Any ideas for bee friendly hedge plantings in the midwest ?

In southeastern massachusetts, one of the singular best nectar sources is clethra. It needs water, but I saw a guy who had a hedgerow of it shaped and blooming. I hadn't thought that possible, but it was beautiful.

I have some China Girl and Blue Princess Holly cultivars (and male pollinators) that make nice evergreen hedges that the bees go crazy for. The deer do, too. But the deer seem to ignore American Holly (the native) if you can find it. I have not been in a position to observe the bees on the native so cannot attest as to whether they like it as much as my cultivars.

Red Osier Dogwood is pretty and makes a nice hedge.

Thanks for the input

I'm struggling with this question as well. I know that chaste trees I've had at my other house were simply loaded with bumble bees (and the occasional honey bee) from mid summer to frost. I'll be planting more of these, as well as Bee Bee trees, Tillia, and more persimmons now that I've purchased a small acreage. I have some goats, and I want to have a double-duty hedge so to speak. Bee forage/nectar and livestock containment. I've planted the beginnings of a hedge row with trifoliate orange along the front of my property. I haven't really seen any information on here (and scant little anywhere else) with regards to this plant and honey bees. I assume that the flowers will be similar to a regular orange tree, and I have hopes that the bees will eventually find this hedge attractive. Does anyone on this site have any experience with trifoliate orange? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

find some other beeks and walk around their area and see what the bees are on. probably a wide diversity makes sense so you might have flowers in spring summer and fall and mix it up and see what grows well in times of drought, heavy rain etc so you hedge your hedge! B

Michael Bush said:

Red Osier Dogwood is pretty and makes a nice hedge.

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A million times, yes. Beautiful and the bees love it.

Also, pussy willow. Gorgeous, a great first bloomer around here, native, and loved by the buzzers.

How about Blue beard (Caryopteris).

I planted a long row of Shrub Lespedeza for Quail. The bee's love it. No quail though.

Planted some pussy willow this spring, 2 ft transplants; they doubled in size with only minimal care on heavy grey clay .