23 Beautiful Plants For Attracting Bees To Your Garden

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Are you dreaming of a garden that’s not only beautiful but also kind to the environment? Selecting the right plants for bees can transform your yard into a haven for these essential pollinators. This guide shows you 23 of the best plants for bees, so you can create a lively, bee-friendly garden!

Beautiful blue flowers Sapphire Mist.Aster dumosus with a bee in autumn garden.

Types of Plants That Attract Bees

When selecting plants to attract bees, it’s important to focus on those that provide nectar and pollen, as these are the primary food sources for bees.

Bees are particularly drawn to flowers that have:

Bright Colors

Bees are attracted to blue, purple, yellow, and white flowers. Bright colors are more visible and often signal the presence of nectar.

Open Petals

Bees prefer flowers with easy access to nectar. Flowers with wide-open petals or shallow structures make it easier for bees to collect food.

Scented Flowers

Many bees are attracted to fragrant plants. The scent of flowers helps them locate the source of nectar.

Long Blooming Seasons

Bees need a consistent food supply, so choose plants that bloom over an extended period to provide them with food throughout the seasons.

Best Plants For Attracting Bees

Now, let’s take a closer look at the best plants to help bring bees to your garden:

1. Bee Balm

Bee Balm Monarda flower in early morning.

Bee balm’s vibrant red, pink, and purple flowers are full of nectar, making them a favorite of bees. They thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, offering easy care and beauty.

This plant blooms throughout the summer, providing bees with a steady supply of nectar. It also repels mosquitoes, making it a great addition to any garden.

2. Lavender

Striped bumblebees and bees collecting nectar and pollinating purple lavender flowers.

Lavender is loved by both humans and bees for its calming fragrance and rich purple blooms. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it easy to care for in most gardens.

Bees flock to lavender from late spring to early summer, attracted by its sweet scent and nectar. This herb is also drought-tolerant once established, making it a practical choice for bee-friendly gardens.

3. Forget-me-not

Forget-me-nots have tiny blue flowers that are rich in nectar, drawing bees in for a sweet feast. These plants grow best in partial shade and moist, well-drained soil, making them perfect for woodland gardens.

They bloom early in the season, providing bees with one of the first sources of food after winter. Their cheerful blue color adds a charming touch to any garden, while supporting pollinators.

4. Thyme

Thyme is an herb that produces tiny purple flowers packed with nectar, attracting bees throughout the summer. This low-growing herb thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it perfect for garden borders.

Thyme’s flowers also attract butterflies, adding extra pollinator support to your garden. Its versatility means it’s equally useful in cooking as it is in supporting bees.

5. Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed susan or Rudbeckia hirta plant, brown betty, gloriosa daisy, golden Jerusalem.

Black-eyed Susans’ golden-yellow petals and dark centers are a beacon for bees. These hardy plants bloom in late summer through fall, ensuring that bees have a food source as the season changes.

They thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them easy to grow in a variety of garden settings. Their long-lasting blooms make them a reliable choice for attracting bees.

6. Butterfly Bush

Macro photography of a bee on a purple butterfly bush.

The butterfly bush, with its colorful flower spikes, is a bee favorite. These long-blooming plants provide bees with a steady supply of nectar from midsummer to fall.

Butterfly bushes thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them a great choice for sunny garden spots. Their vibrant flowers and bee-attracting qualities make them a must-have in a pollinator-friendly garden.

7. Foxglove

Bumble bee enters a foxglove flower to pollinate it on a summer's day.

Foxglove’s tall spikes of tubular flowers in shades of pink, purple, and white are irresistible to bees. These plants grow best in partial shade and well-drained soil, making them ideal for areas that don’t get full sunlight.

Foxglove blooms in early to mid-summer, providing bees with much-needed nectar during the warmer months. Their elegant, bell-shaped flowers add vertical interest to your garden while supporting pollinators.

8. Coneflower

Bee on purple coneflower in public garden.

Coneflowers, with their large, daisy-like flowers, are another bee favorite. These vibrant flowers are rich in nectar and thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them easy to grow.

Blooming from mid-summer through fall, coneflowers provide a long-lasting nectar source for bees. They also attract butterflies and other beneficial pollinators, making them a perfect choice for a bee-friendly garden.

9. Rosemary

Honey bee feeding on the flowers of a rosemary bush in herbal garden.

Rosemary’s aromatic blue flowers are packed with nectar, attracting bees to your garden. This herb grows well in full sun and well-drained soil, making it a low-maintenance plant that thrives in many conditions.

Once established, rosemary is drought-tolerant and continues to provide bees with nectar throughout the growing season. Plus, its fragrant leaves enhance the overall atmosphere of your garden.

10. Goldenrod

nature background yellow flower of goldenrod with drinking bee.

Goldenrod is a fall favorite for bees, offering vibrant yellow flowers just when other plants have finished blooming. This late-blooming plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it easy to grow.

Goldenrod provides a valuable food source for bees as the growing season winds down. Its bright yellow flowers also attract butterflies and other pollinators, supporting a healthy garden ecosystem.

11. Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica Thunb or Japanese honeysuckle yellow and white flower in garden.

Honeysuckle is known for its sweet fragrance and nectar-rich flowers, which bees love. The plant’s tubular blooms, which range from white to pink to yellow, attract bees throughout the summer months.

