Butterfly bushes

[Shawn]

Does anyone know if butterfly bushes are a good food source for bees?

[pttom]

I have purple, yellow, and white butterfly bushes. Most of the time they work the purple.

[KONASDAD]

Mine work the white more frequently as do the Monarchs. They are used when many other plants flowers have wained from heat and seasons endings. They us'em, but I think only when other plants have lossed their nectar.

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Yes I usually only see them on the Dark Knight (the dark purple one). I only ever see them on it during the early morning around or before noon. Later in the day they seem to go after other sources.

[Cindi]

I was surprised to see bees on my Butterfly Bush (Buddlelia) this summer, I have a mid purple coloured one that is self-seeding everywhere, I have to keep pulling it up, because I simply don't want the bushes there, could transplant, but have too many other things to tend.  Enjoy this picture.  Have a wonderful day, beautiful life.  Cindi

[johnnybigfish]

Gee Cindi, That is a GREAT looking butterfly bush flower. Here where I live every time I plant these they only get scrawny looking flowers then die from the heat. Actually, your flower resembles something that grows down here called a crepe myrtle...the hotter it gets the better the flowers look, as long as they get some water.
your friend,
john

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Has anyone ever tried the Rainbow or 3 in 1 butterfly bush?
(Also sorry for the sponsored site but they seem to be the only ones with pictures of them)
http://michiganbulb.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_73096_A_Butterfly+Bush%2C+Rainbow_E_
http://michiganbulb.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_71471_A_Butterfly+Bush%2C+3%2Din%2D1+_E_

I imagen the 3 in 1 would do good with bees because of the white and light blue blooms, but what about the rainbow one? Has anyone ever tried it?

[Understudy]

I can't keep the bees off mine. They love  butterfly bushes.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Cindi]

MrILovetheAnts.  The  butterfly bushes in the sites are beautiful, I haven't tried them, but how pretty.  I know they talk of the bush being fragrant, icch, I honestly can't stand the smell of the flowers, I think that they stink horrible.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day, Cindi

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Cindi: I think they smell awful too, but from a distance I find them to be a welcome change in the air. The Dark Knight I have smells the best but the only way I can describe it is it's similar to pungent rotting fruit. Do you have many fragrant plants? Which of them is the best? So far I must say that a Clethra my friend has is the best smelling plant around, and I hope to get one.

[Cindi]

MrILovetheAnts.  Clethra alnifolia.  I googled that plant, shrub actually, bears tiny clusters of highly fragrant flowers in late winter.  I must get one too.  I am on and have always been on the search for fragrant flowers and trees.

I will have to list my favourite smelly plants that I grow here.  From my favourite first:

Night scented stocks (matthiloa bicornis) (night fragrance)
Mignonette (stock family)
Heliotrope Marine
Nicotiannas (night fragrance)
Stocks, (the 10 week Dwarf cultivar)

There are some more, but I can't quite think of them right now, obviously they are not high impact flowers.  So, you see the list is limited, but I never give up learning and finding more.

I also grew Virginnia Stocks, I heard that they were very fragrant and a lovely ground cover, nope, ugly sprawling plants that I ripped out after giving them a chance for a couple of weeks, too ugly for the garden and had no scent whatsoever.

This year I planted for the bees (and fragrance):

Yellow Honey Locust
Purple Robe Robinia (from the species Black Locust)

I have gathered seeds of the:

Garlic chives

I was surprised when I walked by the small group of garlic chives I have how fragrant the air was.  I am going to have an entire section of garlic cloves, and they are a very nice addition to any dish where I use green onion.  I can liken them to peace lily scent or simply the lily family.

I tried to grow the Moonflower for evening scent as we talked about in previous posts, but it never matured, even though I set the seeds early enough.  I will try again, they didn't even flower or even grow more than 2 feet long.  Brother.  Usually I have an excellent green thumb.  Need to do some research on how to grow this night scented flower.

If you know of any highly fragrant plants, tell me, I am interested.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day.  Cindi

[reinbeau]

Ah, Clethra, common name around here is Sweet Pepperbush - the scent of late summer.  When it blooms the scent is overpowering!  But I still love it.  Great bee plant for us, too!

[Cindi]

Ann, so the scent is overpowering.  Describe this scent to some flower that we know.  Some are stinky and some are nice.  Have a beautiful day in our life.  Cindi

[reinbeau]

There is no similar scent.  Sweet, intoxicating....  It's overpowering because so many plants live in an area - they self-sow freely.  It's the smell of late summer, the smell of school going to begin soon, it brings me right back to being a little kid enjoying those long last days of freedom.  Sorry, it's the best I can do 

[Cindi]

Ann, you have descriptive writing skills, and you took me right into your life, long ago, when the dog days of summer were coming to an end.  Beautiful, memories, scents that take us back years and years and years.  Beautiful.

I am going to try to grow Clethra here (aka as you say Sweet Pepperbush), I am sure I can get some seed/roots/rhizomes from somewhere.  Right, you said they self-sow.  Can you got out and get some seed for me, or is it too late and the seeds have sown?  Curious, and would love some.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day in our life.  Cindi

[reinbeau]

I dunno, Cindi, if the seeds have dropped or not - I'll go down to the end of the street and check when I get a chance! 

[KONASDAD]

Is it just a coincidence that the flowers bees really like are often shaped like a "bottlebrush". Butterfly, anise hyssop, pepperbush, russian sage, lavender etc just a thought...

[MrILoveTheAnts]

I think the flowers just need to be manageable for the bees and offer either the pollen or nectar they're looking for. Perhaps this is how Gladiolus, Sunflowers, and Purple Cone Flowers fit in the mix.

[Cindi]

Konasdad.  Now that is surely an interesting statement and logical.  I think the "bottlebrush" shape is very user friendly for the bees, the nectaries of the flowers are easy for the bees to get at and have hundreds on a flowerstalk. 

Never seen a bee on my glads, that I am aware of.  Gladioulus are beautiful.  Love them dearly.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day.  Cindi

[MrILoveTheAnts]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/mrilovetheants/Bees/Beeongrassflower.jpg
It was something of a shock to find them in our Gladiolus's Cindi. I can't say I really recommend them either, the plants only ever have two or three flowers that are useful and they only last maybe a week or two at most, and each plant only produces so many flowers. The plant itself (at least the verity I have) looks like cartoon grass with stiff held together leaves. Maybe they'll be better next year.

Back to Butterfly bushes, I have a pink one that looks suspiciously like the one you had Cindi. The one I have is only hearty in zone 5 but does that mean it's seeds will still come back each year?