bees, but your cats will enjoy it as well. I once planted catmint, but there were so many neighbourhood cats that got into it that it didn’t stand a chance and died shortly after.

Celiosa

Celiosa is a striking and more unusual addition to your flowerpots. You can also start it from seed as a cut flower.

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Clover

Clover is an excellent cover crop and can be used as an alternative to grass in a lawn.

Cosmos

Cosmos are an easy cut and come again flower that you can start from seed. They look beautiful in the garden and as part of floral arrangements.

Crocus

Crocuses are a welcome early-blooming flower and one of the first food sources for bees in the Spring.

Chives

A garden isn’t complete without perennial chives. I adore their purple blooms and use fresh chives in my cooking all season long. Here’s a simple chive soup that I like to make.

Echinacea (Coneflower)

Echinacea is drought resistant and a lovely native plant to use in both the garden and in landscaping.

Related: 5 Benefits to Landscaping with Native Flowers

Foxglove

Foxgloves are a gorgeous addition to the garden, but not a good choice if you have children or pets. Every part of the plant is poisonous and can be fatal if ingested.

Geranium (Cranesbill)

Not to be confused with the ones used as bedding plants! Cranesbill Geraniums are perennials.

Goldenrod

This late summer to fall bloomer is a native plant that is drought tolerant and perfect in cut flower arrangements.

Heliotrope

Heliotropes are very fragrant with a smell that both bees and humans find irresistible.

Lavender

Lavender is another fragrant choice. The flowers can be used in soaps or as a flavour in drinks and desserts. If you live in zone 3 like I do, Lavender is extremely difficult to grow and won’t overwinter.

Liatris

Blazing star liatris is an easy-to-grow, drought resistant and deer resistant perennial. A must in any landscape!

Related: How to Design a Low-Maintenance Flower Bed

Lupin

Lupins are a gorgeous choice in the garden, but also dangerous for kids and pets.

Marigolds

Marigolds are easy to start from seed and are a good companion plant in the vegetable garden. I love the taller cut flower varieties like Mary Hellen and Crackerjack.

Mint

Every garden needs a mint plant, but keep it in a pot, as it is highly invasive.

Related: 28 Perennials You’ll Regret Planting

Mondara (Bee Balm)

It’s called bee balm–enough said.

Oregano

Another herb that is loved by both bees and humans.

Nasturtium

Nasturtiums are edible flowers with a peppery taste, and their seeds are easy to collect and grow.

Pansy

A beautiful and very hardy bedding plant. Pansies often survive a light frost or two.

Peony

Planting a peony bush? Just make sure you keep it farther away from the house so ants aren’t encouraged to come through your doors. Learn more about growing peonies here.

Phlox

Phlox makes a good ground cover in a rock garden and can be grown underneath a tree if there is enough light.

Poppies

Poppies are another easy-to-grow flower that often re-seed themselves.

Rosemary

We love rosemary for it’s deliciousness in cooking. Bees love rosemary for the little blue-ish flowers.

Related: How to Dry Herbs so They Still Taste Good!

Roses

Roses can be tricky to grow in zone 3. Stick to the Morden series of roses for the best success. Tea roses or anything fancy will not survive our winters.

Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)

A staple perennial of the late summer garden.

Sage

Sage has a lovely smell and is also a beautiful filler piece for flower arrangements.

Salvia

Scabiosa

The unusual blooms of scabiosa make a statement in the garden.

Snowdrops

Plant snowdrop underneath a tree or in the shade by your house for best results.

Stonecrop (Sedum)

There are so many types of sedum to chose from. To keep it bee-friendly, choose flowering varieties like Autumn Joy.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are also fun to plant with kids around. Compare their height to the sunflowers!

Thyme

Bees love the delicate purple flowers and you’ll love the fresh taste in your cooking.

Related: How to Grow a Mini Outdoor Herb Garden

Yarrow

I personally adore yarrow because it is a perennial with a long bloom time, it works well in flower arrangements, and it’s drought tolerant.

Zinnia

Every garden needs some cheerful zinnias! Zinnias are good companion flowers and cut flowers.

More Tips for Creating a Garden to Attract Bees

As I mentioned before, this list is definitely not exhaustive to all zones! There’s also a few general tips you can use to decide if a flower would encourage bees to your yard or not.

