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At this point we present 26 bee-friendly climbing and climbing plants, which offer insects valuable sources of nectar and pollen from spring to autumn. Some plants need a lot of space, others also thrive well on the balcony.

In a nutshell

  • many native climbing plants are valuable bee pastures
  • some exotic plants are also readily accepted by insects
  • good flowers should have simple flowers and be little cultivated
  • Wild or original forms are particularly suitable
  • some climbing and climbing plants remain low and are also suitable for the balcony

26 recommended climbing plants for bees

When choosing suitable climbing and climbing plants, pay attention to this, if possible

  • native
  • and species that have not been cultivated much
  • as well as varieties with single flowers

to select. Combine these with other valuable plants, such as spring bloomers, summer and autumn flowers, to provide insects with food all year round. It becomes difficult for the animals, especially in early spring and from late summer when only a few plants are in bloom.

Plants from A - D

Alpine Clematis (Clematis alpina)

The very robust alpine clematis is one of the clematis species that open their flowers early in the year.

  • Location: partially shaded or shaded
  • Soil: sandy to loamy, fresh to moist
  • Growth height: up to three meters
  • Flower shape: simple bell-shaped flowers
  • Flowering period: May to June
  • Flower colors: violet, blue
  • Use: Privacy screen, wall, wall and fence greening, also for planters
  • Special features: native wild plant

Broad-leaved vetchling (Vetch, Lathyrus latifolius)

There are around 160 different types of vetch or vetches. Particularly bee-friendly species are the annual sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) and the perennial sweet peas (Lathyrus latifolius), which are also described here. Sweet peas are valuable food plants for bees and many other insects.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rather dry, calcareous
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Growth height: up to 200 centimeters
  • Flowering period: June to August
  • Flower colors: red, pink, violet, white
  • Use: Climbing plants for fences
  • Special features: many native species, e.g. B. Yellow vetchling, forest vetchling, red vetchling, naked vetchling

Blackberry (Rubus)

The blackberry, which belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae), is one of the most popular types of fruit. The thorny tendrils can grow several meters long, quickly forming impenetrable hedges. For insects and other animals, however, the plants are very popular as forage plants and hiding places.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in humus, calcareous
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Growth height: up to 500 centimeters
  • Flower shape: simple
  • Flowering period: June to July
  • Flower colors: white
  • Special features: edible fruits

Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)

The hanging, very lush growing wisteria captivates with its beautiful flowers. They are rich in nectar and pollen, which is why the bee-friendly plants are popular in the garden. But be careful: all parts of the plant are poisonous to humans and pets.

  • Location: sunny to off-sun
  • Soil: rich in nutrients
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Growth height: up to 15 meters
  • Flower shape: grape flowers
  • Flowering period: May to June
  • Flower colors: violet, white
  • Use: wall and wall greening
  • Special features: poisonous

Plants from E - H

Ivy (Hedera helix)

Due to its late flowering period, the native ivy is a sought-after and popular plant for bees and many other insects. Old ivy stands in particular should therefore not be removed, but preserved if possible.

  • Location: shady to sunny
  • Soil: nutrient-rich, calcareous
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Growth height: up to 20 meters
  • Flower shape: inconspicuous umbelliferous flowers
  • Flowering time: September to October
  • Flower colors: greenish-white
  • Use: ground cover, area and wall greening
  • Special features: evergreen, poisonous

Earth pear (Apios americana)

The bee-friendly earth pear comes from North America and is one of the rather unknown climbing plants in this country. Their underground growing tubers are edible and taste like sweet potatoes.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in humus
  • Height of growth: tendrils up to three meters long
  • Flowering time: August
  • Use: in a single position, requires climbing aids (e.g. pergolas or trellises)
  • Special features: edible tubers, sprout again every year
Source: Mageejp, Apios-americana-08102, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Kidney Beans (Phaseolus)

Garden beans, which are highly valued as vegetables, are annual climbing plants whose flowers are very popular with bees as a source of food. So by growing pole or runner beans you are not only doing yourself a favour, you are also doing a lot of insects a favor.

  • Location: sunny, warm, sheltered from the wind
  • Soil: rich in humus, loose
  • Annual or perennial: annual
  • Flowering period: May to June
  • Use: with climbing aids in the vegetable garden, on fences
  • Specialties: edible legumes
French bean, Phaseolus vulgaris

Garden peas (Pisum sativum)

The annual climbing plants are among the oldest food plants in the world. The same applies to them as to beans: by growing these plants, you feed yourself and your family as well as bees and other humming folk.

