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Not getting enough of a buzz from your garden? The Queen Bee herself suggests some bee-friendly plants
The Queen Bee herself, Lori Weidenhammer
Recently at my Saturday job at the UBC Botanical Garden, one of the customers asked about bee-friendly plants. Turned out she was a beekeeper, in fact, but wanted to know if there were any more suitable plants for her honeybees.
The FOG (friend of the garden) volunteering there said it would be great to have a list posted somewhere so we could be more helpful to customers (as well as our buzzing friends!) who need all the help they can get at this time on the planet.
In the meantime, here are a couple of sure-fire bee attractors in my garden: Eryngium (sea holly), Red Monarda (bee balm), Crocosmia (aka Montbretia), Delphinium, crocus (including the pink fall-bloomers), Doronicum (leopard’s bane, great for early bees), oregano ‘Barbara Tingey’, mint when it blooms, Physostegia (aka “mother-in-law’s tongue” or obedient plant. This hilarious plant features single blossoms that stay put when you move them – kids love them too, and they are usually available in pink and white varieties.
A few weeks ago, I met Lori Weidenhammer aka “The Queen Bee”, at the Inspiration Garden in Coquitlam, where she was in full bee regalia. It was fun getting to hang out with the Queen for a few hours that day, and later she sent me list of her favourite super bee-friendly plants. It’s always good to be reminded what works to nurture them, as we need all the bees we can get.
Lori Weidenhammer is an artist and educator living in East Vancouver with her partner and collaborator Peter Courtemanche and their son. She regularly appears at schools and community events as Madame Beespeaker and The Queen Bee. A food security volunteer and activist, Lori works with students of all ages to identify native plants, learn to eat locally, garden to help pollinators, and practice guerilla gardening!