Top 12 bee magnets

The following 12 plants came out best in my trials – offering not only plentiful foraging for a wide range of bees, but over a long period too. The figures show the average number of bees by type (see key top right), observed in each counting session over the six years, with the average number of weeks that plant flowered (F) too. I spent eight years researching and finding the best plants to assess, following recommendations, then included 117 plants altogether in my trial. Although variation in weather had an impact on both plants and bees over the six-year trial, my findings stayed very consistent from the first year. Both native and non-native plants were equally attractive to bees (except where there was a unique interdependency) as bees seek food where they can access it.