The Secret Garden Bees Guide: Planting for Your Neighbors

You don't need 22 acres in Linden to make a difference. Whether you have a sprawling backyard or a few pots on a sunny porch, you can create a "refueling station" for the girls at Secret Garden Bees and our wild pollinator friends.

When you plant for bees, you're doing more than adding color to your home—you're helping us keep the local ecosystem strong. Here's how to get started the Secret Garden Bees way.

1. Think Like a Bee: The Color Palette

Bees see the world differently than we do. They are particularly drawn to blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow. To a honeybee, a cluster of purple Lavender or yellow Goldenrod looks like a neon "Open" sign at a diner!

2. Plant for the Calendar

The biggest challenge for our bees is "the bridge"—those gaps in the season when nothing is blooming. At Secret Garden Bees, we try to ensure there is something to eat from the first thaw to the first frost.

· Early Spring: Crocus, Hellebores, and Fruit Trees (like the ones lining our fields).

· Summer: Bee Balm (Monarda), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea), and Sunflowers.

· Late Fall: Asters and Goldenrod (these are the "fuel" for the winter).

3. Embrace the "Friendly Weeds"

We'll let you in on a secret: a perfectly manicured, chemical-green lawn is a desert to a bee. At Secret Garden Bees, we love a good dandelion. Dandelions and Clover are often the very first food sources available in the spring. If you can, leave a corner of your yard a little "wild" or wait an extra week before mowing in the spring.

4. Diversity is Key

Different bees have different tongue lengths! By planting a variety of flower shapes—flat "landing pads" like Zinnias and tubular bells like Foxgloves—you ensure that honeybees and native bumblebees alike can find a meal.

5. Provide a "Bee Bath"

Beekeeping is thirsty work! Bees need water to cool the hive and dilute their honey. You can help by placing a shallow saucer filled with water and a few marbles or stones in your garden. The stones give the bees a safe place to land so they can drink without the risk of falling in.

Our Favorite North Carolina Pollinator Picks:

Flower Bloom Season Why the Bees Love It

Bee Balm Summer High nectar content and beautiful purple blooms.

White Clover Spring/Summer The backbone of our Secret Garden Bees Clover Honey.

Joe Pye Weed Late Summer A massive "buffet" for all kinds of pollinators.

Sunflowers Summer Provides both nectar and protein-rich pollen.