The best plants for bees in pots

Containers and balconies in the catalogue

• LavenderLavandula angustifoliaJune to August. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• RosemarySalvia rosmarinusFebruary to May. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• ThymeThymusMay to August. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• SunflowerHelianthus annuusJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen very high.Major honey crop
• HeatherCalluna vulgarisAugust to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• Strawberry treeArbutus unedoOctober to December. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• BorageBorago officinalisJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumApril to June. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• PhaceliaPhacelia tanacetifoliaJune to October. Nectar very high, pollen very high.Minor honey crop
• SnowdropGalanthus nivalisJanuary to March. Nectar low, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Michaelmas daisySymphyotrichum novi-belgiiAugust to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• SageSalviaMay to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• MintMenthaJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• MarjoramOriganum vulgareJuly to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• CatmintNepetaMay to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• VerbenaVerbena bonariensisJune to November. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• 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
• CrocusCrocusJanuary to April. Nectar moderate, pollen very high.Not a honey source
• YarrowAchillea millefoliumJune to October. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• CornflowerCentaurea cyanusJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• CotoneasterCotoneasterMay to June. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• HelleboreHelleborusDecember to April. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Not a honey source
• Winter aconiteEranthis hyemalisJanuary to March. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Not a honey source
• SedumHylotelephium spectabileAugust to October. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Hardy geraniumGeraniumMay to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• EchinaceaEchinacea purpureaJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• AlliumAlliumApril to August. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• BilberryVaccinium myrtillusApril to June. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• LemonCitrus limonMarch to June. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• BanksiaBanksiaMarch to August. Nectar very high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• LungwortPulmonaria officinalisFebruary to May. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• PrimrosePrimula vulgarisFebruary to May. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Forget-me-notMyosotis sylvaticaApril to June. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Grape hyacinthMuscari armeniacumMarch to May. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Christmas boxSarcococca confusaDecember to March. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Lamb's earStachys byzantinaJune to August. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• AgastacheAgastache foeniculumJuly to October. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• HyssopHyssopus officinalisJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• Sea hollyEryngiumJuly to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• FennelFoeniculum vulgareJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• RudbeckiaRudbeckia fulgidaAugust to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• DahliaDahliaJuly to November. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• WallflowerErysimumMarch to November. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• HebeHebeJune to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Sweet orangeCitrus sinensisMarch to May. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• CoffeeCoffea arabicaMarch to May. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• CranberryVaccinium macrocarponJune to July. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• HarebellCampanula rotundifoliaJuly to September. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Not a honey source
• Small scabiousScabiosa columbariaJune to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• Sea asterTripolium pannonicumJuly to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• SelfhealPrunella vulgarisJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Lemon balmMelissa officinalisJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Bell heatherErica cinereaJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• BottlebrushMelaleuca citrinaOctober to January. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• GojiLycium barbarumJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• LoquatEriobotrya japonicaNovember to February. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• TeaCamellia sinensisOctober to December. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Resin spurgeEuphorbia resiniferaMarch to May. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• Bitter aloeAloe feroxJune to August. Nectar very high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• MangoMangifera indicaJanuary to April. Nectar high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• GooseberryRibes uva-crispaMarch to April. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• ApricotPrunus armeniacaFebruary to April. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• PeachPrunus persicaMarch to April. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Winter clematisClematis cirrhosaNovember to March. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• DaphneDaphneJanuary to April. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Hardy cyclamenCyclamen coumDecember to March. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Siberian squillScilla sibericaFebruary to April. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• Grecian windflowerAnemone blandaMarch to April. Nectar low, pollen high.Not a honey source
• BugleAjuga reptansApril to June. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• AubrietaAubrieta deltoideaMarch to May. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• ColumbineAquilegia vulgarisMay to June. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Blazing starLiatris spicataJuly to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• Woodland sageSalvia nemorosaJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Lesser calamintClinopodium nepetaJuly to November. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Russian sageSalvia yangiiJuly to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• BluebeardCaryopteris x clandonensisAugust to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• AbeliaLinnaea x grandifloraJuly to November. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Shrubby cinquefoilDasiphora fruticosaMay to October. Nectar moderate, pollen high.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
• ChivesAllium schoenoprasumMay to July. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• Winter savorySatureja montanaJuly to September. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• CorianderCoriandrum sativumJune to August. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• ZinniaZinnia elegansJuly to October. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• FatsiaFatsia japonicaOctober to November. Nectar high, pollen high.Not a honey source
• AgapanthusAgapanthus praecoxJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Giant catmintNepeta racemosaMay to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Greek heathErica manipulifloraSeptember to December. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• TulsiOcimum tenuiflorumSeptember to February. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• AjwainTrachyspermum ammiJanuary to March. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Green cardamomElettaria cardamomumApril to July. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• MandacaruCereus jamacaruNovember to February. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus

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
• Leafcutter bees
• Mason bees
• Iberian honey bee
• Mourning bees
• Anatolian honey bee
• Mining bees
• Long-horned bees
• Metallic green sweat bee
• White-tailed bumblebee
• Heath bumblebee

Honeys from these plants

• Lavender honeyOvertly perfumed — lavender flower, warm hay and a soft fruity sweetness underneath. Aromatic in a way most honeys are not.
• Alcarria honeyDelicate and aromatic, with a clean herbal sweetness — the rosemary type is softer and more floral, the lavender type more perfumed and slightly camphoraceous.
• Rosmaninho honeyAromatic and resinous with a warm herbal sweetness and a faint eucalyptus lift — more robust and less perfumed than Provençal lavender honey.
• Rosemary honeyDelicate and softly aromatic — floral first, with a thin thread of resin behind it that tells you where it came from.
• Hymettus honeyIntensely aromatic and herbal, with a warm thyme character, a resinous maquis edge and a long finish that carries a distinct savoury note.
• Narbonne rosemary honeyDelicate and clean with a soft herbal floral note and a texture that does much of the work — one of the classic pale European honeys.
• Thyme honeyWarm, herbal and savoury — thyme and dry stone, with a peppery lift and a very long finish.
• Alpine meadow honeyComplex and aromatic, with a herbal lift over warm caramel and a distinctly clean finish — the flavour of a great many plants rather than of any one.
• Savory honeyIntensely herbal with a distinct peppery, almost oregano-like bite over a warm sweetness — one of the more assertive Mediterranean aromatics.
• Dittany honeyIntensely aromatic and herbal with a distinct medicinal lift and a warm oregano character — closer to a herbal infusion than to a floral honey.
• 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.
• Tibetan highland honeyDense and strongly herbal with a resinous depth and a faintly smoky finish — a concentrated honey that reflects both a short intense season and traditional processing.