Blue flowers for Bees is both a planting list suggestion for your garden and a call to action for providing bees with a food source.
Encouraging bees and other pollinators into our gardens is critical, yet it is such an easy action for us all to take. It doesn’t mean messy weedy spaces but beautiful, and frequently scented, flowers and shrubs.
Blue Flowers for Bees
Violet flowers, blue flowers, purple flowers – these are all favourites with bees, more so than other colours. Because yes, bees can see colours, although have a different range to us humans. What it is that attracts them to flowers in the blue spectrum is explained in another blog “Why Do Bees Like Purple Flowers?” (link for this is atthe end).
In a different article, I gave you planting suggestions for year round purple flowers. My aim there was twofold. To give you a slightly different or unusual selection of plants as well as year round food for bees.
But before we get onto the planting suggestions, some general tips if you’re inspired to look for more blue flowers and blue flowering shrubs for bees. What should you bear in mind when choosing flowering plants to encourage bees into your garden?
- Simple flower shapes, such as single blooms and open flowers
- Have flowering plants all year round if you can
- Choose pollen and nectar rich species
- Plant a range of flowering plant species as different bee species like different types of flower
Blue Flowers for Bees
These are all perennial plants and will suit a range of soils, gardens and gardening styles. The flowering time covers late spring through to late autumn and I’ve listed them in their approximate flowering order.
Chionodoxa forbesii
Also known as Glory of the Snow as it flowers in late winter – early spring regardless of the weather! ‘Chion’ comes from the Greek for snow and ‘doxa’ means glory.
The cultivar Chionodoxa forbesii ‘Blue Giant’ flowers for longer than the species, but either will be appreciated by Bumble bees, who are some of the earliest bees to emerge.
It’s a great rock garden plant and also thrives under deciduous trees, so would be happy in a woodland edge garden too.
Glory of the Snow, Photo by wolfgang_hasselmann on unsplash
Scilla siberica
Also known as Siberian squill, this is a mid – late spring flowering bulbous perennial. Plant your first bulbs in the autumn at a depth two to three times as deep as the height of the bulb itself. It will soon form a clump and provide you with glorious blue flowers for bees with drooping, bluebell like flowers. Bees love it and watching them fly up to reach the nectar is a daily pleasure in spring.
My Scilla siberica is planted in free draining soil where it gets the sun until about 2pm and has been so happy I had to split the clump last year!
Pulmonaria
Pulmonaria, also known as Lungwort, Jerusalem cowslip, Soldiers and Sailors, are spring flowering herbaceous perennials. They prefer light shade but will cope in full summer sun if the soil is moist.
The funnel shaped flowers are a good source of nectar for bees and can be pink, white and purple as well as blue.
Good blue flowered cultivars are Pulmonaria angustifolia ‘Blue Ensign’ with green leaves and Pulmonaria ‘Trevi Fountain’ with silver spotted leaves.
Cut back older foliage as well as blooms flowering to regenerate a good leafy clump. Most Pulmonaria are evergreen, but the angustifolia types are less likely to retain their foliage over winter.
Ceanothus
More commonly known as California lilac, this range of shrubs have lightly fragrant blue flowers and are generally but not always evergreen. They certainly need a sheltered spot away from cold winds and prefer an alkaline soil.
In size they range from the tree like Ceanothus arboreus ‘Trewithen Blue’ to the smaller Ceanothus azureus ‘Concha’. Both are spring flowering with deep blue flowers.
Whilst Ceanothus arboreus ‘Autumnal Blue’ has mid-blue flowers from late summer and may be a better choice in exposed areas.
Whether you choose spring or autumn flowering shrubs or both, they are all positive bee magnets!
Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Blue spire’
Also known as Russian Sage and recently renamed as Salvia yangii, following new genetic information. So it really is related to the Salvia (Sage) family.
It has soft, silver, aromatic foliage. Which is a real give away that it prefers to grow in full sun! Although I’ve seen it thriving on heavy clay, it prefers a chalky soil, well-drained. All the Perovskia have blue flowers for bees, but I’ve found ‘Blue spire’ the easiest for clients to maintain.
The violet blue flowers are held erect from July to October in almost feathery panicles. And it makes a good choice for seaside gardens as salt-laden air doesn’t bother it. In fact its fairly tolerant of air pollution generally, if the rest of its growing requirements are met
Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Summer Sorbet’
Also known as ‘bluebeard’, or ‘blue mist bush’ this is a late summer to autumn flowering deciduous shrub. Suitable for small gardens too as its fairly compact and responds well to trimming. The variegated gold and green foliage is slightly aromatic and as this Caryopteris comes into leaf in late April /May offers a long season of interest.
The mid-blue flowers are popular with both bees and butterflies. Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Summer Sorbet’ grows in a sunny border or light, dappled shade. Too shady and the leaves will revert (turn) all green.
Blue Flowers for Bees and More
For planting ideas on more than just more blue flowers for bees, check out the links below plus other Plews Potting Shed blogs.
You can check out the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust and your local Beekeepers for more information on all our bees.
And do get in touch with Plews for a bee friendly garden design or planting design to suit you, your children, your pets, your garden and the bees themselves.
Whatever you do, enjoy your garden and if Plews can help you with anything, please do get in touch. For example –
Our Garden Consultancy & Advice Visits may help with some of your issuesDo you have a birthday coming up? Plews bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden make a wonderful and practical gift. Have a read through this pdf download for info.
And you could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest Facebook YouTube
Feeling nosey? You can have a peek at the progress of my garden renovation, Spitfires and Slow Worms, on Instagram and Facebook
You’ll get to see it in person if you come to the Plews Gardening Workshops Current ones on Eventbrite for you to book into. Follow for updates on topics and dates on Plews website, Instagram, Eventbrite, Facebook
Plus get your local garden club, allotment, WI, U3A or other group to ask me along to give a talk (and bring plants 😉)
Related Gardening articles you may enjoy from our Award Winning Blog
Why Do Bees Like Purple Flowers?
Wild about Gardens – Design Ideas for Humans and Wildlife
10 Purple flowers for Wild Bees
5 Rockery Plants for Bees and Small Green Roofs
Summer Gardens, Ten Herbaceous Perennials for Pollinating Insects
What is Organic Gardening?
