Flowering bushes and shrubs attract many useful insects and birds to the garden and thus make an important contribution to nature conservation. The selection of insect-friendly trees and shrubs is huge and varied. Here you will find 33 bee bushes.

In a nutshell

  • bee-friendly shrubs and bushes are rich in nectar and pollen
  • wide open and not densely filled calyxes ideal target for bees and insects
  • Mixture of early, summer and late bloomers recommended
  • increases the bloom and pollen supply

Insect-friendly early bloomers

From B to F

Farmer's jasmine (Philadelphus coronarius)

  • narrow upright, overhanging in old age
  • between 200 and 300 cm tall
  • faintly toothed, deep green leaves
  • Flowering period May-June
  • cupped, creamy white, fragrant flower clusters

Tip: Cultivated forms of this traditional cottage garden tree are neither bee-friendly nor insect-friendly.

Barberry (Berberis)

Common barberry (Berberis vulgaris)
  • upright, dense growth, arching overhanging when old
  • Growth height up to 300 cm
  • thorny branches and leaves
  • Flowering period from May to June
  • Bee shrubs with small, pure yellow flowers
  • after flowering, black fruits with blue frosting
  • Moderate nectar, low pollen

Medlar (Mespilus germanica)

  • bizarre growth, 300 to 800 cm high
  • crooked trunk, broad crown
  • blooms from May to June
  • small white or pink flowers
  • small edible, pear-shaped fruits
  • rich supply of nectar and pollen

Noble broom 'Lena' (Cytisus scoparius)

  • broom-like upright growth, up to 150 cm high
  • densely branched, stocky
  • clustered butterfly flowers from May to July
  • in yellow, orange and red tones
  • Low nectar, moderate pollen supply

Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)

  • fast growing, multi-stemmed
  • from 200 to 400 cm tall
  • blooms from May to July
  • Flowers small, yellowish, inconspicuous
  • plenty of nectar, moderate pollen
  • red to black fruits, poisonous

Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)

Pyrantha coccinea 'Red Column'
  • thorny, upright, bushy wood
  • becomes 100 to 300 cm high
  • May to June white umbrella panicles with lots of pollen
  • moderate supply of nectar and pollen
  • after flowering yellow, orange or red fruits
  • inedible for humans

Tip: This shrub also serves as a nesting site for birds and its berries as a food source.

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

  • erect, densely branched
  • becomes 400 to 600 cm high
  • undergrowth and runners
  • Flowering time May to June
  • lilac to violet panicles of flowers, strongly scented
  • Moderate nectar, rich pollen supply

From G to R

laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides)

  • narrow, funnel-shaped large shrub
  • Growth height 200 to 800 cm
  • May/June yellow, pendulous flower clusters
  • much pollen, little nectar
  • all parts of the plant poisonous

Native berry bushes

Raspberries (Rubus idaeus)
  • mostly very good supply of nectar and pollen
  • different flowering and fruiting times
  • Raspberry particularly bee-friendly
  • highest pollen and nectar value among berry bushes
  • also because of the long flowering period from May to August

Tip: Other nectar willows worth mentioning include currants, blackberries and gooseberries.

Native wild roses

  • Growth heights from 100 to 400 cm
  • different colors, mostly edible fruits
  • usually bloom only a few weeks a year
  • different colors and rose hips in autumn
  • safe and popular nesting sites
  • Moderate supply of nectar and pollen

Tip: Suitable wild roses are, for example, the dog, vinegar, cinnamon and burnet roses as well as the red leaf and wine rose.

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas)

  • often multi-stemmed with ascending branches
  • tree-like when old, 300 to 500 cm high
  • Flowers from early March to late April
  • simple, golden yellow, umbellate
  • Nectar plentiful, pollen moderate
  • red drupes in autumn

Copper Pear (Amelanchier lamarckii)

  • multi-stemmed shrub, overhanging branches
  • Growth height between 100 and 300 cm
  • Foliage shoots copper-colored, later green, orange-red in autumn
  • clusters of white flowers in April
  • dark purple, edible berries in autumn
  • Bee shrubs with little pollen and a moderate supply of nectar

Mayflower bush (Deutzia gracilis)

  • upright, densely bushy growth, 60-80 cm high
  • profuse flowering from May to June
  • white, star-shaped flowers in panicles
  • only nectar no pollen
  • blooms on perennial wood

Red Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)

  • upright, later spreading growth, forming runners
  • Growth height 300 to 500 cm
  • Flowering time May/June
  • white flowers, lots of nectar and pollen
  • August/September black berries
  • inedible for humans

Red honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum)

  • broadly upright, well branched
  • slight zigzag shape of the shoots
  • up to 300 cm high and wide
  • yellowish-white flowers from May to June
  • lots of nectar and pollen

From S to Z

Sal willow (Salix caprea)

  • Shrub or small tree up to 1000 cm tall
  • either male flowers packed with pollen
  • or nectar-rich female flowers
  • flowers from March to April
  • silvery-yellow pussy willows
  • excellent nectar and pollen value

Tip: Due to its importance as a food source for insects, no branches should be cut from March 1st to September 30th.

