Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Club Meeting Notes
Presenter: Mo Nevergold, professional gardener and owner of Dandelion Design, a
Denver-based, all-girl gardening team of awesomeness ;-)
Topic: What to Plant to Attract and Nourish Honeybees, by season
From Leslie’s notes & Mo’s keyboard… pardon the misspellings!!
SPRING
Muscari armeniacum - Grape hyacinth – great little bulb that puts up foliage in fall &
blooms in spring, blues, purples & whites.
Pulsatilla vulgaris - Pasque flower – blue, purple, magenta, blooms around Easter;
buy as plant; seedheads are beautiful later.
Anemone blanda – Grecian Windflower - buy as corms & plant in fall, blooms white,
blue or pink, approx. 4” high, she planted hers in a bed of Turkish Veronica and
Vinca.
Crocuses – tiny bulbs are easy to plant, early spring bloomers, white, yellow,
lavender, violet, purple, species crocus are smaller & bloom earlier than Crocus
vernus so plant a mixture for a longer bloom season.
“Bees love blues and purples; yellow & white are close seconds. But really bees love
whatever is currently blooming.”
Scilla siberica - Siberian Squill – plant bulbs in fall, a true blue, can tolerate a fair
amount of shade – combine with yellow pansies for a real show stopper, although
the pansies generally like more sun.
A few spring-blooming trees: Amelanchier alnifolia - Serviceberry ‘Autumn
Brilliance’ (white blossom); Cercis canadensis - Eastern Redbud (bright pink flowers
on naked branches); Malus species - Crabapple (pinks & whites); Prunus cerasifera
‘Newport’ - Purpleleaf Plum (light pink flowers on naked branches).
Phlox subulata - Creeping phlox (comes in lots of colors), foliage is evergreen, great
little ground cover.
Prunus virginiana - Canada Red Chokecherry – considered a small tree or large
shrub. Available in single or multi-stem. Can grow to 25’h. As it’s leafing out, the
leaves come out green then go to burgundy-red in June. White flowers are superfragrant and bees love them.
Thymus neiceffii - Juniper Leaf Thyme – hot pink flowers, great little sage-colored
groundcover
Anacyclus depressus - Mount Atlas Daisy - drought tolerant, re-seeds freely.
Feathery foliage can tolerate some foot traffic. Flowers are white when open during
the day, maroon when closed.
Brunnera macrophylla - Siberian Forget-Me-Nots – tiny brilliant to sky blue flowers,
the one shown was called “Jack Frost” because of the white mottling on the leaves.
Hyacinths – fragrant bulb, plant in fall, available in many colors.
Aurinia saxatilis - Basket of Gold – tough plant, good in rock walls where it can
cascade downward, abundant bright yellow flowers.
(LATE SPRING/ EARLY SUMMER)
Nepeta x faassenii - Catmint – light purple flowers with a long bloom season, plus if
you deadhead, you get a second bloom in August/September. Great bee plant!
Eriogonum umbellatum - Sulphur Buckwheat – Yellow flowers, native to Colorado,
an evergreen. If in full sun in winter, foliage goes to a deep burgundy. Fairly drought
tolerant.
Delosperma cooperi – Purple Iceplant – needs good drainage, especially in winter.
Full sun. Bright violet/pink flowers open in day, close at night. Ground cover that’s
good on a slope. Cannot tolerate foot traffic.
Allium family – Bees love theses easy to grow bulbs. Plant in fall. Available in
shades of purple, blue, magenta & white. The seedheads look like fireworks on a
stem.
Linum lewisii - Blue flax – another native to Colorado. A real workhorse of a
wildflower because it starts blooming pretty early & can go from an irrigated
situation to super-dry.
Wisteria floribunda – yes, you can grow Wisteria in Colorado! The trick is siting it
right. Hers (‘Lavender Falls’) is planted against a brick wall with eastern and
southern sun. ‘Lavender Falls’ is well-mannered and smaller than Chinese Wisteria
and as an added benefit, started blooming the first year it was planted. Large grapelike clusters of purple flowers hang from the vine as it leafs out.
Opuntia - Prickly Pear Cactus – Hot pink flowers are irresistible to bees. Super
tough plant that is way under-rated! No water needed. Try one. Very easy to
establish.
SUMMER
Fallugia paradoxa - Apache Plume – Very drought tolerant native desert shrub.
White flowers look like a single petal rose. Feathery-looking seedheads, super-cool
the way they reflect light in fall & winter.
Salvia x sylvestris - May Night Salvia – Bees love plants in the mint family. Salvias
come in blues, purples, reds & pinks. Great long season of bloom. Variety of sizes &
forms. Remove flower stems after blooming if you don’t want them to reseed.
Penstemon strictus - Rocky Mountain Penstemon – native to Colorado. Blue-purple
with a violet mouth. Bees land on them, then crawl inside. They reseed freely.
