Flowering climbers for Bumble Bees?

[Morchella]

You could try a variety of Clematis cirrhosa, one of my favourites, very early flowering and scented as well. Kew have a pic of a bee foraging for pollen on one in January

Laura

[artdemole]

As Morchella's post.Freckles is a good plant .Should be flowering about now.Sometimes flowers even before Christmas.Possible to have a 3 month flowering period and the odd flower in summer.A good shrub in flower is the Mahonia Which also flowers the same time.

[Jez]

Bumble bees love clematis macropatala

[Susie]

Originally Posted by Jennie

Were you referring to the Japanese Quince, Susie? That seems like a good option and one I hadn't considered. I don't want to plant anything too bushy as the border is quite narrow and I want to plant as much as possible in it.

Yes, the Japanese Quince. It has really pretty flowers plus fruit in the late autumn/winter for the birds.

I grow it as a bush but have a cutting that I am going to try to grow climbing up a wall. I have seen it in other peoples' gardens as a wall plant and it looks really great and is always very popular with the bees that are around that early.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Morchella

You could try a variety of Clematis cirrhosa, one of my favourites, very early flowering and scented as well. Kew have a pic of a bee foraging for pollen on one in January

Laura

I have this in my garden + most winters/spring have quite a few bumble bees visiting. Recent weather has been so harsh I haven't seen any bees recently (unlike previous winters), but the flowers are currently open.

[Madmills]

A Freemontadendron is a tall shrub that is very easily trained against trellises, fences and walls.

It is evergreen and has large butter-yellow coloured flowers - they appear in May though which might not be early enough for you.

The flowers attract all pollinating insects and provide a good looking plant to the gardener too.
In the winter i get wrens, blackcaps and long tailed tits on it because the fuzzy/hairy stems and foliage mean tiny insects for them too

I've had one in every garden i've ever had because of their appeal to me and the garden wildlife.

[tristanba]

winter flowering honeysuckle is really good for early bees, particularly Anthophora plumipes

[Susie]

My winter flowering honeysuckle has buds on, I can see it from the kitchen window, and when it flowers I will bring some into the house as it smells AMAZING!

One year when we had a very mild winter I saw a bush of this and it was smothered in flying insects so I had to find out what it was and get some. Unfortunately last winter was much colder and nothing was flying when it was in bloom and I wouldn't be surprised if this winter will be the same.

[Jennie]

Gosh, so many choices! Wish I had a bigger garden to fit them all in! I shall definitely go for the Clematis cirrhosa, and possibly the Japanese Quince as well.

Once again thank you for all your replies.