Bee Guide June

01 Jun, 2024

Bee-friendly Plants In Flower

As a mild winter descends on Auckland, honey bees can still be seen harvesting pollen and nectar in the warmer days of June.


Take a look at what plants are out in flower around town that bees will be attracted to:

Hellebores

Also known as 'The Winter’s Rose', Hellebores will both be in bloom and are ready to be planted now. Find a shady spot to plant them in the garden, under a tree or shrub where it is cooler. When blooming, you can find clusters of honeybees on them on warm winter days.

Camellia

From autumn to spring is the camellia season and is celebrated by both humans and bees alike! These beautiful evergreen shrubs are fantastic for hedging and will be smothered in different shaped and coloured flowers throughout the garden centres.

Heath/ Heather/ Erica

Also known as ‘Winter Heather’, this plant is an autumn to winter-flowering shrub, that when blooming is completely smothered in small, gorgeous white or pink flowers.

Primrose – Instore only

A winter-flowering annual that is perfect for containers or planted out in the garden. These annuals will last between three to five months and come in a soft array of colour including white, pinks and purples.

Bee-friendly Plants Ready For Planting

Winter is still a fantastic time to plant all your trees and shrubs, especially those that will be out in flower later this year.

Citrus

Lemon Meyers should already be out in flower, but now is a great time to plan out and plant your other citrus trees for both bee and human food!

Camellia

Although they are out in flower now, camellias can also be planted in your garden as a hedge or feature plant now. Depending on the variety, you can get white, pink and red flowers that can grow both in the sun and full shade.

Fruit Trees

Mid-winter is the perfect time to start planning out and ordering in your deciduous fruit trees. Although these blooms will feed the bees for less than a month, it is a great idea to also be self-sufficient in growing your own edibles.

Rosemary - Mozart (groundcover)

This ground cover is now in store and blooming away - even the cheeky bumble bee can still be found on these! Plant in an area with full sun and is watered well until established - then it can withstand neglect and is drought tolerant. Perfect for that forgettable corner of the garden or at rental properties, as well as in pots in the sun on your deck!

Hellebores

Also known as The winter’s Rose, Hellebores will both be in bloom now and are ready to be planted now. Find a shady spot to plant them in the garden, or under a tree where it is cooler.

Monthly Bee Tip

Remember that winter is the perfect time to plant any bee-friendly plants for the coming seasons. This includes spring bulbs, shrubs and trees!

Did you know?

Bumblebee queens will be hibernating over winter - usually found in a secluded place underground! They have since already mated in autumn, and will be looking for a new place to nest and create her own colony once the weather gets warmer - these nests are usually in dry brush, abandoned house nests or even old rabbit holes!

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