Ten bee-friendly plants for autumn

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30 September 2021

On 30 September 2021

Ten bee-friendly plants for autumn

As you’ll know if you’ve seen some of our other blogs you’ll be doing the bees a big favour if you can provide them with nourishment all year round. Our buzzing, aerial friends don’t just fly in the spring and summer. In autumn and even in winter on unseasonally warm days they will be out and about. These are seasons when there isn’t always much natural fodder around, so you can do your bit to help them (and other pollinators such as hoverflies, beetles and moths) by planting bee- and pollinator-friendly plants.

The plants listed below have flowering periods ranging across September, October and November. All can be grown in pots and almost all are fully hardy so should survive the winter without protection.

Evergreen shrubs

Camellia sasanqua: the Camellias we grow in our gardens have traditionally been the early spring-flowering Camellia japonicas that give us a boost when there’s not much garden oomph around. The ‘sasanquas’ though are just as flamboyant and should flower from autumn through to early winter. The cultivar ‘Crimson King’, for example, has bright red scented flowers and is said to be particularly loved by bees. It will be happy in sun or part-shade. Like other Camellias it prefers acidic soil, so if it’s going to live in a pot use ericaceous compost. If you’re planting it in the ground, backfill the planting hole with a mix of ericaceous compost and the existing soil first.

Fatsia japonica: a shade-lover, this magnificent evergreen with its shiny, palmate leaves is usually grown as a foliage plant. But as well as its showy leaves it does also produce globular clusters of small white flowers in autumn. These wouldn’t necessarily win any prizes in a botanical beauty contest, however they are hugely popular with bees and other pollinators. They’re followed by black berries which hungry birds will love, so by planting a Fatsia you’re giving nature a double boost.

Perennials

These will die back in winter but reappear again next year.

Rudbeckias: the appearance of these eye-catching sun-lovers neatly matches their character. Usually dazzling yellow and often with dark centres (hence their common name of Black-Eyed Susan), these open, many-petalled flowers are annuals, biennials and perennials. So you have the option to sow them from seed or buy an established plant (or even both if you become a Rudbeckia obsessive). Their height varies from about 50cm to 2m, so there’s a place for them anywhere in the garden as long as it’s warm and sunny. They prefer fertile and moist (but not soggy) soil. Leave the flowerheads on through winter and you’ll provide a hiding place for small insects and seeds for the birds.

Asters: producing a mass of daisy-like flowers, these range in colour from white, pink, magenta and lilac to purple. Traditional cottage garden plants, many of this large family of flowers were renamed for botanical reasons by the horticultural powers that be in 2015. To the dismay of some of us with a rather conservative affection for the plant, they became the daunting-sounding Symphyotrichum. But although this requires a bit of an effort to remember and is a trial to pronounce at first, it has a

nicely rhythmic mantra-like quality once you get the hang of it. There are lots of plants in the Aster family and all are loved by pollinators. Try Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’ (still an Aster and the most popular thing in my garden as I write), or Symphyotrichum novae-belgii. Provide them with a sunny spot and they’ll be happy. Aster tip: To keep them fresh and vigorous it’s best to divide them every three to four years.

Hylotelephium spectabile: another target of recent renaming, the plant formerly known as Sedum spectabile has flattish heads of tiny pink flowers that are perfect for bees, hoverflies and other pollinators. Its fleshy leaves are grey green. It’s a succulent so has evolved to cope with very dry conditions. They’re pretty tough though and will cope with almost any soil as long as it’s not actually soggy and they’re in a bright spot.

