¡Ay, caramba! Time buzzes! I can’t believe it’s already December!
Today I did some of my own research on bee loving flowers, particularly at this time of year when food sources are scarce. I’ve decided to take inventory on existing blooming flowers in our garden for every month of the year so that bees always have a guaranteed “coffee shop” aka nectar sips and pollen pods. Here’s what I found:
Heather
A classic. Subtle beauty. Resilient. I was lucky enough to spot a bee on this one just last week when temperatures were still above 10 C.
Creeping Rosemary
Good on salmon and chicken and it still blooms in December. What more could you ask for?!
Fatsia
A pompom tropical look-alike. At first we thought it was super populated by bees until we realized they were all wasps. But, that’s only because wasps seem to withstand colder temperatures better and were out foraging.
Mexican Orange Blossom
A fan favorite, it’s a good one to have but don’t confuse it with its look-alike, a useless weed (see above right pic). To differentiate, crush a leaf and keep the one that has a stronger orange-like scent.
Weed-like plant and smells disgusting
Mahonia
Excellent winter food and resembles a small tree.
Red Hot Lips
This cutie is also drought proof and grows happily in any soil.
Bergenia
There’s not a lot of these blooming in our garden at the moment.
Pineapple Sage
As the underdog, it has so much to offer. It attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and bees and has a pineapple-y smell. Easy to grow and showcases an abundance of trumpet-shaped flowers even in December!
Calendula
As a well-known local, these grow wild and are great for bees.
Rhodos
So now you’ve seen our collection. What do you have blooming in your garden that attracts bees? Oh, and one more thing. The above flowers are all deer-resistant! A must when you live in Victoria and surrounding islands.
With such a mild climate, we can expect to see some days when bees make an appearance. However, there’s no guarantee that bees will take advantage of a flowering December garden when temperatures dip below 10°C. Did you know that inside their hive, they form a cluster of bees that can shiver to generate a balmy 30°C on a cold winter day? No wonder they prefer the indoors!
Still, let’s give them the best possible chance to get through those cold wet months. If you want to get a head start to the new year, bees really love snowdrops and crocuses in January. So start planting those now. It’s not too late!
Check out our plant sale stand in the front 🙂
