Flowers are vital to the survival of bees. With bees nearing extinction more gardeners are looking for ways to make their gardens bee-friendly. By planting late-blooming flowers you can make your garden a haven for bees, and aid in preparing bees for winter. These flowers will make a great addition to your garden beds and help bees find food well into the cool fall months.
How do bees stay alive in the winter?
The bees stay in their hives over the winter, and only come out if the weather is warm enough for them to take a cleansing flight to “ppop”. While inside the hives, bees will feed off their honey stores and gather in clusters to stay warm.
Do bees return to the same nest every year?
The answer to this question depends on the type of bee. For insance, bumble bees have smaller nests than honey bees, and only use their nest for one year. After the annual use of the nest, it will be abandoned, and a new nest will be made the following year.
These plants help aide in preparing bees for winter
Mums are a fall staple. These flowers make a great addition to your garden and will bloom until the first frost offering bees some last-minute food they can take advantage of to help make it through the long, cold, hard winter. These are a great addition to potted plants on your porch or added to garden beds.
Goldenrod is a great option for late flowering gardens. This flower is often the last to bloom adding a great addition to your fall flower garden. Place these in the back of garden beds to enjoy the hight they offer
Japanese anemones are an easy to grow late-blooming flower that can be found volunteering year after year as they easily self sow their replacements. blooming late summer until the first frost these flowers are low maintenance and can handle being forgotten.
New York Daisy is a great option for your fall-blooming flower garden. These will bloom from late August into the first frost. Grow them in a pot if you want to keep them from spreading. these flowers blend well with other flowers in your garden if you want to set them loose.
Sneezeweed comes in perfect for fall shades of red, orange, and yellow. These flowers are similar in shape to coneflowers and likewise are great additions to fall garden beds. Bees love these flowers and can benefit from their blossoms right up until the first frost beginning in late summer. These flowers love full sun making them a great plant for open areas to help encourage bees to stop and look around the garden while they are traveling.
By planting any of the pkants above in your garden, you can help to save the bee population, and do your part in preparing bees for winter. Of course, these plkants will also malke a beautiful addition to your landscape and garden, so it’s a win win situation for you and the bees!
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