Hedge plants with Pollen for Bees

Bee friendly Hedging Plants

One does not normally associate hedging plants with bees and pollination, but there are a number of plants that are good for hedging and are also of particular benefit to bees.

Bees are the kings of pollination. They typically fly up to a mile to a pollen site (although much greater distances have been recorded) and with 30-50,000 bees in a healthy hive, they can cover large areas, very thoroughly. Honey bee hives do not hibernate (like Winnie the Poo they like eating honey in the winter) and they can become quite active on warm winter days. It is therefore important to grow plants that carry pollen for as much of the year as possible. Not only do these directly benefit your local bees, but they return the favour by learning that your garden is a rich pollen source, visiting it often and so ensuring good fruiting in your orchard and vegetable patch.

Here is a short list of hedge plants bees love and need:

Viburnum tinus (Winter flowering)

Hazel (Spring flowering)

Lavender (Late Summer flowering)

Rosemary (Summer Flowering)

Forsythia (Winter flowering)

Blackthorn (Spring flowering)

Strawberry Tree (Autumn Flowering)

These can all be found in our hedging section.