{"id":3530,"date":"2021-12-03T11:58:52","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T10:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/?p=3530"},"modified":"2025-08-03T13:36:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T12:36:16","slug":"shrubs-for-bees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/?p=3530","title":{"rendered":"Shrubs for bees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Honey bee on Mahonia; Buff-tailed bumblebee queen on winter-flowering heather (Photos: Alison Benjamin unless credited) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us don\u2019t have space to plant a tree, but what about planting a few shrubs instead? Researchers at Bristol University has found that one flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum<\/em>) with 3,000 flowers provides as much nectar as 16,000 primrose (Primula <\/em>vulgaris) flowers or 69,000 snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis<\/em>) and that shrubs like mahonia, berberis, pieris, ceanothus, and pyracantha can be similarly nectar-rich.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been doing my own research to put together a list of easy-to-grow shrubs that if planted sequentially would provide year-round food for bees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it\u2019s December, my bee-friendly shrub suggestions start from now. Even though many will grow well in shady spots, do remember that bees prefer to forage in warm, sunny areas. As always this is not a definitive list, but designed for people who want to maximise the limited space in their garden, or pots, to feed bees all year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

December<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oregon Grape ‘Charity’ <\/span><\/a><\/strong>(Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ and M. x media ‘Winter Sun’<\/em>) – produces cheery, bright yellow, lemon-scented flowers rich in nectar and pollen from now until March. Tough, with prickly, holly-like leaves, it does well in dry, shady spots making it a favourite of municipal planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laurustinus<\/strong> <\/span><\/a>(Viburnum tinus<\/em>) – lovely flat heads of small, white flowers until April can brighten up shady spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clematis ‘Jingle Bells’<\/span><\/strong> <\/a>(Clematis cirrhosa<\/em> ‘Jingle Bells’)  –   large, nodding, scented cream-coloured flowers  are ideal for over a doorway. It needs a sunny, sheltered spot and possibly protection from harsh winter frosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweet Box<\/span><\/a> (<\/strong>Sarcococca confus<\/em> or Sarcococca hookeriana<\/em>) – works well as an evergreen hedge. Its tiny white flowers carry a heavenly scent until March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter-flowering honeysuckle<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>(Lonicera fragrantissima<\/a><\/em>) is a bushy, deciduous shrub with highly fragrant, cream flowers on bare stems until March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter jasmine (<\/a><\/strong>Jasminum nudiflora<\/em><\/a>)<\/a> <\/strong>doesn\u2019t have the fragrance of other jasmines, but its bright yellow flowers on bare arching branches are a welcome sight in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Viburnum tinus; Witch Hazel (photo credit: Laura Ockel, Unsplash); honey bee on Winter Snow heather<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heathers <\/strong>(Erica carnea<\/em>) – perfect for a rockery or small flower bed with acidic, ericaceous soil. Winter flowering specimens, include white <\/span>‘Winter Snow’<\/span><\/a> (Erica carnea f. alba<\/em> ), or \u2018Winter rubin<\/a>\u2019<\/span> (Erica carnea<\/em> ‘Winter Rubin’) for a splattering of pink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter<\/strong> Daphne<\/strong><\/span><\/a> <\/strong> (Daphne odora<\/em>) or Daphne bholua<\/em> ‘Jacqueline Postill’<\/span> <\/a>  \u2013 a slow-growing medium-sized, evergreen shrub with clusters of pinkish and white flowers and an intoxicating scent in winter and early spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witch Hazel<\/span><\/strong> <\/a>(Hamamelis<\/em>) \u2013fragrant, strange-looking ribbon-like flowers hang off bare twigs in early winter. There are many cultivars with slightly different coloured flowers ranging from sulphur yellow to coppery red. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paperbush<\/strong> <\/a>(Edgeworthia chrystantha<\/em>) – pom-pom like clusters of tiny, yellow flowers on bare branches seduce bees with their heady scent from February – April. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oregon Grape<\/strong> <\/span><\/a>(Mahonia aquifolium<\/em><\/a><\/em>) – an early spring-flowering Mahonia which is more compact and less prickly than the winter-flowering varieties but with similar bright yellow bee-friendly flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese quince<\/span><\/a><\/strong> (Chaenomeles japonica<\/em>)<\/a>  large, bold, often bright reddish-orange flowers cover its bare, thorny stems for weeks before the leaves appear in May. Non-thorny varieties are available. It likes ericaceous soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bastard senna ‘Citrina’<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>or Scorpian Vetch <\/strong>(Coronilla valentina<\/em> subsp. glauca<\/em> ‘Citrina’) \u2013 pretty pea-like, yellow flowers appear in early spring and are often followed by a second flush in later summer. A native of Southern Europe and Northern Africa, it will benefit from the protection of a sunny, south-facing wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camellias<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>– but only those with single-headed flowers with well exposed pollen-laden stamens, unlike the many double-headed cultivars. They need acidic, ericaceous soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skimmia<\/strong><\/a> – an evergreen shrub that is valuable for its multi-season displays. Glossy evergreen leaves provide a lovely contrast to the fragrant white or yellowish flowers in March and April and long-lasting winter berries. Works very well in pots and prefers a position in shade as full sun can cause the leaves to turn yellow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Japanese quince (Photo: Yoksel Zok, Unsplash); Camellia (Photo: Annie Spratt, Unsplash); Rhododendron (Photo :Padre Moovi, Unsplash) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

