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With countless petitions to protect bees, bees and insects and their importance for our ecosystem are now of political interest. Outside of politics, however, hobby gardeners have known for a long time that they make a significant contribution to pollination, pest control and many other aspects of horticulture. Countless perennials make a significant contribution to turning your garden into a paradise for bees and insects. Our list will help you make the right choice.
Perennials for bees and insects
First of all, it should be noted that there is no true black and white classification of whether and when a plant is bee-friendly or insect-friendly and when it is not. Instead, almost all plants offer the animals some form of food, shelter or habitat in general. However, various plants are particularly good at attracting bees and insects. This is due to some essential aspects of their growth, which directly benefit the animals:
- High nectar content per flower, or distributed over countless flowers, thus large food supply
- intensive colourfulness, thus great signaling effect on insects
- strong scent that can only be perceived by bees, making it a source of food that is easy to find
- long flowering period or multiple flowering shoots per season, thus food supply available for a long time
Our list below includes perennials that meet the requirements for bees and insects with flying colors. However, you should not limit yourself exclusively to the plants represented, but bees and insects with a as much variety as possible a versatile offer that can be used all year round.
Perennials close to the ground up to 30 cm high
Low-growing plants are particularly well suited for large-scale designs and as a transition between taller plants and paths, lawns, etc. As solitary plants, on the other hand, they quickly fall behind and above all offer opportunities for small beds, plant pots or planting along paths.
Medicinal Thyme/Quendel
- bot. Name: Thymus pulegioides
- Growth height: 5 to 30 cm
- Flower color: light purple
- Flowering period: May to October
garden sage
- bot. Name: Salvia officinalis
- Growth height: 30 cm
- Flower color: medium blue
- Flowering period: June to September
Spotted deadnettle
- bot. Name: Lamium maculatum
- Growth height: 25 cm
- Flower color: red-violet
- Flowering period: May to July
White Deadnettle, Lamium maculatum
Gold nettle / dead nettle
- bot. Name: Lamium galeobdolon
- Growth height: 20 cm
- Flower color: yellow
- Flowering period: May to June
Golden nettle, Lamium galeobdolon
Large brunelle / brownelle
- bot. Name: Prunella grandiflora
- Growth height: 10 cm
- Flower color: violet blue
- Flowering period: June to September
Grand Prize
- bot. Name: Veronica teucrium
- Growth height: 25 to 30 cm
- Flower color: deep gentian blue
- Flowering period: May to July
Round-leaved garden thyme
- bot. Name: Thymus serpyllum
- Growth height: 6 to 8 cm
- Flower color: crimson
- Flowering period: July to August
Perennials for bees up to 60 cm high
Flowering plants of this size can be integrated very easily into other plantings, as they occupy an intermediate position between ground-covering and tall-growing plants. On the one hand, they can still cover large areas, but on the other hand, they can already enrich smaller arrangements as prominent solitaires. And by the way, these perennials lure the bees into the garden.
From B - G
Sweet William
- bot. Name: Dianthus barbatus
- Growth height: 50 cm
- Flower Color: Bright crimson
- Flowering period: May to August
mountain knapweed
- bot. Name: Centaurea montana
- Growth height: 50 cm
- Flower color: blue
- Flowering period: May to July
Real soapwort
- bot. Name: Saponaria officinalis
- Growth height: 60 cm
- Flower color: light pink
- Flowering period: June to September
True verbena
- bot. Name: Verbena officinalis
- Growth height: 60 cm
- Flower color: light blue violet
- Flowering period: July to September
Garden Flower Dost / Garden Heath Günsel
- bot. Name: Origanum laevigatum
- Growth height: 40 cm
- Flower color: pink
- Flowering period: August to September
chamois root
- bot. Name: Doronicum
- Growth height: 50 cm
- Flower color: golden yellow
- Flowering time: April to May
Garden Bunting Bellflower
- bot. Name: Campanula glomerata
- Growth height: 50 cm
- Flower color: dark purple
- Flowering period: June to August
Yellow Foxglove
- bot. Name: Digitalis lutea
- Growth height: 60 cm
- Flower color: light lemon yellow
- Flowering period: June to August
Gold Marguerite/ Oxeye
- bot. Name: Buphthalmum salicifolium
- Growth height: 50 cm
- Flower color: golden yellow
- Flowering time: July to August
Big Garden Bacopa
- bot. Name: Sedum telephium
- Growth height: 50 cm
- Flower color: brown-red
- Flowering period: August to October
Sedum telephium Xenox, Tall Stonecrop
Large masterwort