  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: rich in humus, loose
  • Annual or perennial: annual
  • Height of growth: tendrils up to three meters long, depending on the variety
  • Flowering period: between May and June
  • Flower colors: white
  • Special features: edible, forms nitrogen-collecting nodule bacteria on the roots
pea

Honeysuckle (Jelängerjelieber, Lonicera henryi)

Bee-friendly climbing plants such as honeysuckle should not be missing in any garden - especially not when the flowers smell so wonderful not only for bees but also for us humans.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in humus, fresh to moist
  • Growth height: up to six meters
  • Flower shape: whorls, strongly scented
  • Flowering period: May to July
  • Flower colors: white, yellow, pink
  • Application: for garden fences, as wall and wall greening, privacy screen
  • Special features: poisonous, valuable bird protection tree

Bell morning glory (bell vine, Cobaea scandens)

Due to its long flowering period and the light scent of flowers, the bell vine is not only popular with gardeners, but also with bees. It is one of the strong-growing climbing plants that develop tendrils up to six meters long within a very short time.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in humus, rather sandy
  • Annual or perennial: annual
  • Height of growth: tendrils up to six meters long
  • Flower shape: bell-shaped single flowers
  • Flowering period: July to October
  • Flower colors: white, violet, multicolored
  • Use: for garden fences, as wall and wall greening, well suited for planters
Bell vine, Cobaea scandens suitable for garden and balcony

Golden clematis (Clematis tangutica)

The yellow clematis, which comes from China, is a popular, bee-friendly plant due to its long flowering period and abundance of nectar.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: sandy to loamy, rich in nutrients
  • Growth height: up to three meters
  • Flower shape: bell-shaped single flowers
  • Flowering period: June to October
  • Flower colors: yellow
  • Use: for garden fences, as green walls and walls, for individual use
Clematis tangutica

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)

If you write about bee-friendly climbing plants and climbing plants, you should definitely not forget the cucumbers. The large flowers of all cucumber plants are very popular with bees and other insects, as they are rich in nectar and pollen.

  • Location: full sun, sheltered from the wind
  • Soil: loose, rich in humus
  • Use: outdoor cucumbers in particular are bee-friendly plants, grow on the ground or on a trellis
  • Special features: edible fruits

Plants from I - R

Italian Clematis (Clematis viticella)

The Italian clematis are wild forms that are much more robust than the more well-known clematis hybrids. There are also different bee-friendly varieties with beautiful flowers of this species.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, fresh to moist
  • Height of growth: up to five meters, upright growing
  • Flower shape: Cup flowers
  • Flowering period: June to September
  • Flower colors: white, red, pink, violet, blue
  • Special features: hardy
Source: Andrea Moro, Clematis viticella flower (14), edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)

Whoever cultivates the blooming, large nasturtium in his garden decides on climbing plants that are particularly rich in flowers. The beautiful flowers in sunny colors are easy for bees to reach and are also rich in nectar and pollen.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: sandy to loamy
  • Annual or perennial: annual
  • Growth height: up to 30 centimeters
  • Flower shape: large single flowers
  • Flowering period: July to October
  • Flower colors: red, orange, yellow, multicolored
  • Special features: edible flowers

Tip: Types and varieties of nasturtium that stay low are also suitable for balcony culture.

Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)

The climbing hydrangea scales walls and walls, which it soon covers extensively with its tendrils. The climbing plants also adorn themselves with large, creamy-white and fragrant inflorescences that attract insects of all kinds.

  • Location: sunny to shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, poor in lime
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Growth height: up to 15 meters
  • Flower shape: Umbrella panicles
  • Flowering period: June to July
  • Flower colors: creamy white
Climbing Hydrangea, Hydrangea petiolaris

Climbing Roses (Pink, Single Varieties)

The popular climbing roses are also particularly bee-friendly climbing plants, provided they are varieties with single, single flowers (e.g. 'Dortmund' or 'Bobby James'). These plants beautify house walls, pergolas, rose arches and even trees.

  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, loose
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Growth height: up to ten meters, spreading climber (need climbing aid)
  • Flowering period: multiple flowering (climbing roses), once flowering (rambler roses)
  • Flower colors: white, yellow, red, pink, apricot
  • Special features: Distinction between climbing and rambler roses, the latter are very fast-growing

Tip: In addition to climbing roses, wild roses such as the vinegar rose (Rosa gallica) or burnet rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia) are valuable bee pastures.

Trumpet climber (Campsis radicans)

The climbing trumpet, also known as the trumpet flower, looks very exotic due to its large calyx, but is also hardy in our country.

  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: loamy and rich in humus, moderately dry to fresh
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Height of growth: climbing plants up to ten meters high
  • Flower shape: trumpet flowers
  • Flowering period: July to September
  • Flower colors: red, orange, yellow
  • Use: wall greening, good rose companion
  • Special features: fast-growing, forms adhesive roots

Creeping Rose (Rosa arvensis)

Also known as the field rose, the creeping rose is a native wild rose species that provides plenty of valuable nectar and pollen for bees and other insects. It is a ground cover, but will take any opportunity to climb.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in humus, loose
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Growth height: up to two meters
  • Flower shape: simple
  • Flowering time: April to May or June to July, depending on the species
  • Flower colors: white
  • Use: Planting of woody edges

Tip: If you cut back creeping roses every year, they will bloom all the more luxuriantly.

