Betony

Value to bees

Nectar

Very high

Pollen

Moderate

As a honey crop

Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus

Which bees, and why

Worked almost continuously by long-tongued bumblebees, and by leafcutters and wool carders. It is one of the plants most consistently recommended for the declining long-tongued species, which have fewer alternatives than short-tongued ones.

A moderately deep two-lipped tube favouring long-tongued bumblebees. Honey bees use it and less efficiently.

Worth knowing

Very high nectar over a long window, and one of the better plants for long-tongued bumblebees, which are the group in most trouble.

Flowering

In flower

June to September (northern hemisphere)

A long season through the midsummer gap, and extendable by deadheading.

When nectar flows

Steady and generous, and it keeps producing in dry weather.

Year-to-year variation

Very dependable. Not a crop.

Growing it

Conditions

Sun or light shade, well-drained soil of low to moderate fertility. It dislikes rich damp ground.

Size

30-60 cm.

Native range

Europe and western Asia, on unimproved grassland and woodland rides.

Suits

Meadow or wildflower area, Small gardens, Large gardens

• An excellent border perennial as well as a meadow plant — it looks deliberate rather than weedy.
• Deadhead the first flush for a second one running into September.
• Easy from seed and slow to establish; give it two seasons before judging it.

What it looks like

A basal rosette of crinkled heart-shaped leaves with upright square stems carrying dense oblong spikes of magenta-purple two-lipped flowers.