Download Seattle`s Best Bee Friendly Plants

Seattle’s Best Bee Friendly Plants
LATE WINTER/ULTRA EARLY SPRING (January – February)
Botanical Name
Common Name
Description
Comments
Corylus species
Hazelnut, Filbert
Deciduous tree
Nut producing, native, and ornamental varieties
Crocus
Crocus
Bulb
Naturalizes well
Cyclamen, hardy
Cyclamen
Bulb
Takes light shade
Narcissus
Daffodil
Bulb
Choose early-blooming varieties
Pieris japonica
Lily-of-the-Valley
Evergreen shrub
Very attractive and tough evergreen shrub with long
available; can take partial shade
Shrub
period of bloom, great foundation plant, tolerates light
shade, great in containers.
EARLY TO MID SPRING - late February through March
Berberis, asstd.
Barberry
Deciduous shrub
species/varieties
Tough easy to grow plant with interesting spring
blooms, red leaves, drought tolerant, looks great as
accent to masses of perennials and grasses, renew by
cutting within 1' of ground
Crataegus, asstd. species
Hawthorne
Deciduous tree
Lovely, often multi trunked not too large trees for
Oreganum officinalis
Oregano
Deciduous herb
Self sows nicely
Oxalis oregano
Redwood sorrel
Deciduous
Lovely Pacific Northwest native ground cover for
groundcover
shade, can tolerate wet and dry, nice white blooms in
urban gardens, the birds and the bees love them
spring
Salix, asstd. species
Willow
Deciduous tree
Very highest quality pollen you can find anywhere,
short bloom time of only 10 to 15 days, messy large
tree, tolerates wet conditions
HIGH SPRING - end of March, April, early May
Borago officinalis
Borage
Annual herb
Papaver rhoeas
Flanders Poppy,
Annual flowers
Rated as one of top five Bee plants, easy to grow, self
sows; edible flowers
Shirley Poppy
Rosmarinus officinalis
Rosemary
Lovely papery flowers, self sows, can seed in fall for
early spring bloom
Evergreen herb
Wonderful expressive structural plant for sunny spots
with good drainage, mix freely with perennials and
annuals
Sambucas nigra
Black Elderberry
Deciduous fruit
Short bloom time, but bees love the pollen, and people
bearing shrub
and birds can use the fruit, fall leaf color, fast
growing...
Teuchrium chamaedrys x
Germander
lucidrys
Thymus, many varieties
Thyme
Evergreen perennial,
Dark green foliage, cut back hard in March, allow to
herb
flower
Evergreen
Plant carpets of prostrate varieties under trees and
groundcover, herb
open shrubs, they will literally buzz with bees
Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 6/9/14
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bee-friendly plants
LATE SPRING/EARLY SUMMER - end of April through May
Papaver somniferum
Breadseed Poppy,
Annual flowers
Opium Poppy
Salvia officinalis
Sage (culinary)
Lovely papery flowers, self sows, can seed in fall for
early spring bloom
Evergreen herb
Lovely soft gray green foliage, use in masses with
perennials
HIGH SUMMER - end of May through July
Aesclepias, asstd. species
Milkweed, Butterfly
Perennial flowers
weed
Angelica gigas
Angelica
All species great for honeybees with abundant nectar;
leaves are monarch butterfly food source
Deciduous herb
Striking, architectural foliage and flowers reach 5',
thrives in moist soil and some shade
Cleome hasslerana ‘Purple
Cleome, Spider Flower
Annual flower
Queen’
Multiple branches yield delicate whorls of purple and
pink stamens, 4-6' tall, bees love them but they have a
strong smell that some people think reminiscent of cat
piss....
Coreopsis grandiflora
Coreopsis
Perennial flower
Long blooming, deep golden yellow, flowers and tough
Coriander sativum
Coriander, Cilantro
Annual herb
Cynara cardunculus
Cardoon
Deciduous perennial
Striking artichoke like flower to 5' or more, edible
flower
stalks, sun and regular water, great with grasses and
enough to use in roadside beautification
Varroa mites do not like the smell; must allow to go to
seed to be of use for pollinators
other perennials
Lavandula, asstd. species
Lavender
Evergreen sub-shrub
All lavenders are attractive to pollinators, plant in free
Melissa officinalis
Lemon Balm
Deciduous herb
Mentha piperata
Peppermint
Deciduous perennial
Most valuable mint as pollen source, must allow to
herb
flower
Deciduous perennial
Long blooming flowers that bees, butterflies and
draining soil and do not fertilize for better blooms
Rated as one of top five Bee plants, easy to grow, self
sows, prolonged bloom
Monarda, asstd. species
Bee Balm
hummingbirds all love, choose mildew resistant
varieties, likes some water
Nepeta, asstd. species
Catmint (not Catnip)
Deciduous perennial
Undemanding, long blooming plant for dry, sunny
areas, many different sizes and colors now available,
plant in masses, makes great filler
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Russian Sage
Deciduous perennial
Upright plants with grayish white stems and leaves,
spiked violet flowers, extremely drought tolerant,
needs full sun. Great interplanted with sunflowers and
barberry.
LATE SUMMER/EARLY AUTUMN - end of July through August
Agastache, asstd. species
Anise Hyssop
Deciduous perennial
Can take tough conditions, reblooms if cut back hard
Asters, asstd. species
Aster
Deciduous perennial
Lots of ornamental value
Cosmos
Cosmos
Annual flowers
Avoid double flowered types for bees; easy to grow
Echinops, asstd. species
Globe Thistle
Deciduous perennial
from seed, long blooming
Metallic blue flowers, gray green deeply cut foliage,
very cool looking plant
Eryngium, asstd. species
Sea Holly
Deciduous perennial
Like plenty of sun, water needs vary by species,
unusual looking with metallic blue flowers, plant at
least 3 - 5 plants for best effect
Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 6/9/14
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bee-friendly plants
Helianthus annuus
Common Sunflower
Annual Flower
Single tall, or multiheaded flowers, popular with bees,
Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’
Perennial Sunflower
Deciduous perennial
Tall, many small lemon yellow flowers in the early fall
Linarea purpurea
Toadflax
Deciduous perennial
From dry Mediterranean, to 3', graceful, blue green
birds, and kids!
foliage and violet/blue flowers, self sows, 'Cannon
Went' is pink form
Rubus idaeus
Raspberry
Fruiting shrub
Everbearing types can be covered with bees from June
(canes)
thru October
Large umbels of pink to dark pink flowers in fall, tough
Sedum spectabilis 'Autumn Joy'
Sedum
Deciduous perennial
Solidago
Goldenrod
Deciduous perennial
long lasting drought-tolerant succulent
Pacific Northwest native, tall graceful and abundant
golden flowers
We believe in the Pacific Northwest it is best to use equinox and solstice as mid points of all seasons.
Be sensitive to factors that can significantly influence bloom time and duration:

Yearly variations in typical local weather patterns.

Microclimate in which plant is located.

The actual species and cultivar of a plant.

Over or under watering or fertilizing: some flowers do best in poor soils with little water, while some are quite the opposite! Get to know your
plants and understand how to help them thrive.
Adapted from Seattle’s Best Pollinator Plant List created by Rolande Chesebro of Continuum Gardens for the Seattle Urban Bee Project. Reprinted with
permission. Visit http://urbanbeeprojectseattle.com for more information.
Sky Nursery • 18528 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA 98133 skynursery.com (206)-546-4851 • Rev. 6/9/14
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