Annuals for Bees

[WVMJ]

We are going to leave our plastic mulch on last years garden and make a new garden. I want to plant some annual flowers for our bees, they will have drip so if we keep having a dry spring and summer there will be at least a few flowers for them to get some food. I was thinking zinnias and tethonia sunflowers. Are there better annuals to put out for the bees. Our new garden will have some basil and cucumbers for them as well. WVMJ

[ChickenChaser]

You might consider borage. Annual and readily reseeds itself.

[beekeeper120]

something to consider that I found out the hard way. I made a small flower bed, 4 feet by 2 feet in my back yard near the bee path into the hives. I planted different types of annuals that were basically purple, red, yellow and white. The bees hardly touched them at all. I was mistified by this because each flower attracted bees. I spoke with one of our bee extension offices in my area and they told me that the probable cause is the flower bed was to small to the amount of other flowers in the area. Basically if there is a larger nector/pollen source near by they will often fly pass yours and instead work the larger source. IF you do make a nice garden, try to plant flowers that will bloom in the off seasons of the flowers in your area.

Regards

[BuzzyBuzz]

You could also try phacelia tanacetifolia, poppy and cosmos.

[Honeypeach]

Cleomes. They have a long season.