Use Organic Gardening Methods & Avoid Hybrids

Avoid using pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides as much as possible–even ones marketed as organic. They can contain ingredients that are harmful to pollinators.

Hybrid flowers are bred to have benefits to gardeners, but unfortunately they often have less pollen and nectar–bad news for bees. While I don’t think you should avoid all hybrids, maybe keep them to only a few favourites if you’re trying to attract bees.

Prioritize Native Flowers and Colourful Flowers

Native flowers have so many benefits to them, including being good for the bees. For ideas, go to your local library and pick up a book on plants native to year area, or google [your province or state] + native flowers for ideas. Some native flowers in my area that I like are goldenrod and asters.

Bees love colourful flowers! While all colours will work, bees prefer yellow, white, and blue/purple. While there are tons of flowers to choose in these colours, I like marigolds for yellow, alyssum for white, and bee balm & delphiniums in the blue/purple family.

Fragrant Flowers and Herbs

Fragrant flowers were meant to attract bees. Some of my favourites are lily of the valley, citronella geranium, and lilacs. Herbs such as chives, mint, sage, and lavender are also good choices.

Long blooming Flowers 

Gardeners love long blooming flowers because they provide colour for more of the growing season. Bees love long blooming flowers because they provide a good food source for a longer amount of time. Try planting yarrow, rudbeckia, and daisies.

Early Blooming Spring Flowers 

Even thought I’m personally not a fan of dandelions, I’ll leave them all of May because they’re one of the few sources of food for bees in early Spring. Try planting some early varieties of tulips, crocus, and daffodils.

Plant More Than One of Each Flower and Have Something Blooming in Every Season

While one bee-friendly plant is better than no bee-friendly plants, it’s better to have more than one of each type of flower you’re planting. Your landscape should also contain flowers that bloom in early-Spring, late-Fall, and everything in-between so there’s always a food source for the bees.

Have a Variety of Shapes and Sizes

Different bees have different shapes and lengths of tongues. Therefore, you need a variety of flowers to make sure that your garden can benefit as many bees as possible.

Feeling inspired to add a few bee-friendly favourites to your garden? Which ones will you add?

50 More Perennials You’ll Regret Planting

Perennials are a fantastic, low maintenance investment for flower gardeners.  Plant them once and they’ll return year after year.  However, some perennials are a little too good at their job and can quickly take over your flowerbed and crawl into your lawn.  What you thought was a low maintenance plant can quickly become your worst nightmare.

[Read more…]

How to Plan & Design a Low Maintenance Flower Bed

Designing your first flower bed can be a daunting process. You probably know where you want it, but how big should it be? What should you plant in it that won’t die? How can you keep everything as low maintenance as possible so you don’t have to spend the whole summer weeding? And how much is this thing going to cost?

I’m going to walk you through the process of selecting a location for your flower bed, preparing the soil, picking plants, and finishing it off so it’s as low maintenance as possible.

A few disclaimers before we start–I garden in zone 3b in the Canadian Prairies, so my flower selections are going to reflect that. My choices should work well in zones 2-8, but there may be other flowers that would work better or are more common in your area.

Designing a low maintenance flower garden with perennials doesn't have to be an impossible task. Here's some ideas for landscaping a flower bed that even a beginner can do. #perennials #garden #flowerbed

It’s also impossible for someone on the internet to know exactly how much light your yard gets or the exact number of plants you should buy for your particular space. While I do my best to give you advice that should work, use your common sense. There’s no shame in having to buy an extra perennial or two after the fact, or moving a plant somewhere else next year because it didn’t work the way you thought it would.

Finally, this post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you buy anything at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my privacy policy.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get planning!

Deciding on Where to Plant Your Flower Bed

There’s not too many rules when it comes to where a flower bed will do best. You’ll have more plants to choose from if you choose a sunnier spot, but basically you can find perennial flowers for both shady and sunny situations.

Wherever you choose to put your flower bed, you’ll want to make sure your soil has a fresh layer of compost and manure to give your new plants the best possible start.

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If you’re planting new flowers in an existing, overgrown flowerbed, you’ll have to weed and remove the unwanted perennials first before you dig in and add new ones. You want to give the new perennials the least amount of competition possible so they can establish good roots and get the nutrients. (Weeds are greedy when it comes to soil nutrients.)

