The best annuals for bees

Annuals in the catalogue

• SunflowerHelianthus annuusJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen very high.Major honey crop
• FoxgloveDigitalis purpureaJune to July. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Oilseed rapeBrassica napusApril to June. Nectar very high, pollen very high.Major honey crop
• BuckwheatFagopyrum esculentumJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• BorageBorago officinalisJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• PhaceliaPhacelia tanacetifoliaJune to October. Nectar very high, pollen very high.Minor honey crop
• Viper's buglossEchium vulgareJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• CosmosCosmos bipinnatusJuly to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• CalendulaCalendula officinalisMay to December. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• TeaselDipsacus fullonumJuly to August. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• CornflowerCentaurea cyanusJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Common poppyPapaver rhoeasMay to August. Nectar none, pollen very high.Not a honey source
• Sweet cloverMelilotus officinalisJune to August. Nectar very high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• Chinese milk vetchAstragalus sinicusMarch to May. Nectar very high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• ThistleGalactites tomentosaMay to July. Nectar very high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• Forget-me-notMyosotis sylvaticaApril to June. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Wild carrotDaucus carotaJune to September. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Yellow starthistleCentaurea solstitialisJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• Red bartsiaOdontites vernusJuly to September. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Yellow rattleRhinanthus minorMay to August. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Himalayan balsamImpatiens glanduliferaJuly to October. Nectar very high, pollen very high.Major honey crop
• Common ragwortJacobaea vulgarisJune to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Field beanVicia fabaMay to July. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Squash and pumpkinCucurbita pepoJune to September. Nectar high, pollen very high.Not a honey source
• SesameSesamum indicumJuly to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• HonestyLunaria annuaApril to June. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Sweet rocketHesperis matronalisMay to July. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Tree mallowMalva arboreaJune to October. Nectar high, pollen very high.Not a honey source
• HollyhockAlcea roseaJune to September. Nectar high, pollen very high.Not a honey source
• Poached egg plantLimnanthes douglasiiApril to July. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• California poppyEschscholzia californicaMay to September. Nectar none, pollen very high.Not a honey source
• Crimson cloverTrifolium incarnatumMay to July. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Fodder radishRaphanus sativusAugust to November. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• CorianderCoriandrum sativumJune to August. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• AngelicaAngelica archangelicaJune to August. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• ZinniaZinnia elegansJuly to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• Mexican sunflowerTithonia rotundifoliaAugust to October. Nectar very high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• AjwainTrachyspermum ammiJanuary to March. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Niger seedGuizotia abyssinicaSeptember to November. Nectar very high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• SoybeanGlycine maxJuly to August. Nectar moderate, pollen low.Minor honey crop
• Spanish needleBidens albaJanuary to December. Nectar high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• SafflowerCarthamus tinctoriusJune to August. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Minor honey crop

What this group covers

12 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.

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.

• Western honey bee
• Bumblebees
• Mining bees
• Long-horned bees
• Metallic green sweat bee
• Ruderal bumblebee
• Yellow-legged mining bee
• Egyptian honey bee
• Mason bees
• Leafcutter bees
• Violet carpenter bee
• Eastern carpenter bee

Honeys from these plants

• Sunflower honeyStraw, beeswax and pollen, with a slightly waxy mouthfeel and a fresh, faintly herbal edge.
• Rapeseed honeyVery sweet, very mild, faintly cabbage-like when fresh and cleanly bland once set. Texture is what it has instead of flavour.
• Himalayan forest honeyComplex and warm, with a herbal and faintly smoky character reflecting both the flora and the traditional processing — spring honey is lighter and more floral, autumn honey darker and more resinous.
• Buckwheat honeyMalt, molasses and wet straw, with a savoury, almost animal depth. The most polarising honey in general production.
• Borage honeyVery light and very clean, with a faint cucumber-fresh note that fades with age. Sweetness without commentary.
• Tajinaste honeyDelicate and clean with a light floral sweetness and a faint mineral edge from the volcanic ground — subtle rather than characterful.
• Salvation Jane honeyMild and clean with a soft floral sweetness — pleasant, unassertive and produced in enormous quantity.
• Sweet clover honeyWarm, sweet and hay-like with a soft vanilla note that is genuinely there rather than imagined — the clearest coumarin character of any common honey.
• Siberian taiga honeyComplex and warm with a herbal lift over caramel, and a density that comes directly from the low moisture — thick, concentrated and long on the palate.
• Prairie honeyClean, mild and creamy, with a light floral sweetness. The reference point for what a great many people think honey tastes like.
• Milk vetch honeySoft, mild and slightly floral with a faint green-bean freshness — an unassuming honey made in enormous quantity.
• Ak balMild, creamy and delicately floral with a faint herbal lift — the texture is much of the appeal, dense and smooth and dissolving rather than sticky.