If you want bees in your garden ...

cutecoot · #1 (**permalink**) 15-06-2009, 10:04 AM

... get yourself one of these!:

It's a ceanothus (not sure exactly which type, apart from evergreen spring-flowering!) .. and it is absolutely *buzzing* with activity! Strangely, in the photo, only one bee can be seen (along with one spider!) but I can assure you there were hundreds in that bush!

KeenTeen17 · #2 (**permalink**) 18-06-2009, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cutecoot

... get yourself one of these!:

It's a ceanothus (not sure exactly which type, apart from evergreen spring-flowering!) .. and it is absolutely *buzzing* with activity! Strangely, in the photo, only one bee can be seen (along with one spider!) but I can assure you there were hundreds in that bush!

Wow. Nice plant there. I have been passing these a lot in gardens and I always had it down as a Hebe. These aren't my familiarity so you are right with Ceanothus. I have found Cotoneasters and Berberis to be good for bees as well

ron1863 · #3 (**permalink**) 18-06-2009, 11:12 PM

My neighbour has one that is about ten foot high and overhangs our garden. The flowers remind me of the blue, sprinkle covered sweet in a Liqourice Allsort packet.

James M · #4 (**permalink**) 19-06-2009, 01:54 AM

Ceanothus are great my Aunt has one, great colour too. I would agree with Cotoneaster, the one in our garden (C. bullatus) hums at this time of year plus in the Autumn it's good for birds too

nightshade · #5 (**permalink**) 19-06-2009, 07:00 AM

Ceanothus does not like my garden or the climate here they do try but Cotoneasters do very well along with Pyracantha and Berbris.
Lots of small Bumblebees this year, Honeybees few and far between

The Woodman · #6 (**permalink**) 19-06-2009, 07:52 AM

You may also want to consider Photinia davidiana, a shrub I never knew the name of until it cropped recently on WAB. Ours is covered in bumble bees every day.

nightshade · #7 (**permalink**) 19-06-2009, 09:19 AM

Is this the shrub with red leaves when young and masses of white flowers?

The Woodman · #8 (**permalink**) 19-06-2009, 01:45 PM

Yes, that's the one.

I've just been out and taken these images of both shrubs, unfortunately past their best and despite being very blustery there must be around 1000 bees on both.

This has pretty pinkish white flowers and is about 2 metres high, I don't know what it is called.

What I believe is Photinia davidiana is 4 metres high and a number of the shoots die back every year after the leaves have opened.

There are currently bees of every description on it including what I think is a hoverfly masquerading as a bee in the cropped image.

Apparently this species is salt tolerant which it need to be here on the edge of Morecambe Bay.

I've never seen any shrub with more bees on than these two.

cutecoot · #9 (**permalink**) 19-06-2009, 03:11 PM

I've never seen a Photinia with flowers on, Woodman .. I think they are so often kept trimmed right back to keep in check, and to increase the amount of the bright red new leaf growth. Never seen that other shrub before, either, so no idea what it is!?!