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  • Home
  • Take Part
    • Primary Schools
    • Pollinator Project
    • ReWild Child Project
    • Secondary Schools
    • Festivals
  • Resources
  • Nature Hero Awards
  • School Gardens
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Partner with us
    • Our Aim
    • Meet the Team
    • News
    • Vacancies

Bees

Pollinator Planting

There is a huge range of flowers, shrubs and trees you can plant at school to help bees and other pollinators. We have included this 'shopping list' below to use on your visit to the garden centre.

You might find it tricky to find some of them but don't worry, another helpful tip is to put on your 'bee goggles'! If it's a sunny day at the garden centre just stand back and watch where the bees are landing. They'll show you what they want!

Do your best to stay away from plants not on this list as many traditional options such as pansy, busy lizzy and begonia are totally useless to wildlife as they have been bred for their looks and contain no pollen or nectar. Also, bear in mind the flowering dates below and use these as a guide to plan a steady stream of nectar and pollen throughout the year.

​Please note these amended recommendations have been taken from the National Biodiversity Data Centre All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.
Fruit Trees & Bushes
  • Apple (April-May)
  • Cherry (April-May)
  • Currants (April-May)
  • Plum (April-May)
  • Raspberry (June-Aug)

Herbs
  • Basil (July-Sept)
  • Borage (April-Oct)
  • Lavender (June-Aug)
  • Oregano (June-Aug)
  • Rosemary (April-June)
  • Sage (June-Aug)
  • Thyme (May-Aug)

Hanging Baskets
  • Ageratum
  • Alyssum ‘Sweet White’
  • Heliotrope ‘Dwarf Marine’
  • Verbena ‘Blue Lagoon’
  • ’Desert Jewels Mixed’

Perennials
  • Helleborus (Feb-March)
  • Comfrey (March-June)
  • Pulmonaria (March-May)
  • Calamint (May-Sept) 
  • Catmint (May-Sept) 
  • Lamium (May-July) 
  • Poppy (May-Oct)
  • Rock rose (May-July)
  • Allium (June-Aug)
  • Bellflower (June-Sept)
  • Delphinium (June-July)
  • Gaillardia (June-Sept)
  • Helenium(June-Aug)
  • Salvia (June-Sept) 
  • Scabious (June-Sept) 
  • Stachys (June-Sept)
  • Viper’s bugloss (June-July)
  • Aster (July-Oct) 
  • Coneflower (July-Oct)
  • Globe thistle (July-Aug)
  • Liatris (July-October)
  • Perovskia (July-Oct) e.g., Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’
  • Stonecrop (July-Sept) e.g., Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
  • Verbena (July-Oct)
  • Eupatorium (Aug-Sept)
  • Heathers (Aug-Sept)
  • Perovskia (Aug-Sept)


Annual Flowers
  • Californian Poppy
  • Cerinthe major ‘purpurascens’
  • Cornflower
  • Cosmos
  • Lavatera
  • Limnanthes douglasii
  • Annual poppy
  • Scabious
  • Night scented stock
  • Single sunflowers

Bulbs
  • Snowdrop (Jan-Feb) e.g., Galanthus nivalis, Galanthus elwesii
  • Crocus (Feb-March)
  • Muscari armeniacum (March-May)
  • Allium (June-July)
  • Single flowered Dahlia, especially Bishop series (July-November)
  • Colchium (September-October)

​Trees & Shrubs
  • Berberis (April-May)
  • Blackthorn (March-May)
  • Broom (March-April)
  • Ceanothus (April-Sept)
  • Cotoneaster (May-Aug)
  • Deutzia (June-July)
  • Firethorn (May-June)
  • Forsythia (March-April)
  • Hawthorn (May – June)
  • Hazel (Feb-April)
  • Hebe (June-Oct)
  • Mahonia (Dec-May)
  • Rowan (May – June)
  • Viburnum (April-May)
  • Whitebeam (May-June)

​Wildflower Mixes
  • Please only use native, Irish-grown seed.

​Fruit & Vegetables
  • Courgettes
  • Field/ runner beans
  • Pumpkins
  • Strawberries
  • Tomatoes
Green Bee
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