In my own backyard, the bees have made if clear they prefer the thorny blackberry bush, California poppies, and resilient dandelions. Some of these I consider weeds, but like with most natives, they are well adapted to the climate and soil, so require little maintenance and water and no pesticides. Since bees and other pollinators are particularly sensitive to chemicals, this is another benefit of planting natives.
More important than having exclusively native plants, however, is planting a wide variety of bee friendly flowers. Exotics, like rosemary, English lavender, and basil can also attract bees and can be used to augment the natives in your garden. If you live in California or the West, a great Web site for finding bee friendly flowers has been compiled by researchers at the University of California. For the greater United States, The Xerces Society has a short list of native and exotic plants for bees. A trip to your local native plant society or nursery can also help.
The color of your flowers is important as well, since bees can only see in the ultraviolet color range. They are most attracted to yellow, white, blue and violet blooms. Bees, though known for an angry sting, cannot see red.
Once you have bees in your garden, how can you keep them there? The solution is to find plants that flower successively, or at different times of the year. If your garden is abloom in spring, summer, and fall, the bees will want to hang out.
Bees also like their flowers served buffet style. This means planting groups of similar flowers in clumps, preferably four feet or more, rather than having them scattered throughout the garden. Who wants to have to travel all the way across a lawn just to get their second course?
Finally, to make sure you get what you want out of the bees, put patches of bee friendly plants next to your vegetable garden, so that they are sure to visit the squash, tomato, apple, and pumpkin blooms, and you are sure to get the highest quantity and quality crops.
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