Skip to content

Top Navigation

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Holidays
  • Gardening
  • Recipes and Cooking
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvement Ideas
  • Cleaning and Organizing
  • Shop
  • Rooms
  • News
  • Beauty & Style
  • Health & Family
  • Pets
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Subscribe
Pin

Explore Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 7 of the Most Common Perennial Garden Mistakes to Avoid

      Are your plants not looking as lush and colorful as you hoped? Make sure you haven't made any of these missteps. Read More Next
    • 6 Small Steps You Can Take Today to Get Organized for Good

      A professional organizer offers advice on how to tidy up your home without feeling overwhelmed. Read More Next
    • 5 Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients to Add to Your Smoothie for a Healthy Boost

      Anti-inflammatory smoothies do exist! Instead of blending in boatloads of sugar and artificial ingredients, try these smoothies for inflammation that are stoked with ingredients that may help lower your risk for chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, depression, and more. Read More Next
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays

    International Women’s Day: The Powerful Story Behind This 109-Year-Old Tradition

    What began as a small movement in 1908 has become a global holiday dedicated to celebrating the strong women in our communities.
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Halloween
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
  • Gardening

    Gardening

    See All Gardening

    4 DIY Seed-Starting Pots You Can Make With Items You Already Have

    Upcycle old newspapers, junk mail, and other waste paper to make these easy, eco-friendly containers you can use to sprout new plants for your garden.
    • Flowers
    • Houseplants
    • Plant Encyclopedia
    • Garden Pests
    • Trees, Shrubs & Vines
    • Caring for Your Yard
    • Edible Gardening
    • Garden Design
    • Gardening By Region
    • Landscaping
  • Recipes and Cooking

    Recipes and Cooking

    See All Recipes and Cooking

    21 Essential Baking Tools Every Home Cook Needs (Plus 16 That Are Nice to Have)

    If you’re a beginner baker who’s just starting out (or a master chef looking to declutter), start with this list of baking tool must-haves. We’ll help you set up a baking kit for beginners with 21 essential tools. For those who already own these tools, this list may finally provide the motivation you need to toss that never-been-used soufflĆ© dish. Building your essential baking toolbox starts here!
    • How to Cook
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Fish Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Dinner Recipes & Meal Ideas
    • Ethnic Food
  • Decorating

    Decorating

    See All Decorating

    7 Interior Design Trends Everyone Will Be Trying in 2021, According to Experts

    Designers weigh in on the most popular decorating styles, colors, and materials you can look forward to in the coming year.
    • Choosing Color
    • Expert Decorating Advice
    • Fireplace Design Ideas
    • Do It Yourself Magazine
    • Window Treatments
    • Styles & Decor
    • Interior Painting
    • Home Makeovers
    • Small-Space Decorating
    • Traditional Home
  • Home Improvement Ideas

    Home Improvement Ideas

    See All Home Improvement Ideas

    What Style Is Your House? The 10 Most Popular House Styles Explained

    With so many types of house styles, narrowing the list down to your favorite can be overwhelming. We'll show you the top 10 most popular house styles, including Cape Cod, country French, Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Craftsman, cottage, Mediterranean, ranch, and contemporary. Here's how to tell the differences between each architectural style.
    • Home Exteriors
    • DIY Home Electrical Tips & Guides
    • Outdoor Structures
    • Home Remodeling
    • Plumbing Installations & Repairs
    • Remodeling Advice & Planning
    • Flooring
    • Lighting
    • Decks
    • Porches
  • Cleaning and Organizing

    Cleaning and Organizing

    See All Cleaning and Organizing

    A Whole-House Cleaning Schedule You'll Actually Stick To

    Cleaning your home doesn't have to be a daunting, time-consuming chore. The key to managing household duties quickly and efficiently is to design an easy-to-follow routine that includes all the most important tasks. Follow these step-by-step instructions for creating a customized whole-home cleaning schedule.
    • House Cleaning
    • Laundry & Linens
    • Cleaning Tips
    • Closet Organization
    • Organization Tips
    • Kitchen Storage Organization
  • Shop
  • Rooms

    Rooms

    See All Rooms

    Living Room Furniture Arrangement Ideas

    Get tips for arranging living room furniture in a way that creates a comfortable and welcoming environment and makes the most of your space.
    • Bedroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Bathroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Kitchen Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Living Room Decorating and Design
    • Dining Room
    • Home Office
    • Kid's Rooms
    • Baby Nursery
  • News
  • Beauty & Style

    Beauty & Style

    See All Beauty & Style

    Here's Exactly How to Find Your Perfect Nude Nail Color

    Truth be told, there's no such thing as a universal nude.
    • Anti-Aging
    • Hair
    • Skin Care
    • Makeup
    • Style
    • Nails
  • Health & Family

    Health & Family

    See All Health & Family

    7 Small But Impactful Ways to Fit Self-Care Into Your Day Right Now

    Staying atop of your wellbeing is a must, especially during uncertain, stressful times. These tips will help you make time for self-care for a mental health boost every day.
    • Family Activities
    • Reunions
    • Conditions
    • Parenting Skills
  • Pets

    Pets

    See All Pets

    50 Perfect Calico Cat Names for Your Beautiful Kitty

    Use your pet's unique coat as inspiration on what to call them.
    • Dogs and Puppies
    • Cats
    • Caring for Your Pet
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. BHG.com
  2. Gardening
  3. Garden Design
  4. Nature Lovers' Gardening
  5. Flowers That Attract Bees

Flowers That Attract Bees

February 03, 2016
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin FB
Bright, showy flowers are magnets for bees. Add plants that bees love, and watch your garden become a favorite snack bar for these pollinators. Another way to make your yard a bee haven is to avoid spraying it with pesticides, which are harmful to bees and other beneficial insects. After all their hard work, bees get thirsty. Provide a nearby water source, which can be as simple as a bowl of water or a birdbath with rocks on which the bees can rest. A few simple measures will have your garden buzzing. Here are a few plants that bees love. They may become some of your favorites, too -- along with other pollinators, such as butterflies and hummingbirds.
Start Slideshow

1 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Arkansas Bluestar

Named for the tiny, blue, star-shape blooms that form in masses, this plant was recognized a few years ago as the Perennial Plant of the Year. It blooms in late spring and early summer in sunny areas. It has feathery foliage in the summer, which complements many annuals and perennials. In the fall, its leaves turn a beautiful golden-yellow.

Name: Amsonia hubrechtii

Growing conditions: Sun to light shade

Size: 3 feet tall; 4 feet wide

Zones: 5-9

  • Want to set up your own beehive? Here's how!

1 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Stoke's Aster

Stoke's aster has evergreen foliage and cornflower flowerheads, in lavender, blue, pink, white, or yellow. Place in a sunny or lightly shaded border. This makes a nice cutting flower. A late-blooming dwarf variety, 'Peachie's Pick', grows just a foot high and wide and shows off with intense cornflower-blue flowers in July and August. It works well as a edging for walkways or perennial borders.

Name: Aster spp.

Growing conditions: Sun or part shade

Size: 1-3 feet tall; 1-1/2 feet wide

Zones: 5-9

2 of 16

3 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Beardtongue Penstemon

Penstemon, commonly called Beardtongue, will attract not only bees but other pollinators such as hummingbirds. The plant is available in a variety of colors -- pink, red, white, lavender -- and features tube-shape flowers that flare out, reminiscent of tiny bells. The top lip forms two lobes and the lower lip has three lobes. It gets its common name, beardtongue, from the fuzzy stamen that resembles a tongue extending from an open mouth.

Name: Penstemon

Growing conditions: Sun to part shade

Size: 6 inches to 8 feet tall; 1-2 feet wide

Zones: 3-9

3 of 16

Advertisement

4 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bee Balm

Monarda, commonly called bee balm, lives up to its name when it comes to a favorite of bees. Its crown-shape blooms appear in mid to late summer and is a nice addition to a perennial border. Varieties are available in shades of red, blue, violet, white or pink. The foliage is dark green.

Name: Monarda

Growing conditions: Full sun

Size: 2-4 feet tall; 1-1/2-3 feet wide

Zones: 4-9

4 of 16

5 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Baptisia

Baptisia, sometimes called false indigo, is a perennial that is low-maintenance and stands up to heat and dry conditions. It blooms March through early May, depending on species and region. The flower spikes can be 12-24 inches tall, boasting pea-shape flowers. After the flowers die back, the plant has a shrublike appearance. Look for Baptisia alba for white blooms or Baptisia australis for blue blooms.

Name: Baptisia spp.

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Size: 3-4 feet tall; 3-4 feet wide

Zones: 3-9

5 of 16

6 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Help Pollinators With Your Garden

Learn easy ways you can help pollinators of all kinds with your landscape.

6 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Purple Coneflower

Coneflowers are a mainstay in perennial gardens that attract bees. Their daisylike blooms make pretty cut flowers. They tolerate tough conditions like summer heat and dry stretches. They are available in purple, lavender, pink, and white cultivars with gold to brownish centers. They grow 1-3 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide.

Name: Echinacea purpurea

Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Size: 1-3 feet tall; 2-3 feet wide

Zones: 4-10

7 of 16

8 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lanceleaf Blanketflower

Blanketflower evokes a beautiful Southwest sunset with its blooms that have tinges of yellow, orange, and red. It gets its name from the colors often seen in blankets woven by Southwest Indians. Blanketflower blooms from May through October and is a lovely accent to the purples of coneflowers and the blues of agastache and other plants on our list.

Name: Gaillardia aestivalis

Growing conditions: Full sun

Size: 1-3 feet tall; 6 inches to 2 feet wide

Zones: 3-11

8 of 16

9 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Threadleaf Coreopsis

Threadleaf coreopsis has daisylike flowers on fine, threadlike foliage. Its cheery yellow blooms are like tiny orbs of sunshine in your garden. They are a lovely complement to many other plants, particularly those with lavender or purple hues. This easy-to-care-for plant grows in a variety of conditions and tolerates dry soil and heat. Its cousin, the tickseed or lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) is another good choice.