Syringa reticulata - Japanese Tree Lilac – June bloomer with large clusters of creamy
white flowers. Mature height approx. 15’.
Eremurus - Desert Candle aka Torch Lily – torch-shaped flowers on long strong
stems. Beautiful rosettes of foliage emerge in April. Likes dry soil. The tuberous
roots look like a giant crab, and only have to be planted 2-3 inches deep. Comes in
whites, yellows, oranges & pinks – they can get as tall as 5’. Bee city when in bloom.
Dianthus “Firewitch” – aka carnations or pinks, easy to find; flowers are edible.
Firewitch has evergreen silver-blue grassy foliage and a yummy spicy scent from its
bright magenta flowers.
Clematis Ramona – well-behaved vine with large dusty blue/lavender flowers.
Clematis integrifolia & Clematis durandii – non-clinging vines with small blue bells
& cool seedheads later. They sprawl through the garden, not up a trellis.
Lonicera koralkowii - Blue Velvet Honeysuckle Shrub – leaves feel velvety; shrub
can get 8-12’ tall & wide; drought tolerant once established, small pale pink flowers.
Salvia nemorosa - Salvia ‘Blue Queen’ – bees go wild for it.
Lavandula angustifolia – English Lavender – great plant for bees and the Denver
area, likes full sun, good on a slight slope for drainage as it doesn’t like it wet, L.
‘Hidcote’ is very well-mannered. ‘Munstead’ is another popular selection.
Echinacea purpurea – Coneflower – blooms a long time, attracts bees and butterflies.
E. ‘Magnus’ & E. ‘White swan’ were shown. They will reseed. Leave the seedheads
standing for the winter for food for birds.
Cleome serrulata - Rocky Mountain Bee Plant – Varies in height based on available
moisture. Near Crestone, the flowers are only 2’ tall, but in an irrigated garden, they
can get almost 6ft tall. Bees love it and it’s also a hummingbird favorite. Annual but
it reseeds copiously!
Ratibida columnifera - Mexican Hat – a definitive perennial wildflower of the
southwest, flowers are yellow typically, also available in burnt orange, full sun, do
not overwater, reseeds.
Delphinium ambiguum – Annual Larkspur – a very prolific reseeding annual, flowers
in shades of blue, purple, pink.
Penstemon pinifolius - Pineleaf Penstemon – evergreen airy shrublet with pine
needle-like leaves, flowers red, yellow or orange, also attractive to hummingbirds.
Yarrow ‘Moonshine’ – Yellow flowers that keep blooming through fall, great combo
with Blue Flax or Salvia ‘May Night’, has silver/blue foliage, full sun.
Liatris spicata - Gayfeather – spikes of violet/pink or white flowers like magic
wands.
Datura sp. - Moonflower aka Angel’s Trumpet– All parts of Datura are considered
toxic to humans and pets if ingested. The flower buds are about 6 inches long & the
bees get in there at dusk and make them quiver, so you can tell which buds are
about to open into flowers. You can actually sit and watch it happen! The
spectacular trumpet-shaped fragrant flowers are white & open at dusk, lasting only
one day each. One of Mo’s favorites! Very drought tolerant, usually perennial here,
but it is very late to break dormancy each May, once the soil temp has really
warmed. Very easy to grow from seed.
Eryngium planum - Blue Sea Holly – Looks spikey but that doesn’t stop the bees.
Another of Mo’s favorites.
Callirhoe involucrata - Winecups – common in xeriscaping, super drought tolerant.
This is a deep tap-rooted plant that sprawls through & across other plants or
garden. Full sun, even heavy clay soil is fine. If it’s happy it can reach 8 feet across
with bursts of magenta (or white) flowers. Not a great choice for a small garden.
And beware because it reseeds liberally!
Perovskia atriplicifolia - Russian sage – Great vertical interest. White stems with
lavender flowers. Although technically a woody plant, Russian Sage can be cut down
to 6-8inches each spring if desired. Big bee attractant. A great full sun, low water
plant. Really good with Agastache rupestris (Sunset Hyssop), which is also low
water, blooms apricot colored flowers & when rubbed, the leaves smell like root
beer.
LATE SUMMER / EARLY FALL
Sedum sieboldii - October Daphne Sedum – Tough little plant that blooms a pinkish
color late in the summer. The shape of the flowers gives the bees lots of room to
land. “They just really dig it.” It can take a bit of shade. Low maintenance/low water.
Caryopteris x clandonensis – Blue Mist Spirea – Mo says that while not featured in
her slide show simply for lack of a great photo, this workhorse of a shrub should be
in every beekeeper’s garden! It flowers light to medium blue flowers Aug/Sept+ &
also attracts butterflies. Good-looking seedheads should be left up to catch the
winter sun. Can be cut back in spring to control size as desired. This is a shrub that
reseeds freely. Full sun & low water.
