Butterfly Flowers
By Lori Rose
Here's the good news—we can still garden. And we can garden specifically to attract pollinators, especially bees. There are a number of different kinds of bees, and an even larger number of flowers we can grow to attract them. You need only a small plot of land for a bee garden—it can even be a window box or other container—to create an inviting oasis for bees. Every little bit can help to nurture bees and other pollinators. Here are some easy-to-grow flowers that bees love:
Cosmos are annual flowers in our area, meaning they will grow, flower, set seed and die in one growing season. Easily raised from seed, cosmos are one of the very best for attracting many different types of bees. Cosmos are originally from Mexico and grow from two to five feet tall. Sow seeds or transplant young plants after all danger of frost has passed (May 15 in our area) and remove spent flowers to keep them flowering continuously through the summer. These open, flat flowers love sunshine, and will delight you as well as giving the bees a feast.
Monarda, also known as bee balm, is a perennial in our area, meaning it will come back year after year. Its tubular flowers are also attractive to pollinators like hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies, which have the long tongues required to reach the flower’s nectar. As the common name suggests, bees love these North American prairie flowers. The blooms resemble little fireworks, and come in vibrant shades including red, magenta, pink, and white. Plant bee balm in full sun so you and the bees can enjoy the lush, colorful blooms year after year
Native to the Eastern United States, easy-to-grow Echinacea (also known as coneflower) is a tough perennial plant that attracts bees and butterflies. Daisy-like in shape with drooping petals, it is very hardy and comes in the common pinkish purple, white, and even orange. Bees flock to the high cone for nectar, and if the spent blooms are left on the plant in fall, birds like goldfinches will come and sit on the seed cones for a seed feast.
Lavender is a short-lived perennial in our area, meaning it may—or may not—overwinter and come back in spring. Bees love lavender for the nectar, humans love lavender for the scent and flavor. There are a number of lavenders to choose from, all needing plenty of sun and well drained soil, but they’ll reward you with plenty of fragrant flowers for cutting and drying. Just watch them get smothered in bees when they come into flower. Everyone wins with lavender, and with many different varieties of lavender to choose from, you'll likely find one that will settle happily in your garden.
Liatris grows easily and has unique spikes of sticky flowers covered in bee-enticing nectar. A perennial in our area, liatris has many nicknames, including gayfeather and blazing star. These low maintenance flowers come in purple, pink, and white and bloom on grass-like spiky leaves that can grow one to five feet tall. The little bulbs will multiply year after year. Liatris performs best when grown in full sun, but it will tolerate some light shade. Butterflies will also thank you for having liatris in your garden.
Similar in shape and size to mums, asters are daisy-like perennials that bring color to the garden towards the end of the growing season when most other plants have stopped flowering. With dozens of white, pink, purple, blue or red blooms covering the plant, asters make a great addition to any flower garden and are great for attracting bees. With so many color choices, it’s easy to find a variety of aster that fits into your pollinator garden.
If you don't have a yard to plant flowers to attract bees and other pollinators, no worries. Plant some of these herbs in a pot or window box and let them flower. Then sit back and watch the show. The different colors, shapes and sizes of the leaves of sage, chives, borage, thyme, oregano and nasturtium give distinct scents and texture to container plantings. These herbs are easy to grow, and all provide flowers that are especially helpful to honeybees and other flying garden friends.
Borage, also known as the bee herb or starflower, is an annual herb that will self-sow, so look for little volunteer plants next spring. Borage loves sunshine, and has unique blue star-shaped flowers, is simple to grow, flowers prolifically, and the bees love it. Both the flowers and leaves are edible and look lovely sprinkled on salads. Borage is considered a good neighbor for tomatoes which bees also love.
Nasturtiums can keep bees buzzing in your garden well into autumn. Their edible blooms will bring a burst of color to any outdoor space. Nasturtium is a vine with big leaves and bright flowers that looks equally lovely hanging out of a container or trailing along the ground. Plant the big seeds with children. They will marvel at how quickly they both go from seed to seedling to plant to flower. The lily pad leaves and colorful flowers are both edible and add tang to salads or sandwiches.
Garden sage is a perennial that will grow in almost any well-drained soil in a sunny spot, reaching a height and width of up to three feet. There are many varieties, including golden sage which has gold tipped leaves; variegated sage which has green leaves flecked with cream; and tricolor sage with gray-green leaves speckled white, purple and pink. Sage continues to grow well with frequent clippings, taking leaves as needed. Let sage plants flower to attract bees galore. Ornamental salvias have dark purple flower spikes and are a cousin to garden sage.
Chives, a perennial tolerates our coldish climate well, is a grass-like plant with hollow leaves that add a fresh, oniony taste to salads, dishes, or eggs. It grows best in full sun. In spring, puffy purple pom-pom flowers float above the foliage and are a magnet for bees and other pollinators. Although the flowers are edible and look adorable in salads and as a garnish, resist eating them and the bees will thank you.
Thyme is a perennial herb that bears bee-loving flowers in pink or purple and can grow up to one foot tall in full sun. Aromatic thyme plants are available in an incredible range of scents and flavors, like orange, nutmeg, caraway, mint, pine, pepper, lemon and citronella. Try scattering different thyme plants around the garden, just for the fun of seeing, smelling and tasting the differences between them. Lemon thyme is beautiful, with emerald green leaves edged in chartreuse.
Oregano is a short-lived perennial herb in the mint family, with pink, purple, or white flowers. Your bee friends will appreciate its late-season blooms. Oregano provides excellent ground cover or trailing plant in containers. Clip and dry whole stems of oregano for a delicious addition to salads and sauces and let them flower freely to attract many different pollinators.
Whether in the ground or in containers, try some of these lovely flowers and watch the show as many different bees, butterflies and birds flock to your garden.