- bot. Name: Astrantia major
- Growth height: 60 cm
- Flower color: off-white
- Flowering period: June to August
Great masterwort, Astrantia major
From H-W
Heil Ziest
- bot. Name: Stachys officinalis
- Growth height: 50 cm
- Flower color: purple-pink
- Flowering period: July to August
Native Globeflower/Trollius
- bot. Name: Trollius europaeus
- Growth height: 60 cm
- Flower color: bright yellow
- Flowering period: May to June
Carthusian carnation
- bot. Name: Dianthus carthusianorum
- Growth height: 40 cm
- Flower color: pink
- Flowering period: June to September
Cuckoo Campion
- bot. Name: Lychnis flos-cuculi
- Growth height: 40 cm
- Flower color: pink
- Flowering period: May to July
Macedonian scabious
- bot. Name: Knautia macedonica
- Growth height: 60 cm
- Flower color: dark red
- Flowering period: June to October
Magnificent garden coneflower
- bot. Name: Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii
- Growth height: 60 cm
- Flower color: golden yellow
- Flowering period: July to October
Coneflower 'Goldsturm', Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii
Deciduous Germander
- bot. Name: Teucrium Chamaedrys
- Growth height: 35 cm
- Flower color: purple-pink
- Flowering period: July to August
Bulky Autumn Aster
- bot. Name: Aster Divaricatus
- Growth height: 40 cm
- Flower color: white with dark stems
- Flowering period: July to September
stone quenelle
- bot. Name: Calamintha nepeta
- Growth height: 40 cm
- Flower color: light purple or white
- Flowering period: July to September
Small-flowered calamint, Calamintha nepeta
pigeon scabious
- bot. Name: Scabiosa Columbaria
- Growth height: 40 cm
- Flower color: soft blue
- Flowering period: May to October
Meadow Marguerite
- bot. Name: Leucanthemum Vulgare
- Growth height: 60 cm
- Flower color: white
- Flowering period: May to June
Meadow cranesbill
- bot. Name: Geranium Pratense
- Growth height: 40 cm
- Flower color: lilac-white-pink
- Flowering period: May to July
Medium-sized perennials up to 100 cm tall
Plants and perennials of medium size will probably make up the bulk of the planting in many gardens for bees. Both in groups of plants and as impressive individual perennials, they offer great scope for design. Due to the wide range of possible sizes, they are usually able to convey a staggering of the growth heights and create a harmonious visual appearance.
From A - G
Algiers mallow
- bot. Name: Malva sylvestris
- Growth height: 100 cm
- Flower color: violet, dark stripes
- Flowering period: June to October
Wild mallow, Malva sylvestris
Amstel diamond
- bot. Name: Thalictrum aquilegif.webpolium
- Growth height: 100 cm
- Flower color: purple-pink
- Flowering period: May to July
Thalictrum aquilegiifolium, columbine meadow rue, Amstel rue
Burning bush/ diptam
- bot. Name: Dictamnus albus
- Growth height: 70 cm
- Flower color: dark pink
- Flowering period: May to June
Fragrant Nettle
- bot. Name: Agastache
- Growth height: 70 cm
- Flower color: blue-violet
- Flowering period: July to September
Agastache, sweet nettle
Real catnip
- bot. Name: Nepeta cataria
- Growth height: 70 cm
- Flower color: white with red spots
- Flowering period: July to September
aconite
- bot. Name: Acontium
- Growth height: 100 cm
- Flower color: blue-violet
- Flowering period: July to August
Garden Catnip
- bot. Name: Nepeta faassenii
- Growth height: 50 to 80 cm
- Flower color: violet blue
- Flowering period: June to September
common columbine
- bot. Name: Aquilegia vulgaris
- Growth height: 60 to 70 cm
- Flower color: pink and blue pastel tones
- Flowering period: May to June
Large-flowered foxglove
- bot. Name: Digitalis grandiflora
- Growth height: 80 cm
- Flower color: light yellow
- Flowering period: June to August
Large-flowered false elecampane/ Telekie
- bot. Name: Telekia speciosa
- Growth height: 150 to 180 cm
- Flower color: yellow
- Flowering period: July to August
From H - W
Ladder to heaven/Jacob's ladder/Sperry herb
- bot. Name: Polemonium caeruleum
- Growth height: 80 cm
- Flower color: blue
- Flowering period: June to July
Clary Sage
- bot. Name: Salvia sclarea
- Growth height: 100 cm
- Flower color: light purple
- Flowering period: June to August
Nettle-leaved scented nettle
- bot. Name: Agastache Rugosa
- Growth height: 80 cm
- Flower color: violet
- Flowering time: August
Nettle-leaved Bellflower
- bot. Name: Campanula Trachelium
- Growth height: 80 cm
- Flower color: purple
- Flowering period: July to August
notice: Again and again one reads about the alleged toxicity of the bellflower. It is true that harmful effects cannot be completely ruled out due to the large number of plants belonging to the bluebells. However, no documented poisoning from the various perennials has been reported so far! On the other hand, they are always bee-friendly and generally insect-friendly and are worth considering when planning the garden!
