Bee-friendly

In celebration of World Bee Day, which was held on 20 May, here are 5 bee facts and 5 bee-friendly flowers

Honeybees are responsible for pollinating a third of the fruit and vegetables we consume.

A strong colony of around 60,000 bees will travel the equivalent distance from Earth to the moon every day.

In their lifetime, 12 honeybees will produce a teaspoon of yummy honey for us to enjoy.

Bees can cover an impressive three miles in one trip foraging for nectar.

Honeybees must gather nectar from two million flowers to make 454 grams (one pound) of honey.

Leading honey brand Rowse has collated 5 flowers to plant for a bee-friendly garden – from lavender to sunflowers. These plants thrive in summer but are also beautiful additions to any garden. Planting certain seasonal flowers is kind to the bees and you’ll enjoy a ‘bee-autiful’ garden as a result.

Rowse is passionately spearheading positive change for the bees through Hives for Lives, a program of vital initiatives that protects the bees and improves livelihoods through beekeeping.

Borage

Borage is an annual plant which grows very quickly from seed. This plant also re-seeds itself, so can easily be grown the next year simply by allowing the seedlings to grow, or they can be transplanted. Borage is a hotspot for honeybees because its flowers replenish nectar often. Therefore, our buzzing friends can frequently and reliably return to feed. For this reason, borage attracts other insects like butterflies too.The beautiful blue flowers that bloom on borage are the perfect addition to a summery cocktail or mocktail. Young borage leaves also add texture to fresh salads.

Fleabane

Fleabane belongs to the daisy family. This delicate British wildflower can be planted in grass or flower beds. Fleabane produces a mass of lovely white flowers that may be tinged by lilac or yellow, with a sunny centre that entices honeybees, bumble bees, flies and butterflies. A perennial plant that flourishes from late spring to autumn, fleabane is an oasis for honeybees at cooler times of the year when flowers are sparser. This lowmaintenance plant is ideal for filling bare spots beneath shrubs and trees, or along path edges.

Lavender

The scent of lavender is as lovely as its pretty purple flowers. This plant can live for years, flourishing best when planted in a sunny spot, especially through June and July. With many flowers and a high nectar content, our buzzing friends are bound to make a beeline. This plant is popular with other pollinators too; bumblebees spend 1 - 1.14 seconds per lavender flower, while honeybees delight in its pollen for 3.5 seconds. Lavender can also aid sleep, with its distinct scent believed to help invoke feelings of calm.

Marjoram

Marjoram has pretty pinky white flowers which look lovely in the garden. It is great for alluring a whole host of nature’s little visitors, from honeybees to bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies. It blooms in summer when the bee food supply is most stretched and is also easy to grow. Marjoram belongs to the same family as oregano, so is delicious on a pizza, with roasted meats or in soups — a little goes a long way as far as flavour’s concerned! Marjoram tea is also popular, made using dried herbs, hot water and of course, honey.

Sunflowers (Helianthus)

Helianthus — otherwise known as sunflowers — bloom for several months throughout the year, starting in August. This terrific, towering plant makes a real statement in the garden and will certainly catch a honeybee’s attention! Its vibrant yellow petals also attract bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies to the hundreds of tiny tubular flowers in the middle of the flower. This centre is brimming with nectar, which is the main source of carbohydrates for our buzzing friends, as well as fluffy protein-packed pollen that collects on their bodies. Sunflowers are also considered to be ‘low-infection’ flowers; their pollen has medicinal and protective effects on bees, helping to improve bee colony health.

Planting flowers takes time and patience, so an easy first step is to let your lawn grow a little longer. Plantlife’s Every Flower Counts survey showed that this simple change can generate enough nectar for ten times more bees and other pollinators. Even a little patch can increase nectar sources.

Gardening is such a fulfilling activity; but knowing you’ve created a honeybee haven to help keep the world’s biggest workforce happy and healthy, and our fruit and veg pollinated, will make it even sweeter.