Attract Bees to Your Garden: Best Flowers and Practices

Bees—honey bees and hundreds of native species—are the backbone of garden pollination. Attracting them is simple: plant the right flowers, provide nesting sites, and avoid chemicals.

Flower Preferences

Bees see blue, white, yellow, and purple best (red appears green). Choose single, open flowers over doubles. Ensure continuous bloom from spring to frost. Top picks:

• Herbs: basil, cilantro, lavender, mint, oregano, thyme (let flower).
• Perennials: aster, coneflower, bee balm, salvia, catmint, sedum.
• Shrubs/trees: fruit trees, dogwood, raspberry, blueberry, willow.
• Annuals: cosmos, zinnia, sunflower, alyssum, borage.

Nesting Habitat

70% of native bees nest in ground—leave bare, sunny soil patches. 30% use cavities—provide bee blocks (drilled wood), hollow stems (reeds, bamboo), or commercial bee hotels. Place away from high-traffic areas.

Key Practices

• No insecticides, especially neonicotinoids.
• Provide shallow water with landing stones.
• Accept some plant damage—it’s bee food.

A bee-friendly garden is a productive, resilient, and beautiful garden.