best plants to support pollinator bees

Planting Your Garden in Northeast Ohio

to Support Bees

Flowers are meant to attract, beguile, and lure humans and pollinators into the garden. Bees, specifically, are among the most important of all pollinators, given we rely on them to support our success with plant-based food sources. Read on to learn how you can support them in your Northeast Ohio garden, too, with some amazing plants!

Supporting Bees With

Annual Flowers

Which annuals are best for bees? Basically, every type of flowering annual! When it comes to supporting bees, the more blossoms the better, and plant diversity is a bonus. Bottom line, when it comes to planting annuals to support bees and other pollinators, you can’t go wrong. Your favorite annual is guaranteed to be, in essence, the bees’ favorite annual!

Annuals for Bees

Supporting Bees With

Perennials

Just like with annuals, you can’t go wrong with planting flowering perennials to support bees. If you’re looking for a place to start, bees have a penchant for the daisy family (think Coneflowers, Coreopsis, and Shasta Daisies), which have a central landing zone, or “eye,” that carries plenty of nectar. Perennials with fresh, aromatic fragrances are attractive to bees, too!

Perennials for Bees

Monthly Bloom Calendar

Perennial Gardening

Bees are one of the first pollinators to arrive each spring and one of the last ones to stick around in the garden in the fall. Filling your garden with early, mid, and late-season bloomers is an easy way to curate a diverse, progressively flowering perennial garden for all-season color and pollinators will love it!

Supporting Bees with

Trees & Shrubs

Similar to annuals and perennials, bees aren’t choosy when it comes to flowering trees and shrubs. They gravitate more towards open flowers with visible pollen, but they’ll also dive into doubled blooms in search of pollen, or for a quick rest in the garden.

Flowering Trees & Shrubs for Bees

How to grow a

Bee-Friendly Garden

Bees, including honeybees and native species, are the pollinators we rely on most for our food sources. They are also the pollinators in most need of our help to survive and thrive. Bees forage best on plants that are bright white, blue, or yellow, given they see color in the ultra-violet range. They also prefer plants that possess a fresh, minty aroma with shallow, pollen-filled flowers. Learn how to grow a bee-friendly garden at your Ohio home.
Peachy Knock Out®

Fun Facts About Bees

Did you Know?

  • Mason Bees prefer cool weather, they’re highly productive, and they rarely sting!
  • Bees make much of the food we consume possible, so thank a bee for every third bite you eat.
  • Bumble Bees are early risers, quick workers at cooler temps, and perfect potato pollinators.
  • You can protect pollinators by applying garden remedies only when absolutely necessary, when the plants are not flowering, and treating plants at night when bees are less active.

grow your own pollinator garden

like a boss

When it comes to bees, the more blossoms the better. Planting a diverse selection of bloom shape and color supports all types of pollinators, including bees. And, providing a progressively blooming garden, spring through fall, is a great way to ensure they have a steady food source in Northeast Ohio so they can continue to support us in return!

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