Plants for bumblebees

Wherever you live in the UK, you should be able to attract at least six bumblebee species to your garden, and perhaps as many as ten.

Some of our rarer bees tend not to visit exotic garden flowers, preferring native British wildflowers. These are easy to grow and thrive in the average garden, being hardy and much more resistant to slugs and mildew than other garden flowers. For example Viper's bugloss, Echium vulgare, makes a magnificent plant for a herbaceous border, with spikes of vivid blue flowers up to 60cm (2ft) tall. And it will attract a cloud of bumblebees in high summer.

Bumblebee species differ in the length of their tongues, and, as a result, prefer different flowers. For example the longest tongued species, Bombus hortorum, loves deep flowers such as honeysuckle, foxglove and aquilegia. Below is a selection of garden flowers and wildflowers that bumblebees love, and that caters for both long and short-tongued species. If you have room for even one or two of these they'll attract many bees. Most of these plants will also attract a range of other interesting insects to the garden, including butterflies and honeybees.

The following list is grouped by plant family. There are six main plant families that bumblebees adore:

BORAGINACEAE: the borages

Echium vulgare, Viper's bugloss: Perhaps the best single plant to attract bumblebees to your garden. Much loved by almost all species, and it looks great too. Flowers June-August.

Symphytum officinalis, Comfrey: A familiar garden and wildflower, loved by bumblebees. It prefers damp places but will grow almost anywhere and also makes great potassium-rich compost. The flowers are quite deep, so that some short-tongued species cannot reach the nectar. Some species, such as Bombus terrestris, get around this by biting through the side of the flower.

FABACEAE: the peas

Trifolium pratense, Red clover and T. repens, White clover. The pea family to which clovers belong includes many wildflowers that are loved by bumblebees. Red clover in particular is a great favourite with many of the really rare bumblebee species, as well as some common ones. It isn't particularly showy as a garden plant, although it will grow well in a border. It also does well naturalized among grass if you have room for a meadow area that is only mowed once or twice a year. White clover can even survive well in regularly mown lawns, although mowing needs to be relaxed if it's to flower.

Other pea family members that will attract bumblebees are:

Lotus corniculatus, Bird's foot trefoil. Often grows in lawns, but can also look great in a rockery or border.
Vicia cracca, Tufted vetch. A really attractive climber, great scrambling over other plants at the back of a border. Spikes of purple flowers in June-July.
Anthyllis vulneraria, Kidney vetch. Showy balls of yellow flowers in June. May also attract the small blue butterfly, for which it's the larval foodplant.
Onobrychis viciifolia, sainfoin. Vivid pink spikes of flowers, suitable for a border or meadow area.

ASTERACEAE

Centaurea scabiosa, Greater knapweed. Don't be put off by the common name, this is a beautiful wildflower that attracts a host of bees and butterflies. Plants can grow quite large and produce dozens of large purple inflorescences on stalks about 1m (3ft) tall.

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