Bee Friendly Plants for Your Ottawa Gardens

Many bee species, including honey bees, have been in decline, and you can make a meaningful difference right in your own garden by planting bee friendly plants.

Did you know that bees often thrive in urban and suburban settings? Short flight paths combined with a wide variety of plants, shrubs, and flowers make backyard, community, and patio gardens ideal habitats. In fact, bees are often more successful in these diverse spaces than in large areas devoted to single crop plantings.

All creatures that eat plants, including humans, depend on pollinators. Nearly three quarters of the foods we eat such as fruits, nuts, vegetables, and herbs require pollination to reproduce. By attracting bees to your garden, you are not only helping support their populations, you are also improving pollination and increasing yields in your own fruit and vegetable garden.

Here are a few of our favourite bee friendly plants to help pollinators thrive in your backyard.

Perennials for Pollinators

Bee Balm
This aptly named perennial is a favourite with bees and gardeners alike. It offers long lasting blooms in red or pink, thrives in full sun, and grows approximately twenty four inches tall.

Echinacea
A sturdy perennial with pink petals and distinctive cone shaped centres. Hardy and reliable, echinacea blooms in late summer and grows up to thirty six inches tall in full sun.

Hyssop
Tall spires of fragrant blue magenta flowers bloom in mid summer and are irresistible to bees. Grows twenty four to thirty six inches tall in full sun or part shade.

Foxglove
Tall, old fashioned flowers that bees love. Available in shades of purple and pink, foxglove performs best in part shade and can grow thirty six inches tall or more.

Shrubs

Lilac
A classic garden favourite and a magnet for bees. When in bloom, lilacs hum with activity. These shrubs grow eight to ten feet tall and wide and perform best in full sun, so be sure to give them plenty of space.

Honeysuckle
A fast growing shrub covered in fragrant blooms in late spring. Grows eight to ten feet tall in sun or part shade and comes in shades of yellow, light pink, and dark pink.

Weigela
This versatile shrub features tubular flowers in June and often reblooms throughout the summer. Available in many colours and sizes, weigela suits gardens of all shapes and scales.

Herbs
Bees love herbs, especially lemon balm, oregano, mint, sage, thyme, lavender, and rosemary. Many of these are easy to grow and perfect for garden beds, raised planters, or patio pots.

This is just a small sampling of bee friendly plants, but even a modest effort can make a big difference. A single flower pot or small patch planted with a favourite perennial or herb can provide valuable habitat for pollinators.

If you are interested in creating a welcoming space for bees this summer, stop by your local garden centre or visit us here at Gemmell’s. We are always happy to help you choose plants that support pollinators and thrive in your garden.

After all, bees are easy to please.

Kelly