April<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honey spurge<\/span><\/a>, or Canary spurge <\/strong>(Euphorbia mellifera<\/em>) – small, honey-scented, bonze tinted flowers are borne on an exotic looking, architectural dome-like structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flowering currant<\/span><\/a><\/strong> (Ribes sanguineum<\/em>) – clusters of pinkish\/reddish tubular flowers are loved by long-tongued bumblebees and hairy-footed flower bees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burkwood viburnum<\/span><\/a><\/strong> (Viburnum \u00d7 burkwoodii) – a later flowering evergreen viburnum with similar domed clusters of fragrant white flowers until May, that open from pink buds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Darwin’s Barberry<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>(Berberis darwinii)<\/em> – an evergreen, with similar holly-like leaves to Mahonia,  but clusters of orange flowers which are a major source of nectar and pollen in early spring for many species of small, solitary mining bees and can have a second flush in autumn. Birds feed on the berries and can nest in the shrub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indian Hawthorn<\/strong><\/a> (Rhaphiolepis Indica<\/em>) – a bushy evergreen with clusters of pink or white flowers (depending on the variety ‘Pink Lady’ or ‘Snow Maiden’) which grows well in a sheltered sunny spot and can flower from from now throughout the summer. Has black berries in autumn attracts waxwings, thrushes and blackbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lilly of the Valley shrub<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>(Pieris japonica<\/em>) – its bell-shaped flowers are visited by long-tongued solitary bees, such as hairy-footed flower bees, and bumblebees. Requires acidic, ericaceous soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhododendron<\/span><\/a><\/strong> \u2013 its flowers contain low concentrations of poison for honeybees, but long and short-tongued bumblebees find the single-flowered varieties highly attractive for both nectar and pollen. Best in acidic soils. Compact varieties can be grown in pots filled with ericaceous compost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Californian Lilac<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>(Ceanothus<\/em>) \u2013 a stunning evergreen small \u2018tree\u2019 smothered in clusters of electric blue flowers that buzz with bees all month in full sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firethorn<\/span><\/a><\/strong> (Pyracantha<\/em>) \u2013the bunches of small white flowers on this spiny-branched shrub are visited by many solitary bee species, but it\u2019s mostly grown for the profusion of showy, bright orange-red berries in autumn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese pittosporum <\/a><\/span><\/strong>(Pittosporum tobira)<\/em> \u2013 profuse and intensely scented flowers open white and then turn yellow in April and May against the attractive large, glossy foliage of this drought-tolerant shrub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Californian lilac (Photo: Charlotte Harrison, Unsplash); Fuchsia with bumblebee (Photo: David Clode, Unsplash); Beautyberry berries in autumn ( (Photo: Yamasa, Unsplash) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

June<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cotoneasters<\/strong> are a great source of nectar and pollen during the \u2018June gap\u2019 \u2013 when there\u2019s a dearth of bee food between spring flowers dying and summer perennials flowering.  Research at Cambridge Botanic Gardens found that the  clusters of small white or pink flowers of many Cotoneaster species can provide a succession of forage for short-tongued bumblebees and honeybees from May to August. Varieties include the low-growing red-berried C. horizontalis<\/a><\/em>, which can be trained up walls, and  Franchet\u2019s (C. Franchetii<\/span><\/a><\/em>) which makes an evergreen pollution-tolerant hedge; and the graceful willow-leaved (C.  ‘Rothschildianus<\/em>‘<\/span><\/a>) which has yellow berries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senecio Sunshine<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>(Brachyglottis<\/em> ‘Sunshine’) \u2013 a compact, drought-tolerant, evergreen shrub from New Zealand that works well in coastal areas and has hairy, grey leaves and bright yellow, daisy-like flowers in June and July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beautyberry ‘Profusion<\/span>‘<\/a><\/strong> (Callicarpa bodinieri<\/em> var. giraldii<\/em> ‘Profusion’) Prized for its clusters of violet, bead-like berries on bare branches in the autumn, which are much-loved by birds, and its striking foliage that changes colour during the seasons. This deciduous shrub also has small pink flowers in midsummer which attract the bees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daisy bush<\/a><\/strong> <\/span>(Olearia<\/em>\u00a0\u00d7\u00a0haastii)<\/em> \u2013 an evergreen drought-tolerant shrub smothered in white, daisy-like flowers with big yellow centres in July and August. Its glaucous, glossy leaves make it suitable for coastal, windy gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavenly bamboo<\/strong><\/a> (Nandina Domestica<\/em>) – an easy to grow shrub that has done so well in my slug-infested, clay soil garden, even though it’s supposed to like acid soil and moisture. It has nothing to do with bamboo except for its elegance. It’s a member of the Berberis<\/em> family and hence its sprays of tiny white flowers are loved by bees. It is evergreen and some varieties have very red leaves in autumn. Its stand out feature for me are its beautiful red berries that birds don’t seem to eat so they are always on the tree providing colour throughout the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