Starting completely from scratch? Rototill the area in question, add soil, and get started, or lay cardboard over the area with a thick layer of soil overtop. (The cardboard method works best if you do it in the fall and plant in the spring, but it can be done in spring with a spring planting.)

Guidelines for Choosing the Best Flowers for Your Space

While you can put a flower bed almost anywhere, you need to know a few things about the area you’ve selected so you can pick the best plants possible. Here’s a few questions to ask yourself:

  • How much light does the area get? (Hint: Full sun=6 or more hours, Part Sun/Part Shade=3-6 hours, and Shade=3 hours or less.)
  • Is the soil acidic, basic, or neutral? You can easily test with a home soil test kit to find out. If your flower bed is planned for underneath a coniferous tree, you can guarantee the soil is acidic.
  • How much moisture does the area get? Some spots in your yard will be dryer than others.
  • Have I picked an area with any special considerations, like intense heat or lots of wind? For example, tall flowers like delphiniums would need staking if the flower bed in question had no protection from harsh winds.
Designing a low maintenance flower garden with perennials doesn't have to be an impossible task. Here's some ideas for landscaping a flower bed that even a beginner can do. #perennials #garden #flowerbed

By knowing the answers to these questions, you can research the best flowers for your situation and buy the plants that are actually going to work. Here’s a couple of guides I’ve written to help you pick your perennials:

A Few Design Rules for Which Flower Should Go Where

Designing a flower bed doesn’t have to be an impossible task. It’s kind of like composing a group photo. Tall people in the back, short people in the front. Lines will work, but it looks more natural if everyone is in clumps. Finally, make sure that the colours of everyone’s clothes don’t clash.

*Mind Blown*

In terms of flowers, this means that the taller ones go in the back, bushy ones in the middle, and shorter ones and ground cover at the front. Arrange your flowers in clumps instead of lines.

Designing a low maintenance flower garden with perennials doesn't have to be an impossible task. Here's some ideas for landscaping a flower bed that even a beginner can do. #perennials #garden #flowerbed

However, there can be clumps within the lines–it’s just single lines of flowers that look a bit ridiculous. But in the end it’s your flower bed, do what you like.

Finally, be aware of the colours of all your flowers–or not. I’m one of those impulsive people who plants whatever I want regardless of the colour. I just want to try as many things as possible. If I wasn’t constantly experimenting, I would pick three colours for my flowerbed and try to generally stick to that colour scheme for a more cohesive look.

For Best Results, add Mulch

Beginner gardeners often make a flower bed with high hopes in the spring, then are crushed to discover by summer that everything is a weedy-mess-struggle-garden.

Save yourself a ton of work and surround your perennials with a healthy amount of mulch. Yes, it’s more work and it costs extra money, but it’s so worth it to be able to actually enjoy your summer and your flowers, instead of spending it weeding or feeling guilty about not weeding.

Click here for everything you need to know about mulch.

Designing a low maintenance flower garden with perennials doesn't have to be an impossible task. Here's some ideas for landscaping a flower bed that even a beginner can do--like these beautiful flowers along the fence. #perennials #garden #flowerbed

Fill in Spaces With Annuals

Beginner gardeners are also disappointed to discover that it takes a lot more flowers to fill up a space than they bargained for. While you’re waiting for those perennial flowers to fill out, add in some annual flowers for season-long colour. Here’s 22 picks for shady spots. I haven’t written about sunny spots because, let’s face it, if you planted in a sunny location the world is pretty much your oyster.

Realistic Expectations for Your Flower Bed

Have you ever heard the saying about perennials, “First year sleep, Second year creep, Third year leap?”

There’s profound wisdom in this statement.

Your flower bed is likely not going to look the way you imagined it in its first year of growing–especially if you used smaller perennial plants. In fact, it won’t look much better in year two.

However, don’t give up!!

In the third year, your perennials should get to a more mature size, and your flower bed will start to look the way you envisioned. By year five, those perennials will likely have started to multiply, creating a lovely, full flower bed.

Want to Create a Perennial Garden that Constantly Blooms from Spring to Fall, without Constant Work? Here’s how. . .

Everything you need to easily create your own perennial garden with constant blooms. You’ll get an easy to follow system, along with 5 templates and 5 done-for-you plans, plus fun bonuses.

Learn More Here!

Are you planning a flower bed this year? Tell me about it in the comments!

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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