Name: Coreopsis verticillata

Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Size: 6 inches to 4 feet tall; 1-3 feet wide

Zones: 3-9

  • Learn how to create a container garden for pollinators.

9 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susans always add a cheery note to the landscape. If a flower were used to describe happiness, this would be it. They can be the starring attraction paired with ornamental grasses, or they can complement a mix of other plants such as 'Autumn Joy' sedum, Nepeta 'Walker's Low' catmint, or just about any other plant on the list. Their daisylike blooms are in showoff mode from summer into early autumn. They are lovely as a cut flower for summer bouquets.There are some cultivars available with salmon or red blooms.

Name: Rudbeckia hirta

Growing conditions: Sun to part sun

Size: 1-3 feet tall and wide

Zones: 3-7

10 of 16

11 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is a bee magnet. It's a favorite of butterflies as well. A mass planting with ornamental grasses creates both beauty and a bee haven in your landscape. It also is pretty in border plantings. It blooms from August into late fall and is drought tolerant. The blooms start as a dusty pink and change to a coppery look in the fall. This plant is often referred to as a stonecrop and is right at home in a rock garden as well as a perennial garden.

Name: Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Size: 1-3 feet tall and wide

Zones: 3-8

11 of 16

12 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Trailing Verbena

Trailing or clump verbena is a low-spreading form that produces striking blooms from spring through late summer and even to early frost. 'Homestead Purple' has large dark purple flower clusters and is a lovely plant at the front edge of a perennial border. There are numerous cultivars available in pink, red, purple, and white.

Name: Verbena canadensis

Growing conditions: Full sun

Size: 8-18 inches

Zone: 6-10

12 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Herbs: Chives, Oregano, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme

Herbs are a favorite of bees, whether they are in a designated herb garden or are planted with other perennials in your landscape. While catmint gets a spot of its own on our list, we're grouping herbs such as chives, oregano, mint, rosemary, and thyme as other herbs to consider. Bees love them, and you will, too, for both landscape value and culinary purposes.

Name: Allium schoenoprasum (Chives), Origanum vulgare (Oregano), Mentha (Mint), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary), Thymus (Thyme)

Growing conditions: Full sun

Size: 6 inches (thyme), 1 foot (chives, oregano, mint),

3 feet (rosemary)

Zones: 3-10, overwintering may be necessary in colder zones depending on variety

13 of 16

14 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Blazing Star

Blazing star evokes fireworks starting their ascent into the sky. It makes a dramatic statement with its unusual erect spires of deep pink to purple-pink, sometimes white flowers. It has grasslike foliage at its base. It can grow 1-8 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide. Place this one in the back of your border behind smaller plants.

Name: Liatris spicata

Growing conditions: Full sun

Size: 1-8 feet tall; 1-2 feet wide

Zones: 3-9

14 of 16

15 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Agastache 'Blue Fortune'

Anise hyssop, or Agastache 'Blue Fortune', has large, deep green foliage that sends up sturdy spikes covered with tiny, tubular, violet-blue flowers. This plant pairs well with the many daisylike flowers on the list. It grows 1-3 feet tall and wide. It blooms from July through September.

Name: Agastache x 'Blue Fortune'

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade

Size: 1-3 feet tall and wide

Zones: 5-9

15 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 16

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

'Walker's Low' Catmint

Nepeta 'Walker's Low' catmint presents mounds of lavender blue flowers and grayish green leaves. It is beautiful paired with roses and also is lovely edging a perennial border. Its striking foliage accents yellow plants such as coreopsis or black-eyed Susan. It deserves a spot in an herb garden as well. Bees love it and so do other pollinators, such as butterflies and hummingbirds. It blooms throughout the summer. It performs so well that it was awarded the Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year several years ago.

Name: Nepeta faasenii

Growing conditions: Full sun

Size: 1-3 feet tall and wide

Zones: 3-8

16 of 16

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 16 Arkansas Bluestar
2 of 16 Stoke's Aster
3 of 16 Beardtongue Penstemon
4 of 16 Bee Balm
5 of 16 Baptisia
6 of 16 Help Pollinators With Your Garden
7 of 16 Purple Coneflower
8 of 16 Lanceleaf Blanketflower
9 of 16 Threadleaf Coreopsis
10 of 16 Black-eyed Susan
11 of 16 Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
12 of 16 Trailing Verbena
13 of 16 Herbs: Chives, Oregano, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme
14 of 16 Blazing Star
15 of 16 Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
16 of 16 'Walker's Low' Catmint

Share options

Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Shop | Better Homes & Gardens

  • Raised Garden Kits
  • Arbors
  • Gazebos
  • Pots & Planters
  • Trellises
  • Gardening Tools
  • Perennials
  • Garden Bridges
  • Rain Barrels
  • Shades & Structures
  • Shop More Next

Better Homes & Gardens may receive compensation when you click through and purchase from links contained on this website.

  • Better Homes & Gardens BHG Logo Products at Walmart
  • Better Homes & Gardens BHG Real Estate Real Estate Services
Better Homes & Gardens

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Better Homes & Gardens
  • Help
  • Media Kit
  • Content Licensing
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
BH&G is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.bhg.com

View image

Flowers That Attract Bees
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.