August<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardy fuchsias<\/span><\/a><\/strong> \u2013 bushy, compact shrubs with a profusion of dainty two-tone pendent flowers that the RHS describe as dangling in pairs, \u201clike mini ballerinas with tutus\u201d, along the stems towards the tips.  They can last well into the autumn and bring a tropical touch to a garden if planted in a sheltered, sunny spot and watered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bluebeard<\/a><\/span> or Blue Spiraea <\/strong>(Caryopteris \u00d7 clandonensis<\/em>) – clusters of slightly fluffy, blue flowers appear in August and September on long stems among pointed, aromatic, grey-green leaves. (Although I have to admit, I\u2019ve not had much success with this drought-tolerant shrub.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abelia<\/strong><\/a>, or bee bush, has been flowering for a couple of months but I think it really comes into its own now when its delicate, small, scented tubular white\/pinky blooms really put on a show and continue well into autumn. It is semi-evergreen and does best in a sunny, sheltered position in fertile, well-drained soil. It can spread 4m and grow to 3m high if given the space, but we have it in a small corner of our garden where it can’t spread. Some varieties will work in pots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bluebeard (Photo: Emily Simpson, Unsplash) Buddleia (Photo: Gavin Allanwood, Unsplash) Chaste Tree (Photo credit: Griffin Taylor, Unsplash) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

September<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

St John’s Wort (<\/strong>Hypericum<\/em>)<\/strong> <\/a>– bears masses of large golden yellow flowers from June. One of the most poplar is Hypericum ‘Hidcote’, but it needs an annual prune to keep it from taking over. Hypericum<\/em> \u00d7 moserianum<\/em> ‘Tricolor’ is a smaller variety that blooms until October and has green\/pink variegated leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Butterfly bush or buddleia<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>(Buddleja davidii<\/em>) \u2013 buy a small cultivar of this coloniser of railway sidings for bee and butterfly visitors from July to October. Dense spikes of honey-scented, brightly coloured flowers can be encouraged by regular deadheading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chaste Tree<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/strong>(Vitex agnus-castus<\/em>) – cone-shaped clusters of violet-blue lavender-looking fragrant flowers appear from July to October – if planted in a sunny, sheltered garden – on this attractive, slender drought-resistant plant with finger-like leaves .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

October<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese Aralia<\/span> <\/a><\/strong>(Fatsia japonica<\/em>) \u2013 an autumn-flowering tropical-looking, evergreen with huge, glossy, palmate leaves for shady corners. It produces showy panicles of spherical, creamy white flowers from September right through to November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oleaster or Silverberry<\/span><\/a> <\/em><\/strong>(Elaeagnus<\/em> \u00d7 submacrophylla) – <\/em>in autumn, very small, but well-scented, creamy-white flowers open until November on this shade, drought and wind-tolerant evergreen that can be grown as a hedge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 <\/strong>Fastsia Japonica (Photo credit: The Blow Up, Unsplash); Strawberry tree with Buff-tailed bumblebee queen <\/p>\n\n\n\n

November<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

S<\/span>trawberry tree<\/span><\/a><\/strong> (Arbutus unedo<\/em>) \u2013 an evergreen, Mediterranean shrubby tree, with bell-shaped white flowers late in the year which hang from its branches unusually at the same time as its jolly, round, red fruit dangle like baubles on a Christmas tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources: RHS, Graham Rice, Buzz About Bees.net, The Garden Buzz, Dave Goulson, Gardening for Bumblebees, Pollinating London Together, BBC Gardeners\u2019 World magazine, Addicted to bees, Urban Bees plants for bees list, Crocus.co.uk<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to Diana Weir for her suggestions and help compiling this list.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Honey bee on Mahonia; Buff-tailed bumblebee queen on winter-flowering heather (Photos: Alison Benjamin unless credited) Many of us don\u2019t have space to plant a tree, but what about planting a few shrubs instead? Researchers at Bristol University has found that one flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) with 3,000 flowers provides as much nectar as 16,000 primrose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[36,44,66,59,35,82,25,49],"class_list":["post-3530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogs","tag-bumblebees","tag-forage","tag-gardening-for-bees","tag-helping-bees","tag-honeybees","tag-shrubsforbees","tag-solitary-bees","tag-wild-bees"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3530"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4646,"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3530\/revisions\/4646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urbanbees.co.uk\/blog_1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}