Flowers to Attract Bees, Butterflies and Hummingbirds
Bees are also important for the pollination of many flowers and your gardens wouldn't be as colorful without the bees. Bees are attracted to blue, lavender, purple, white and yellow flowers.
Some pretty, flower choices for flower beds, window boxes and patio pots include trailing nasturtiums, (the flowers make a nice, spicy addition to salads), French marigold, (Calendula), pansies,(Viola wittrockiana), bachelor buttons, (Centaurea cyanaus), johnny jump-ups, (Viola tricolor), violets, (Viola species), impatiens, (Impatiens wallerana), scented geraniums, (Pelargonium species), mums,(Chrysanthemum coronarium), and open-flowered, minature carnations,(Dianthus). All of these tasty flowers are quite popular with honeybees and other pollinators, such as butterflies and hummingbirds as well.
Crocus, hyacinth, borage, calendula, and wild lilac provide enticing spring blooms.
Bees feast on shasta daisies, cosmos, echinacea, snapdragons foxglove, and hosta in the summer.
For fall, zinnias, sedum, asters, witch hazel and goldenrod are late bloomers that will tempt foragers.
Don't Forget the Water
Bees need a place to get fresh, clean water. Fill a shallow container of water with pebbles or twigs for the bees to land on while drinking. Make sure to maintain the container full of fresh water to ensure that they know they can return to the same spot every day.
