We ’re here to help!Wild Yards is a entirely free website that is 100 % consecrate to helping you make a wildlife - favorable , sustainable yard . Read more
WildYards is reader - suffer . When you buy a product through a link on our site , we may earn a comission . Every mathematical product is severally selected by our ( obsessive ) editors and our review are unbiased and objective .
Read missionor ourprivacy insurance policy .
Get a Landscaping or Gardening Quote
Enter your zip code
With their iconic bright yellow blooms , helianthus are an attractive increase to any garden . But if you want to get more pollinators to your raving mad yard , you may be wondering if sunflowers will do the magic . So , do bees like helianthus ?
Yes , they for certain do ! Bees like sunflowers of all form , and they ’re so well-to-do to get . In fact , helianthus can be good to your local hive ’s health ( more on that in a bit ) , which makes them an excellent selection for your backyard .
Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflower
Why do bees like sunflowers?
A bee ’s Book of Job is to pollinate and produce honey . so as to do this , they need a true source of pollen and ambrosia , and the sunflower has both of these things in teemingness . Scientifically known asHelianthus annuus , common sunflowers are easily identified by their tall green stalk , and tumid yellow efflorescence with yellow , green , or brownish centers .
Sunflowers are extremely fast - growing , usually developing bud within just two calendar month of planting . The flowerheads turn over 12 - inches in diameter , giving multiple bee plenty of place to pollinate and feed at the same metre .
These bombastic , showy blossom are long - lasting , blooming for six to twelve weeks , which helps meet the bee’snear - constant pauperization for nutriment . Each bloom emit a hard , mellisonant odour that attract bees ( and butterflies , too , for that matter ) from mile aside . This fragrance tells the bees that the sunflower are full of ambrosia , which , once ingested , can be used to bring forth love later on back at the hive .
Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflower
Which sunflowers do bees like best?
bee like all sunflowers , but specially common helianthus . When it comes to choosing bee - friendly helianthus , classic form such as ‘ Yellow Pygmy ’ , ‘ Mammoth Grey Stripe ’ , and ‘ Lemon Queen ’ , are all great option . As a regulation of thumb , you really ca n’t go wrong when you opt from traditional yellow helianthus specie , as these type of sunflower are among some of thebest flowers for pull bee to your backyard .
Even though the deep crimson ‘ Moulin Rouge ’ or the gentle pink ‘ Iris Tectorum Rose ’ may not be your neighborhood bees ’ first choice , they can still enjoy them when placed with traditional sunflowers . But , when given a option , always choose the traditional yellow sunflowers that bees like well .
Hybrid flowers tend to be less fragrant than traditional sort . So helianthus that have been cultivate to bring forth blue , cerise , or other coloured blooms may not be as effective at attracting bee as traditional metal money . That said , it is worth noting that these hybrid sunflowers can still pull in bees in the right setting .
Which sunflowers are best for attracting bees?
For large backyard spaces , call back enceinte ! Opt for the taller sunflower variety show , like ‘ Russian Mammoth ’ and ‘ American Giant ’ . These oculus - overtake flowers gain impressive heights of 12 to 16 foot , making them a corking focal point for your yard . The marvelous the sunflower , the easy it is for bees to spot when they fly by .
For little gardens , opt dwarf sunflower varieties , such as ‘ Cusick ’s Sunflower ’ or ‘ Sungold Dwarf Sunflower ’ , which strain maximum heights of two and three substructure , severally . These sunflower are idealistic for container horticulture because they require minimal space . Not only do these small sunflowers pull bees , but they alsoattract hummingbirds , as well as a smorgasbord of other raspberry when they go to come . If you ’ve got a little backyard , gnome sunflowers are an incredibly effective choice for attracting a variety of wildlife !
What flowers should you plant with sunflowers to attract bees?
Sunflowers are just the affair you need to attract bee to your backyard space . But adding other flowers that bee enjoy encourages them to visit your garden frequently and to stay on for retentive periods of fourth dimension . To keep your local bees ’ attending , constitute a variety of different flowers in your backyard .
Hydrangeas , peculiarly lacecap and oakleaf miscellany , are very pop with bee . When choosing hydrangea to attract bee , opt for white and blue flowers . These prime have high visibility for bees , as they have trouble run into the colour red ink .
Clematisis another excellent option for bring bees to your thousand . ‘ Diana ’s Delight ’ clematis vine sport beautiful purple - puritanic flower that attract many pollinating dirt ball , include bees . And , because it ’s a vine , it allows many pollinator to feed at one time . hummingbird are appeal to clematis , too , so this fragrant peak works extra time to bring a variety of wildlife to your outdoor blank space .
Where do bees like sunflowers to be planted?
Sunflowers need Sunday — it ’s a part of their name , after all ! But , as it turns out , where you put your sunflowers can have a corking impact on whether or not they pull in bees . Did you have intercourse that bee likesunflowers embed facing due east ? This is because sunflowers confront the rising Dominicus capture heat advantageously than those facing away from the sun , and bees ( just like all the rest period of us ! ) want to be easy when they ’re eat .
Whether you grow sunflower in the ground or in good deal , make indisputable the spot you maturate them in has the flowers facing east . give the bees a safe , invite garden to seethe around in will keep them coming back for more !
Are sunflowers better for bees than other flowers?
Thebest bee gardenis one that offers bees an assortment of bloom of youth to chit-chat because bees like variety . The more blossom that they have to graze , the longer they will stay in your garden , and the more frequently they ’ll visit . Lots of prime provide passable nectar and plentifulness of pollen for bees . But sunflowers extend bee a unique health reward because sunflower pollen is plenteous in vitamin E.
Theimmune system of rules - enhancing effectsof helianthus pollen helper honeybees stave in off fungous infection . few fungal infection stand for few bee dying , which means more healthy drones to pollinate your garden . Over meter , this has a dribble - up effect , systemically improving the wellness of the total beehive .
By plant sunflowers to pull in bees to your backyard , you may allow them with a steady seed of food . And , by keeping your neighborhood bee goodly with the help of alimental sunflower pollen , you could improve the lives of these valuable pollinators , and support your local ecosystem !
