How to Plant a Garden for Bees in Florida

Bromiliads are among the Florida plants that attract bees.

Florida has four distinct growing zones from northern frosts to the tropical south. Common to all is the sandy soil that needs enriching to grow non-native plants. As well, all zones get high heat in the summer with high humidity from its long coastline, but watering is essential in the dry seasons. For a bee-loving plant garden in Florida, look for species native to your area as well as imports. Growing a garden to attract bees is both an art and science in Florida, reports beekeeping specialist Malcolm T. Sanford of the University of Florida. Does this Spark an idea?

Things You'll Need

• Spade
• Soil enricher
• Soaker hose
• Organic fertilizer

Instructions

Choosing Plants

1. Mix plants with different flower shapes. Pollen bees prefer flowers that are not tubular, while long tongued bees are attracted to the nectar in trumpet-shaped hibiscus blooms.

2. Attract bees with their favorite colors which are purple, blue, yellow and white, according to the Argonne National Laboratory.

3. Plant varieties native to your part of Florida. Bees are used to them. Native plant societies have lists of plants that grow in your climate zone.

4. Include varieties that bloom all year in Florida and others that succeed one another in flowering seasons to provide year-round food for bees and color for your garden.

Planning the Garden

1. Build in a water element like a fountain or birdbath. Bees are attracted to water, and a water element is a pleasing addition to a Florida garden.

2. Plan multilevels of plants, from trees to understory shrubs to flowers to ground covers. This protects bees from wind, provides a choice for them and adds interest to your garden.

3. Group plants in bunches to provide large areas of color or shape to both attract bees and heighten the plants' visual impact.

4. Provide a section for herbs that grow in Florida. Bees are attracted to their blooms, and you can use them for cooking and potpourri.

Planting in Florida

1. Dig a planting hole twice the width of the original container but at the same depth.

2. Add soil enrichers like organic peat moss, composted cow manure or mushroom compost. Add enough to sandy soil to make it light, loose and airy while able to absorb and retain moisture. In clay soils, add enough to break it up and make it porous so air can reach the plant roots. This prevents rotting.

3. Put the plant in the hole at the same height it was growing in its original container. Add amended soil and tamp down to eliminate large air pockets.

4. Soak with water deep enough to reach the root ball. Water daily for the first week, every other day for the second week and every third day for the third week. After that, irrigate normally, but increase the frequency during Florida's windy, dry and hot periods.

5. Fertilize according to each plant's requirements and your area. Plants that produce nectar or pollen in one location may not in another because of variations in soil pH and fertility.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not plant yellow jasmine, as it is poisonous to bees.

• Avoid the native Florida shrub white ti ti (Cyrilla racemiflora L.). Known as summer ti ti, it can cause "purple brood," which kills entire hives.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Beekeeping: Florida Bee Botany
• Argonne National Laboratory: Bees and Color
• National Biological Information Infrastructure: Create or Enhance Pollinator Habitat in Backyards, Farms, and Open Spaces
• Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center: Planting Instructions