Alstromerias: also known as the Peruvian lily, these often-underrated flowers originate from South America. They do best in a sunny spot in well-drained soil and can flower prolifically from summer to the first frosts in a good year. It’s a good idea to add organic matter (for example peat-free compost) if planting in the ground in heavy soil. They have tuberous, fleshy roots so be careful not to overwater if growing in a pot. Their blooms range through reds, peach, pinks and yellows, with delicate dark lines on the inside of some petals. They’re commonly grown for harvest as cut flowers which can last for weeks once picked. So if you can bear to steal a few from the bees, you’ll have home grown cut flowers in autumn. If you want to do this, gently pull the whole stem from the base rather than cutting higher up. Do the same when deadheading as this encourages new growth. Be careful though as Alstroemerias can spread over and dominate an entire border. So if next to more delicate neighbours you may need to keep them in check by simply digging them up at the edges of their supposed territory! Very bee friendly.

Nerine bowdenii: this startling pink (and occasionally white) lily-like flower has almost spider-like petals. It’s a bulb from South Africa and makes a slightly unusual addition to a garden. Almost hardy, grow in well-drained soil in a sunny border next to a sheltering wall if possible. Bare bulbs are planted in May or June, but you may be able to buy flowering plants now. The flowers top leafless stems and strap-like foliage appears in spring. These, too, are great for cut flowers with impact. If you grow them in a pot, add a mulch (a protective layer of organic matter) to the surface of the compost in winter to provide some protection. They should survive all but the coldest winters in the ground, but it’s a good idea to mulch in this situation too, to avoid any potential lost plant traumas! When planting, add plenty of grit to the soil or compost. Be aware that Nerines can be slow starters so they may not flower in the first year. Nor do they like to be disturbed, so don’t be tempted to fiddle around and move them once planted. This might all sound a bit prima donna-ish but they’re absolutely worth it. Plant the bulbs just below the surface of the soil or with the top third poking out of the ground. Opinion differs as it frequently does in the gardening world. (It’s an art as well as a science).

Hesperantha coccinea: another plant (also from South Africa) that is sometimes overlooked but in my opinion packs a real punch. Often flowering from late summer until the first frosts, its colours range from reds through to the palest pink and white. Its open star-shaped flowers have a beautiful simplicity and are held on thin, delicate stems and the strappy leaves are semi-evergreen. It thrives in a sunny spot and likes dampish but well-drained soil, so add organic matter before planting and

water well in summer. Lift and divide the rhizomes (fleshy roots) every two to three years to encourage better flowering. It is hardy but if you live in a cold area or the Beast from the East returns, it’s best to cut back the leaves and remaining stems to about 5cm and cover with horticultural fleece or a cosy layer of old leaves. If you decide to use old leaves though, just be careful that they don’t have black spot or another disease.

Perennials for your window box

Liriope muscari: an unassuming but pretty and useful little plant for a shady area, this has a long flowering period, sometimes from August until late November. Low spikes of small purple flowers are followed by black berries and the arching leaves are evergreen. Ideally it should be planted in moist but well-drained soil or compost. However, it will put up with dry conditions once it’s established, so it’s excellent ground cover for tricky areas under trees and shrubs. Cut the old leaves back in spring to encourage new foliage.

Saxifraga fortunei: another long-flowering gem for a shady spot, this will do its thing from at least September to November in good conditions. It was originally brought from China in the mid-19th century by plant hunter Robert Fortune, hence its name. A woodland plant in its natural habitat, it likes damp soil. The masses of tiny flowers run from white through pale pink to almost red, depending on which cultivar you choose. Although it’s not evergreen, its architectural mounds of scalloped leaves make it almost worth having just as a foliage plant. ‘Silver Velvet’, for example, has deep green leaves with thick silvery stripes. Very Bee friendly.

Whatever your garden situation you should find something to suit it here. By providing just one or two bee friendly plants you can make a real difference to the amount of food available for bees and other pollinators. And if we all do it together, just a couple of plants becomes many. Let’s think communally, like a hive.

Zoologists – and neuroscientists – are discovering more and more about just how much bees are capable of. Doubtless the more we discover about other pollinations we’ll find out just how intriguingly clever they are too.

For video clips demonstrating the brilliance of bees watch here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p097h48r

Chris Packham’s series ‘Animal Einsteins’ shows how bees ‘speak’ to each other.