Honeysuckle’s climbing nature makes it perfect for trellises, fences, or other vertical spaces. Its long flowering season ensures bees have a reliable food source during warmer months.

12. Penstemon

Penstemon plant with purple flowers growing in a field.

Penstemon is a vibrant flower that attracts bees with its tubular blooms, which come in a variety of colors like purple, red, and pink. These plants thrive in well-drained soil and full sun, making them a great addition to any garden.

Penstemon blooms from late spring to early summer, providing bees with a food source during the early months. Their striking flowers also add bold color to garden borders and beds.

13. Crocus

Crocus are among the first flowers to bloom in spring, offering bees an early nectar source after winter. These small, cup-shaped flowers in purple, yellow, and white bloom in full sun and well-drained soil.

By providing bees with a food source as soon as they emerge from hibernation, crocus play an essential role in supporting early-season pollinators. Their cheerful, colorful blooms brighten up any garden after a long winter.

14. Cornflower

bee collects nectar from a flowering cornflower.

Cornflowers, also known as bachelor’s buttons, have striking blue petals that are a favorite of bees. These hardy flowers thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them easy to grow.

They bloom throughout the summer, offering a steady source of nectar. Their vibrant, easy-to-care-for flowers are perfect for attracting bees while enhancing your garden’s beauty.

15. Comfrey

Comfrey is a powerhouse plant with large, bell-shaped flowers that bees love. It thrives in full sun and moist, well-drained soil, providing bees with an abundant nectar source during late spring and early summer.

This plant is not only beneficial for bees but also works well in composting and as a natural mulch. Its vibrant flowers also attract butterflies, adding more pollinators to your garden.

16. Aster

A s ters bloom in late summer to fall, providing bees with a vital food source during the cooler months. Their daisy-like flowers in purple, blue, and pink attract bees and other pollinators.

Asters thrive in full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil, making them easy to grow in most garden settings. Their long-lasting blooms help sustain bees as other plants begin to fade.

17. Ivy

Green English ivy against a rural wall in the countryside

Ivy might not be the first plant you think of when attracting bees, but its late-blooming flowers are a favorite of pollinators. Its small, greenish-white flowers appear in late summer and early fall, providing bees with nectar when many other flowers have finished blooming.

Ivy thrives in shady areas and can cover fences, walls, or trellises, adding vertical greenery to your garden. It’s an excellent choice for bee-friendly gardens with limited sun exposure.

18. Salvia

Salvia is known for its aromatic foliage and spikes of colorful flowers, which attract bees throughout the summer. The plants thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them an easy choice for gardeners.

Salvia blooms in shades of purple, red, and blue, providing bees with ample nectar during the warmer months. Their colorful flowers also attract hummingbirds and butterflies, making them a great all-around pollinator plant.

19. Sedum

Bee on a flower of the Sedum (Stonecrop) in blossom.

Sedum is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that produces clusters of small, star-shaped flowers. Bees love the nectar-rich blooms, which appear in late summer and fall, providing a critical food source as other plants begin to fade.

These plants thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them easy to care for. Sedum’s long-lasting blooms and ability to attract pollinators make it a must-have for bee-friendly gardens.

20. Hawthorn

Bee on flowers of Crataegus monogyna, common hawthorn.

Hawthorn trees or shrubs produce small white flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. These flowers bloom in late spring, providing bees with a food source at the beginning of the growing season.

Hawthorn thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, and its berries provide food for birds in the fall. The tree’s dense growth also offers shelter for pollinators and other wildlife.

21. Snowdrops

Winter flowering perennials with snowdrops and eranthis in the garden.

Snowdrops are one of the first flowers to bloom in spring, providing an essential nectar source for bees after a long winter. These delicate white flowers thrive in well-drained soil and partial shade, making them perfect for early-season blooms.

Snowdrops’ early blooming season means that they provide a much-needed food source for bees when other flowers have not yet bloomed. Their simple, elegant flowers are a welcome sight after the cold winter months.

22. Chives

Chives are easy-to-grow herbs that produce attractive, round purple flowers full of nectar, attracting bees to your garden. These hardy plants thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them a low-maintenance choice.

Chives bloom in late spring to early summer, providing bees with a food source early in the growing season. Their delicate flowers also add a pop of color to herb gardens and vegetable beds.

23. Verbena

The bee on Verbena is blooming and beautiful in the rainy season.

Verbena is known for its clusters of tiny, vibrant flowers that bees love. These plants thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, offering a continuous source of nectar from late spring to fall.

Verbena’s long blooming period and ability to attract bees make it a great addition to any pollinator-friendly garden. Its colorful flowers also attract butterflies, adding even more life to your garden.

Echinacea paradoxa or yellow coneflower medicinal herb, blooming flower close up, colorful and vivid plant, natural background. Bee collecting honey on echinacea.

Conclusion

Creating a bee-friendly garden is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to support local pollinators. By planting a variety of plants for bees, you not only enhance the beauty of your garden but also contribute to a healthier ecosystem.

Whether you choose vibrant flowers like lavender or hardy herbs like thyme, every plant plays a role in attracting and nourishing bees. Start planting today, and you’ll soon see the buzz of life that these incredible pollinators bring to your garden!

23 Beautiful Plants For Attracting Bees To Your Garden

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure here.