Przewalski candle gold flask
- bot. Name: Ligularia przewalskii
- Growth height: 100 cm
- Flower color: yellow
- Flowering period: July to August
Rose Poplar/ Rose Mallow
- bot. Name: Malva alcea
- Growth height: 80 cm
- Flower color: pink
- Flowering period: June to September
mock coneflower
- bot. Name: Echinacea Purpurea
- Growth height: 100 cm
- Flower color: crimson
- Flowering period: July to September
Coneflower "Tangerine Dream", Echinacea purpurea
Swamp Meadowsweet
- bot. Name: Filipendula ulmaria
- Growth height: 100 cm
- Flower color: creamy white
- Flowering period: June to August
Forest Bellflower
- bot. Name: Campanula latifolia var. Macrantha
- Growth height: 100 cm
- Flower color: deep purple
- Flowering period: June to July
Large perennials over 100 cm tall
When plants reach heights of more than one meter, they are particularly suitable as concise solitary plantings in beds with low vegetation. You can also decoratively shield house walls and sometimes even create a certain privacy screen. However, their growth height also leads to shading or impaired visibility from normal windows, so that the choice of location should be well-chosen.
From
Afghanistan elecampane/giant elecampane
- bot. Name: Inula magnifica
- Growth height: 200 cm
- Flower color: yellow
- Flowering period: July to August
Argentine verbena
- bot. Name: Verbena bonariensis
- Growth height: 130 cm
- Flower color: violet
- Flowering period: July to October
Arkansas Mock Aster/ Shore Mock Aster
- bot. Name: Vernonia crinita
- Growth height: 150 to 200 cm
- Flower color: red deep purple
- Flowering time: September to October
blood loosestrife
- bot. Name: Lythrum salicaria
- Growth height: 100 to 120 cm
- Flower color: lilac red
- Flowering period: July to August
From G - W
Yellow giant knapweed
- bot. Name: Centaurea macrocephala
- Growth height: 100 to 150 cm
- Flower color: bright yellow
- Flowering period: July to August
Common water daffodil/ Kunigundenkraut
- bot. Name: Eupatorium cannabinum
- Growth height: 120 cm
- Flower color: pink
- Flowering period: July to September
Large-flowered mullein/ wool flower
- bot. Name: Verbascum densiflorum
- Growth height: 120 cm
- Flower color: lemon yellow
- Flowering period: July to August
Big ox tongue
- bot. Name: Anchusa azurea
- Growth height: 100 to 130 cm
- Flower color: blue
- Flowering period: June to July
High bed sheaf/ high noble sheaf
- bot. Name: Achillea filipendulina
- Growth height: 120 cm
- Flower color: golden yellow
- Flowering period: June to September
Tall Gold Sheaf, Achillea filipendulina is a bee friendly perennial
Red Flowering Foxglove
- bot. Name: Digitalis purpurea
- Growth height: 120 cm
- Flower color: red
- Flowering period: June to July
red foxglove, Digitalis purpurea
danger: The members of the foxglove family are all considered poisonous and can also seriously affect humans. However, since they are considered to be very bee-friendly, careful handling of the perennials in your own garden is always worthwhile!
forest goat's beard
- bot. Name: Aruncus dioicus
- Growth height: 180 cm
- Flower color: white
- Flowering period: June to July
Forest goat's beard, Aruncus dioicus
From the abundance of the named perennials, there are plants for almost every garden that are bee-friendly or insect-friendly. In addition to the bees, it is often worth taking a second look at the other properties of the individual plants. In this way, further advantages can be achieved under certain circumstances by selecting the "right" representative.
Because while the flowers and nectar of the perennial attract bees, the scent can act as a deterrent to pests or even help to prevent disease. In this way you kill several birds with one stone and, in addition to the bees, you gain numerous other useful aspects for the benefit of your garden.