Sloe (Prunus spinosa)

  • bushy, sprawling, multi-stemmed shrub
  • Branches and shoots with thorns
  • from 100-300 cm high
  • flowers from March to April
  • fragrant, white flowers on the shoots
  • bluish-black fruits from August
  • Nectar moderate, pollen plentiful

Snow Heather (Erica carnea)

  • up to 30 cm high bee bushes
  • important food source after hibernation
  • flowers from January to April
  • pink or reddish flowers
  • moderate pollen supply
  • rich supply of nectar

Mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia)

  • often multi-stemmed up to 1200 cm high
  • pinnate foliage, yellow to orange in autumn
  • blooms from May-June
  • paniculate white flowers
  • from August red fruit decoration
  • Moderate nectar and pollen

Wild cherry (Prunus avium)

  • often multi-stemmed, loose structure
  • between 200 and 2500 cm high
  • blooms from April-May
  • small white flowers, conspicuously many stamens
  • very bee-friendly, rich supply of nectar and pollen

Tip: Wild cherry nectar also attracts ants. These in turn keep the plant free from vermin.

Ornamental currant (Ribes sanguineum)

  • erect, strongly branched
  • up to 300 cm high
  • Foliage and flowers almost simultaneously
  • flowers from March to April
  • deep dark pink to red flower clusters
  • dark purple berries with blue frosting in summer
  • lots of nectar and pollen

Two-pronged hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata)

  • irregular, multi-stemmed bee bushes
  • between 200 and 1000 cm high
  • white flowers from May to June
  • Bee pasture with lots of nectar and pollen
  • scarlet fruits edible in autumn

Cotoneaster

  • evergreen groundcover
  • 15 to 50 cm high, depending on the variety
  • white to pink flowers in spring
  • rich supply of nectar
  • orange-red or black berries in late summer
  • all parts of the plant poisonous

Early summer and summer bloomers

Blood St. John's Wort (Hypericum androsaemum)

  • bare shrub, creeping to erect trunk
  • about 30 to 80 cm high
  • yellow, cupped flowers from June-August
  • fleshy, spherical to spindle-shaped berries in autumn
  • initially reddish brown, later black
  • excellent bee pasture, lots of pollen

Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)

  • broadly upright, spreading
  • up to 500 cm high
  • Growth stagnates with age
  • white flowers with a strong fragrance in June/July
  • Bee bushes with plenty of pollen and nectar

Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata 'Levana')

  • broadly upright, fast-growing shrub or bush
  • up to 300 cm high
  • blooms from July-October
  • huge, pure white inflorescences
  • very good nectar and pollen donor

Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

  • dense, upright bushy, overhanging
  • about 100 to 200 cm high
  • blooms from June-October
  • bell-shaped racemes of white to pink flowers
  • snow-white, poisonous berry fruits
  • low supply of nectar and pollen

Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)

  • upright bushes 20 to 100 cm high
  • Bark flakes off in long shreds
  • blooms from June-September
  • bright yellow flowers
  • moderate nectar and pollen value

Thousand Flower Bush (Tetradium daniellii)

  • multi-stemmed, initially shrub-like, later as a tree
  • Growth height from 1000 to 1500 cm
  • blooms from July to August, pleasant scent of flowers
  • large, greenish-white panicles
  • very good nectar source for late summer

Late flowering bee bushes

Clandon beard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

  • up to 100 cm high subshrub
  • naturalized neophyte
  • Flowering time in August/September
  • blue umbels of flowers, very aromatic scent
  • Very good nectar and pollen count

Shrub Ivy 'Arborescens' (Hedera helix)

Macro shot of the flower of Hedera helix 'Arborescens'
  • small shrub, does not climb
  • Growth height of about 150 cm
  • blooms from September to October
  • yellow-green umbel-shaped flowers
  • particularly insect-friendly, important nectar supplier

Shrub Marshmallow (Hibiscus syriacus)

  • upright shrub, 100 to 400 cm high
  • not to be confused with the marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)
  • blooms from July-August
  • Flowers blue-violet, white in the center with red spots
  • little nectar, lots of pollen

Winter snowball (Virburnum bodnantense)

  • initially stiffly upright, densely branched
  • later densely bushy, overhanging branches
  • Shooting bushes
  • Flowering period November-April
  • clusters of white-pink, fragrant flowers
  • little pollen but plenty of nectar

frequently asked Questions

What characterizes so-called bee bushes or bee pastures?

These plants provide nesting sites and food in the form of nectar or pollen for these animals. One speaks of a bee pasture when a particularly large number of bee-friendly plants grow on an area.

Why should you plant bee bushes in the garden?

About 80 percent of our native plants depend on cross-pollination by insects. Only through them can fruits develop. Without them there would be no strawberries, apples, pears or cherries. Honey bees do most of the pollination.

Are all flowering plants insect friendly?

No, not every flowering plant is valuable for bees and other insects. Wild bees, for example, only feed on native plants. They are not interested in those that have been changed by breeding, their flowers are sterile, and they produce neither nectar nor pollen. Even plants with double flowers are not insect-friendly. Insects have no access here, so neither seeds nor pollen can develop. Forsythia is an example of this.

Category:

Garden plants