Onion family plants for bees
Alliums are among the best value in a bee garden: a dense sphere of accessible florets on a stem that takes up almost no ground space.
Why this family matters
An allium head is a globe of dozens of small open flowers, each with accessible nectar, held clear of the foliage. That geometry means a single stem functions as a small foraging patch, and because they grow from bulbs they occupy no summer ground area — they can be planted through an existing border without displacing anything. Snowdrops matter for a different reason entirely: they are one of the very first pollen sources of the year.
When it flowers
Snowdrops from January, wild garlic and ornamental alliums April to June, chives May to July, and agapanthus in late summer. Chives cut back after flowering will flower again, which turns one plant into two seasons.
Which bees it serves
Alliums are worked by honey bees, bumblebees and solitary bees indiscriminately, and by hoverflies. Snowdrops are visited by bumblebee queens and honey bees on mild winter days for pollen, at a point in the year when a colony's need for it is disproportionate to the quantity available.
Onion family plants in the catalogue
- SnowdropGalanthus nivalisJanuary to March. Nectar low, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
- AlliumAlliumApril to August. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
- Wild garlicAllium ursinumApril to June. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
- ChivesAllium schoenoprasumMay to July. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
- AgapanthusAgapanthus praecoxJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
What this group covers
9 of 12 months have something in flower. Nectar and pollen are counted separately and a month counts only where at least one plant offers that resource at moderate value or better — a plant in flower is not the same as a plant worth visiting.
| Month | In flower | Nectar | Pollen |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1 | No | Yes |
| February | 1 | No | Yes |
| March | 1 | No | Yes |
| April | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| May | 3 | Yes | Yes |
| June | 3 | Yes | Yes |
| July | 3 | Yes | Yes |
| August | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| September | 1 | Yes | Yes |
| October | nothing | No | No |
| November | nothing | No | No |
| December | nothing | No | No |
What this group does not cover
Nothing in flower: October, November, December. Planting only from this group would leave those months empty.
Bees these plants are recorded with
Taken from the relationships on each plant record. These are the well-attested associations rather than an exhaustive list of visitors, so treat the number as a floor.
Other families
- Daisy family
- Mint family
- Rose family
- Pea family
- Honeysuckle family
- Heather family
- Buttercup family
- Myrtle family
- Cabbage family
- Borage family
- Carrot family
- Mallow family
- Buckthorn family
- Maple and horse chestnut family
- Sapodilla family
- Plantain family
- Citrus family
- Protea family
- Primrose family
- Asparagus family
- Currant family
- Elder and viburnum family
- Pine family
- Cashew and mango family
- Palm family
- Ivy family
- Oak and chestnut family
- Leatherwood family
- Spurge family
Plan with these
- Flowering calendar
What should I plant so that something is always in flower for bees?
- Bee-friendly garden planner
What should I plant in the space I actually have?
- Plant recommendation tool
Which plant fills this specific gap?