To picture the ideal garden for bumble bees, think of a prairie! Some good rules of thumb when planning your garden are:
1. Have blooming flowers present in your garden March - October (or longer, if possible in your area).
2. Provide 3-5 different flower species (your bees need a varied diet)
3. Vary the colors and shapes of your blooms
4. Avoid the use of pesticides
1. Have blooming flowers present in your garden March - October (or longer, if possible in your area).
2. Provide 3-5 different flower species (your bees need a varied diet)
3. Vary the colors and shapes of your blooms
4. Avoid the use of pesticides
Here's a short list of some of my favorite native bumble bee plants for Texas:
Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis var. texensis)
Mealy blue sage (Salvia farinacea)
Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens)
Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)
Texas thistle (Cirsium texanum)
Basketflower (Centaurea americana)
Coneflower (Echinacea spp.)
Milkweed (especially green milkweed and antelope's horns) (Ascelpias spp.)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii)
Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
Blazing star (Liatris spp.)
Eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii)
Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis var. texensis)
Mealy blue sage (Salvia farinacea)
Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens)
Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)
Texas thistle (Cirsium texanum)
Basketflower (Centaurea americana)
Coneflower (Echinacea spp.)
Milkweed (especially green milkweed and antelope's horns) (Ascelpias spp.)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii)
Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
Blazing star (Liatris spp.)
Eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii)