Best bee-friendly flowers for UK gardens: lavender, foxgloves, crocus, hellebores, scabious, ivy, catmint – plant seasonally, avoid pesticides, provide water and wild spaces.

   

Here’s a comprehensive guide to the best flowers and gardening tips to help UK bees, synthesized from the most relevant and authoritative sources in the search results:

 

*Why Bees Matter

Bees contribute £500 million annually to UK farming and food production, pollinating 70% of crops like apples, strawberries, and almonds. Their decline threatens food security and ecosystems, with 17 species already regionally extinct in East Anglia.

 

*Top Bee-Friendly Flowers

1. Lavender (Lavandula): 

Sun-loving, drought-resistant, and adored by bees for its nectar-rich purple blooms. 

 

2. Hellebores:

Winter-flowering, providing early pollen when little else is available. 

 

3. Crocus: 

Plant bulbs in autumn for early spring pollen.  

 

4.Foxgloves (Digitalis): 

Tubular flowers attract long-tongued bumblebees. 

 

5. Scabious(Knautia, Scabiosa):

 Supports rare specialist bees like the small scabious mining bee.

 

6. Ivy (Hedera): 

Late-season nectar for ivy bees emerging in autumn.  

 

7. Catmint (Nepeta):

 Purple blooms are highly visible to bees.  

 

8.Dandelions: 

Vital early food source; avoid mowing or herbicides. 

 

9. Willow(Salix): 

Catkins provide spring pollen for mining bees.

   

10. Sunflowers: 

Easy for beginners and rich in pollen. 

*Pro Tip: Prioritize single-petal flowers (e.g., cosmos, echinacea) over double varieties, as they offer easier access to pollen.

 

*Key Gardening Tips to Help Bees

1.Plant for All Seasons:

 Ensure year-round blooms (e.g., snowdrops for winter, sedum for autumn).  

 

2. Avoid Pesticides: 

Even "bee-friendly" sprays harm pollinators. Remove weeds manually or use vinegar solutions.  

 

3. Leave Wild Areas:

 Untended grass, rotting wood, and compost heaps provide nesting sites. 

 

4.Provide Water:

 Use shallow dishes with pebbles to prevent drowning.  

 

5. Support Specialist Bees:

 Grow plants like bellflowers (Campanula) for rare species like the bellflower blunthorn bee.  

 

*Health & Environmental Impact  

Bee decline risks vitamin C deficiency in humans due to reduced fruit availability (e.g., kiwis, raspberries). Pollinator loss could also eliminate staples like almonds and pumpkin seeds.  

 

*Additional Resources

- Citizen Science: Join schemes like BeeWalk or FIT Counts to monitor pollinators.  

-Bee First Aid: Revive tired bees with sugar-water (1:1 ratio).  

 

For more details, explore the RHS guide  to specialist bee plants  or  WWF’s  tips  on  habitat creation. 

*Note: All recommendations are based on UK-specific studies and expert advice from horticultural and conservation organizations.