Plants for Bumblebees: How to attract bees to your garden

Bees Where would we be without them? Not all bees live in hives, solitary bees are the first to emerge in early spring from underground and bumble about looking for nectar.

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Bees need pollen and nectar in order to feed the colony. In return, the bees pollinate the flowers which later in the season produce fruit and seeds. This is beneficial to us as well as a multitude of birds and other wildlife which visit our gardens. The best flowers and plants to attract bees Hellebores have abundant nectaries that make them a draw for bees in the early spring months. [caption id="attachment_1039" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Hellebore[/caption]

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Forget-me-not There's no danger of bees forgetting this tiny plant, which provides a good source of nectar throughout the spring. [caption id="attachment_1038" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Forget Me Not[/caption]

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Pulmonaria Bees love to forage for nectar in tube-like flowers like the pulmonaria. [caption id="attachment_1040" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Grape hyacinth and pulmonaria[/caption]

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Let's help the bees! Justin Smyth, Horticulturalist at Powerscourt Garden Pavilion