Pumpkin (Cucurbita)

Like the related cucumbers, other cucurbits - including edible and ornamental squashes, zucchini and melons - are bee-friendly climbers and vines whose large flowers provide ample food for insects. Therefore, they should not be missing from this list.

  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, loose
  • Annual or perennial: annual
  • Height of growth: tendrils up to several meters long, depending on the type and variety
  • Flower shape: large funnel flowers
  • Flower colors: yellow
  • Use: in the vegetable patch, but also for compost greening and on walls and fences
  • Special features: edible fruits
Cucurbita, pumpkins, squash blossom

Planting from P - Z

Passion flowers (Passiflora)

Passion flowers are not hardy here and can therefore only be kept in tubs. Nevertheless, these climbing plants are very popular with bees.

  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: Pot plant substrate, moist but not waterlogged
  • Annual or perennial: perennial, overwinter frost-free
  • Height of growth: up to several meters in height
  • Flower shape: characteristic
  • Flower colors: mostly violet-white
  • Use: container plant
  • Special features: edible fruits

Tip: In particular, the maracuja or passion fruit (Passiflora edulis), which you can easily grow yourself from seeds from supermarket fruit, is very well suited as a bee-friendly balcony plant.

Climbing knotweed (Fallopia baldschuanica)

The knotweed is a valuable shrub for large gardens, from which many animals feed and live. In addition to bees, these plants also provide both food and shelter for birds and small animals. But be careful: knotweed is extremely fast-growing and will overgrow open spaces in no time at all - it is not without reason that it is nicknamed "architect's consolation".

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in humus
  • Height of growth: up to 15 meters high
  • Flower shape: lightly scented flower spikes
  • Flowering period: June to October
  • Flower colors: white, yellow, white
  • Special features: extremely fast-growing
Climbing Knoeterich Fallopia baldschuanica

Black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata)

One of the most popular climbing plants in the garden thanks to the pretty flowers and dark green leaves. The species can also be cultivated very well in tubs.

  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: rich in humus, calcareous
  • Annual or perennial: annual
  • Growth height: up to one and a half meters
  • Flower shape: funnel-shaped single flowers
  • Flowering period: June to October
  • Flower colors: white, yellow, orange, multicolored
  • Use: for flower beds, garden fences, planters
  • Special features: sensitive to frost

morning glory (morning glory, Ipomoea)

The morning glory, also known as morning glory or morning glory, originally comes from Central America. The actually perennial plants are not hardy with us and are therefore only cultivated once a year.

  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: nutrient-rich, moist
  • Annual or perennial: annual
  • Height of growth: up to four meters
  • Flower shape: funnel flowers
  • Flowering period: July to October
  • Flower colors: blue, white, pink, multicolored
  • Special features: requires climbing aids

Virginia creeper (virgin vine, Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

Virginia creeper is undoubtedly one of the most important nectar and pollen plants in the garden. Here it hums and buzzes not only during the flowering period, but all summer long.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Growth height: up to 20 meters
  • Flowering time: white
  • Flower colors: July to August
  • Special features: has adhesive discs, self-climbing

Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)

Mainly because of its extremely early flowering period, winter jasmine is an important and valuable plant for bees, bumblebees and other insects that wake up early from hibernation.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: rich in nutrients, likes lime
  • Annual or perennial: perennial
  • Height of growth: up to three meters high
  • Flower shape: single flowers
  • Flowering period: January to March
  • Flower colors: yellow
  • Special features: overhanging growth
Jasminum nudiflorum

Bryonia (Bryonia)

The bryony is a wild plant native to us that climbs strongly and is widespread. The species found here, bryony (Bryonia dioica) and white bryony (Bryonia alba), are valuable forage plants, especially for wild bees, but the berries in particular are highly poisonous.

  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Growth height: up to three meters
  • Flower shape: simple
  • Flowering period: June to September
  • Flower colors: white
  • Use: perfect for planting at the edge of trees
  • Special features: highly toxic
Source: Magnus Manske, P1000627 Bryonia dioica (Cucurbitaceae) Plant, edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

frequently asked Questions

Which garden plants are particularly bee-friendly?

Almost all plants with simple, unfilled flowers and little cultivation are bee-friendly. Therefore, prefer native flowers, perennials and shrubs for a natural, insect-friendly garden. Herbs and wild flowers such as yarrow, wild mallow, dost and borage are particularly popular. But nasturtiums, sunflowers and numerous other spring and summer flowers are also popular with bees.

What colors are bees attracted to?

Bees are irresistibly attracted to the color yellow. Blue and purple flower colors are also irresistible to insects, which is why bee-friendly plants often flower in these colors or a combination of them.

Which plants are bad for bees?

Bees literally starve in front of laid tables when they plant flowers with double flowers (e.g. roses, dahlias, etc.) or choose heavily bred varieties such as geraniums, petunias or pansies. The latter contain little or no nectar and are therefore ecologically worthless.

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