Chamaebatiaria millefolium - Fernbush – Semi-evergreen shrub with aromatic fernlike leaves, native to the western part of Colorado. Super drought-tolerant; up to 6 ft.
tall & wide. Large clusters of white flowers in late summer/early fall. Watch your
bees feast at eye level.
Malva alcea - Hollyhock Mallow – pink flowers , another deep tap-rooted perennial
plant that can take a lot of drought and still get 4 feet tall. Full sun.
Monarda didyma – ‘Violet Queen’ Bee Balm – when in bloom, the bees go
WAHOOOOO! Full sun to part shade. 3-4’ tall.
Rudbeckia hirta - Black-Eyed Susan – Late summer bloomers, bees love ’em, they’re
cheerful, happy flowers that add a bright splash of yellow. Can be short lived, but
they reseed.
Salvia pachyphylla- Mojave Sage – silvery foliage with purple and violet flower, can
be a little hard to establish but once it is, your work is done. Do not overwater. A
short woody shrublet that pays the rent.
Helianthus annuus - Sunflowers – Amazing annuals that vary in height from 2’ to
15’, although most are in the 6-8’ range. Come into bloom later in the summer and
will go ‘til the first frost. Available in a variety of yellows, reds & browns. Short
varieties now available but why bother? If you have the room, go BIG!! Leave
stems/seedheads standing as long as possible as they’re a great food source for
birds. Plant seeds outside May 1 in Denver.
Ipomoea - Morning Glory Vines – she twines hers up using sunflowers as trellis. A
fun annual vine that does best with an east facing site. Available in many colors, but
Heavenly Blue is a classic. A note of caution: Morning glories reseed very liberally!!!
FALL
Chrysothamnus nauseosus - Rabbitbrush – Another great low maintenance shrub
choice for beekeepers. This is a drought-tolerant native that is typically 4’x4’ but
can get 6’ tall if over-irrigated. If you keep it dry, it will stay much smaller. Yellow
flowers that the bees go crazy for in fall. There’s a dwarf version that’s great for
smaller gardens, Chrysothamnus depressus. It reseeds readily. Both versions can
be cut back as needed in spring by as much as half, to maintain form & size.
Origanum laevigatum ‘Rosenkeppel’ - Ornamental Oregano – a late blooming
perennial that bees find very attractive. Rosenkeppel is dusty pink, but Ornamental
Oreganos comes in pinks, burgundies & creams and many different heights.
Sedum “Autumn Joy” – Listen up beeple. Plant this, sit back & be amazed come fall.
Very low maintenance perennial that produces pink clumps of flowers in September
for a late season bee-fest. Full sun.
Rudbeckia triloba – Brown-Eyed Susan – much smaller yellow flowers than R. hirta,
but more profuse blooms & can tolerate some shade. Good late season addition to
the garden. Technically a biennial or a weak perennial, but reseeds readily. This
plant will move around your garden but is a delight for late season bee interest.
Polygonum aubertii - Silver Lace Vine – Drought-tolerant once established, but likes
additional moisture. Very evocative of the Southwestern U.S. – great for hiding a
chain-link fence or old clunker. This vine can get to 25’ and is covered in tiny white
fragrant flowers in September. Very attractive to bees when in bloom.
Liatris punctata - Gayfeather aka Dotted Blazing Star– This species is native to the
short grass prairie & foothills of Colorado & only gets 12-18” tall without additional
moisture, purple spikes are also attractive to hummingbirds.
Cynara cardunculus - Artichoke – needs full sun and well-amended, well-drained
soil. A great focal point in the garden. While perennial in CA, this vegetable is annual
in Mo’s experience in the Denver area. Start with a plant. If you let the artichoke
buds stay on the plant & flower, the bees will be grateful. They love the large exotic
blue flowers, up to 9 per strong stem. Give your artichoke plant 4’x4’ at least. The
dramatic silver foliage is gorgeous too.
Clematis tangutica – ‘Golden Tiara’ Clematis – Very late-blooming Clematis, fairly
tough vine, vigorous grower up to 20 ft. tall, golden yellow bell-shaped flowers may
start in late summer and can bloom through late fall. The fluffy seedheads that
follow are stunning too. If you have a spot, she’s a real show-stopper.
Bulbs – In late Sept/Oct, plant as many as your body or budget allow & water them
1-2 times per month for the first winter, as temperatures allow.
Annuals – Supplement your honeybees with some delicious annuals in the ground or
containers. If you plant Pansies in Sept/Oct in the ground, by early spring they’ll be
blooming merrily, a veritable bee buffet!
Vegetables – Don’t forget that most vegetables & herbs flower too. Bees love
Arugula once it goes to flower, Squashes, Eggplant, Tomatoes, etc, etc….. Take care
of your bees & they’ll take care of you.