Attracting Bees to Your Garden

Bees are drawn to a wide variety of plants, but they do have clear favourites. When planning colour in your spring and summer garden, remember that bees are most attracted to blue, purple, white, and yellow flowers - they can’t actually see red, which appears black to them.

Bees have a distinct fondness for plants that produce a flower that has a large single row of petals which makes it easier for them to land and collect nectar. Choose plants that offer plenty of pollen and nectar such as flowering annuals like asters, sunflowers, cosmos, and zinnias.

Bee-Friendly Herbs

Herbs are an excellent source of nectar and are loved by bees. Plant a mix of basil, coriander, chives, lavender, lemon balm, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme to keep them busy and your garden buzzing with activity.

Beneficial Insects: Ladybirds and Praying Mantises

Praying mantises and ladybirds are both natural pest controllers, helping to keep your garden’s ecosystem in balance. As generalist predators, praying mantises will eat almost any insect they can catch - including moths, crickets, flies, beetles, and caterpillars.

Ladybirds are also valuable allies, feeding on aphids, scale, mites, mealy bugs, whiteflies, small caterpillars, insect eggs, and pupae.

How to Attract Them

To encourage ladybirds and praying mantises into your garden, you’ll need to offer them a good food source - which means a few pests! A healthy, diverse garden filled with trees, shrubs, herbs, and flowering plants will naturally attract these beneficial insects and help maintain a healthy, thriving garden.