Bee Guide May

01 May, 2024

Bee-friendly Plants In Flower

With the last month of autumn here, bees will be furiously trying to find flowers that are still in bloom to store for winter.


These plants mentioned below will now be out in flower, and will be a great source of food for bees in the month of May:

Lemon

Lemon Meyers flower almost year-round and are a great source of food for bees at any time of the year. It is the perfect time to plant them both in pots or in your garden so that their roots can get established before winter.

Camellia

It is camellia season for both humans and bees! These beautiful evergreen shrubs will be bursting their buds this autumn and winter. Flowers that have less petals will be visited more often by bees.

Heath/ Heather/ Erica

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

Primrose

A winter-flowering annual that is perfect for containers or planted out in the garden. Also consider planting snapdragons for bumble bees and sweet alyssum for all pollinators.

Bee-friendly Plants Ready For Planting

Autumn is know to be 'nature's planting time', for the mild weather which encourages root growth before winter sets in.


Check out our suggestions over the next few months for future flowering plants:

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! Mandarins will be in flower over the winter period as well.

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.

Crocus

Spring bulbs are in stores now and ready to plant for the coming season. Plant your crocus bulbs now to feed the bees in early spring.

Hyacinth

One of the most divine smelling spring bulbs that you can get in New Zealand, the hyacinth comes in an array of colours and is usually an early bloomer. Keep in the fridge for four weeks before planting in well-draining soil, part to in full sun.

Monthly Bee Tips

Get those spring bulbs into the ground now, to help feed bees in late winter to late spring. These include crocus and hyacinth, but also include muscari, bluebells and snowdrops.


Only spray when plants when you need to, and spray in the evenings when bees have gone back to their hives to minimize them being effected. To avoid spraying, make sure your plants are well fed and watered throughout each season.


Having trouble choosing a bee-friendly plant? Talk to one of our staff instore and they will be able to help you with any specific bee-friendly gardening requirements.

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