Turn your garden into a sweet shop for bees and butterflies!

4184 caryopteris x clan. beyond midnight ct 9 12 1e proven winners

Turn your garden into a sweet shop for bees and butterflies!
 

Bees and butterflies are super important. Did you know that without these pollinators, there would be far fewer fruits and vegetables in the shops? So we should spoil them a bit! We will give you some ideas to make your garden bee- and butterfly-friendly and tell you which plants are real magnets for these useful insects.

 

Why bees and butterflies are so important

Butterflies and bees are always on the lookout for flowering plants. They love the nectar and suck it from the flower. Bees also collect the pollen to take to their nests. In their search for food, bees and butterflies carry pollen from one flower to another. This pollination allows us to enjoy delicious apples, strawberries, tomatoes and courgettes every year. 

 

How to attract bees and butterflies to your garden

Make your garden or balcony a paradise for bees and butterflies by choosing richly flowering plants. Indulge these beautiful and useful creatures with plants that bloom at different times so that they can find food for quite some time. Leave spent flowers and flower stems in the autumn, many bees and other insects overwinter in them. Extra tip! Hang a bee and butterfly hotel on a sunny wall or fence where they can nest. 

 

These plants make bees and butterflies happy

There are lots of beautiful things to choose from and with the right mix of plants, you will have flowers in your garden or balcony for a very long time. Super nice for you, and very important for bees and butterflies! In May and June, for example, the beautiful Abelia Sweet Emotion®, Spiraea Double Play® Red and Viburnum Oh Canada® flower, while in summer Buddleja 'Miss Pearl', Hydrangea Little Quick Fire® and Hypericum Sunny Boulevard offer plenty of nectar and pollen. With brilliant flowers in early autumn, Caryoptris Beyond Midnight® is a top plant for bees and butterflies.
 

Related blogs

Inspiration, Autumn
Yes, autumn is here!
The days are getting shorter and the sunlight takes on that special warm glow. The garden is slowly starting to get ready for the approaching autumn. Many plants are getting past their prime and the summer bloomers are putting on their last show. Yet this does not have to mean that it is done with colour in your garden. On the contrary, in autumn you can still expect a great show of colour from plants that are at their best in September and October. These are our favourite shrubs for autumn.
Read more
Inspiration, Winter, Gardening tips
Prepare your garden for winter: 5 tips for a healthy and wildlife-friendly winter garden
November is the perfect month to prepare your garden for winter. With a few smart adjustments, you will not only protect your plants, but also provide a nice shelter for wildlife such as birds, hedgehogs and insects. And plant evergreen and winter flowering shrubs this month, for a garden that brings colour all year round. With these five tips, your garden will stay healthy, colourful and full of life, even in the cold winter months.
Read more
Winter, Gardening tips
Winter garden magic: relax and enjoy!
Winter brings an enchanting calm to the garden. Plants slumber in hibernation and there is a serene atmosphere in the air. There are still a few small chores to do before the cold sets in but then a period of rest begins for the gardener too. So put aside the pruning shears, rakes and hoes because you won't need them for the time being. In fact, your plants benefit from being left alone for a while. Besides, the Proven Winners plants are all hardy, so there is no need to worry. Find out why 'doing nothing' in winter might be the best thing you can do for your garden.
Read more
Inspiration, Tips & tricks, Summer
The summer garden: this is how to have a feast of colours for months on end
Summer is here and that means only one thing: endlessly enjoying the beautiful flowering plants in your garden or on your balcony! You can choose from many kinds of summer flowering shrubs, in all kinds of colours and with different flowering times. With these tips, you will have colour in your garden all summer long and your plants will come through the summer in good shape.
Read more
Inspiration, Hydrangea
The perfect Hydrangea for your garden
With Hydrangea’s, you bring a feast of colour to your garden all summer long. It is a beautiful shrub that flowers very abundantly with fantastic flowers. Hydrangea’s thrive in both sun and shade and require little maintenance. It is a favourite garden plant for a reason! But did you know that there are as many as 20 different species of Hydrangea? Each with lots of cultivars. Five varieties are the most commonly used and will do great in your garden.
Read more
Inspiration, Winter, Gardening tips
The best time to make a garden plan
In February, the garden slowly awakens from its winter sleep. Carefully, the first buds appear on trees and shrubs. Meanwhile, it can still be quite cold, so you'd rather be indoors than outside. And that's fine, because there is not much to do in the garden yet. An ideal time to start planning for the new garden season next to the warm stove!
Read more