What are the best perennial pollinators?
Perennials That Attract Pollinators Monarda (Bee Balm): Monarda, or Bee Balm, consistently attracts pollinators with its vibrant, tubular flowers rich in nectar. Echinacea (Coneflower): Echinacea, or Coneflower, is a magnet for pollinators thanks to its large, open blooms filled with nectar and pollen. Bee balm is one of the best plants that attract pollinators. Whorls of red, purple, pink, or white tubular flowers provide a steady source of food for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Learn more about growing bee balm.Leafcutter bees (Megachile rotundata) are solitary bees known as super pollinators. They have a 1:20 pollination rate compared to honey bees! Their fuzzy bellies have a pollen brush that easily disperses pollen over plants and flowers as they fly through the garden.Bees love composite flowers, which are blooms of many small flowers — called florets — such as coreopsis and asters. Pollinators such as hummingbirds like tubular flowers, such as bee balm. Planting flowers with a variety of shapes, like tubular, bowl-shaped & flat-topped, appeal to a large variety of pollinators.Studies on tomatoes and blueberries have demonstrated that bumble bees are often more efficient pollinators, due to their capacity to transfer a larger number of pollen grains and significantly increase the fruit set compared with honey bees [20,21].
What is the longest flowering perennial plant?
Geranium. Probably one of the longest flowering garden plants, hardy geraniums start flowering around May, and continue to October, depending on the variety. One of the longest flowering varieties is Geranium ‘Johnson’s blue’ (illustrated) which is also attractive to bees. Top choices include Geranium Rozanne, one of the longest flowering perennials, and Erigeron karvinskianushelle, which fills gaps and spills softly over edges. Helleborus orientalis brings early colour in winter, while Echinacea Magnus and Rudbeckia Goldsturm offer bright summer blooms with almost no care required.