Bee Guide November

01 Nov, 2023

Summer is almost here, meaning the bees are out busily collecting the last of the spring flower's pollen and nectar, and soon starting on the new summer flowers' that are just beginning to emerge.

Bee-friendly Plants In Flower

Spring is plentiful with bee-friendly plants left, right and centre.


Check out these plants feeding the bees this month:

Lavender

Hardy against the hot summer sun and semi-drought tolerant. Perfect for large pots or showy garden beds.

Single-petal Roses

Elegant and timeless, single-petal roses are much easier for bees to access, especially for those large fuzzy bumblebees.

Hebes

As the weather heats up, hebes will start bursting into flower. Compact, evergreen and native, what’s not to love about these plants!

Fuchsia

A gorgeous shrub that feeds bees from early spring to mid-summer. Invest in this plant to feed bees for years to come.

Cabbage Tree

Our native cabbage tree will also encourage our native bird the kereru (or NZ woodpigeon), to stick around and eat its ripe berries.

Bee-friendly Plants Ready For Planting

Spring is a wonderful time to plant bee-friendly plants. Because it’s getting warmer, make sure you keep up the watering on those larger shrubs and trees, ensuring they don’t dry out while they get their roots established. Fertilise with an organic liquid fertiliser such as Organic Garden Booster once every three weeks.

Borage

Although borage will be out in flower already, keeping a good supply for bees will be important over the next few months.

Thyme

A perfect drought-tolerant groundcover with culinary uses and small, sweet flowers that are great for bees. Plant in pots or the garden in a sunny position.

Marigold

Acting as a companion plant for the veggie garden, plant marigolds along the edge of your beds to help ward off those annoying whiteflies.

Echinacea

A beautiful perennial that is always covered in all kinds of pollinating insects including bees and butterflies. Plant this year and enjoy it as it keeps coming back each year.

Squash/Pumpkin

Your veggies will be unfurling their flowers for pollination; it’s a good idea to get these into the veggie bed as soon as possible!

Monthly Bee Tip

Having trouble choosing a bee-friendly plant? Talk to one of our staff over the phone or over facebook and they will be able to help you with any specific bee-friendly gardening requirements.

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