Back

Which is the best lavender for bees?

With hundreds of types of lavender out there, it can be hard to choose between them. Here are three expert-recommended lavenders to plant to attract bees

Anyone who has taken a stroll around a sunny garden on a summer’s day knows that bees and butterflies flock to lavender. This classic cottage garden

Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

perennial is the RHS Wildlife Wonder Plant of the Month for June, meaning our wildlife experts have highlighted it as a top plant we can all grow to support biodiversity. 

But with so many lavenders out there, it can be hard to know which to choose, especially if your priority is to track down the very best lavenders for wildlife.

We’ve caught up with Professor Dave Goulson, renowned ecologist and founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, to spill the beans on three of the best lavenders to plant for pollinators – and they might not be what you expect. 
 

What makes lavender great for wildlife?

“Lavenders are loved by pollinators as they provide plentiful sweet nectar,” says Prof. Goulson. “The most common visitors are usually a range of bumblebee species, particularly buff-, white- and red-tailed bumblebees and common carder bumblebees, plus honeybees and butterflies too.”

All lavender species and cultivars are RHS Plants for Pollinators, with the long-lasting, nectar-rich flower spikes attracting bumblebees, honeybees and butterflies in to feast, as well as day-flying moths – look out for the mesmerising hummingbird hawk moth, which loves lavender.

But some lavenders are even better for wildlife than others.

“A staple for every garden, lavender is one of the best plants for providing a reliable nectar source over the summer months for a variety of pollinators,” he says. “But with so many types available, it’s worth choosing your lavender carefully.”
 

Which are the best lavenders for bees?

In a trial at the University of Sussex, 13 common cultivars of lavender, from three different species, were planted side by side and number of insects per square metre counted at regular intervals. This data was collected from three trial sites and throughout the flowering season.

The researchers found cultivars of Dutch lavender (Lavandula × intermedia) to be four times more popular with pollinators than those of English lavender (L. angustifolia). English lavender includes popular garden choices such as ‘Hidcote’ and ‘Munstead’. Even within L. × intermedia cultivars there was significant variation – ‘Gros Bleu’ was over twice as popular as ‘Old English’.

“Although hard data comparing different lavender varieties is limited, all lavender cultivars and species are pretty good for attracting bees, particularly bumblebees, so there are no bad choices,” says Prof. Goulson. “However, trials suggest that Lavandula × intermedia received more insect visits than L. angustifolia (English lavender) or L. stoechas (French lavender).”

The triumphing Lavandula × intermedia (lavandin) is a

A plant produced by crossing two distinct parents, often different species, to produce offspring that combine the characteristics of both. Hybrids can occur naturally, but crosses are often made deliberately by plant breeders to produce plants with better yield, improved flowering or vigour, or improved disease resistance.

hybrid between English lavender, L. angustifolia, and broad-leaved or Portuguese lavender, L. latifolia.

When it comes to colour, though, it seems bees are – perhaps surprisingly – not fussy. “Flower colour – traditional purple or blue compared with white – had no effect on the number of insect visits in those trials,” says Prof. Goulson.

These are the top bee-friendly varieties he recommends.

1.  Lavandula × intermedia ‘Gros Bleu’

• Size and habit: relatively large, bushy evergreen shrub – height and spread 90–100cm

• Flower colour and timing: deep, rich violet-purple flowers on long stems from mid to late summer

• Foliage: grey-green

• Great for: pollinators, sweet scent, cut flowers and drying

• Find out more >

2.  Lavandula ×​ intermedia ‘Grosso’

• Size and habit: large and vigorous, forming a dome with height and spread 75–90cm
• Flower colour and timing: deep, rich violet-blue from mid to late summer; more camphor-like scent than ‘Gros Bleu’
• Foliage: grey-green
• Great for: pollinators, lavender oil
• Find out more > 

3.  Lavandula ×​ chaytoriae ‘Sawyers’

• Size and habit: smaller and more compact with a mound-forming habit – height and spread 50–60cm
• Flower colour and timing: light to mid-purple, produced from mid to late summer – sometimes later than other lavenders
• Foliage: silvery‑grey and softly textured, almost woolly
• Great for: pollinators and ornamental use, holding an RHS Recommended: Award of Garden Merit
• Find out more >

Where and how to grow lavender

A native plant is one that originated or arrived naturally in a particular place without human involvement. In the British Isles, native plants are those that were here during the last ice age or have arrived unaided since.

native

Other top wildlife plants for June

• Campanulas – a versatile group of hardy perennials, all RHS Plants for Pollinators, that particularly attract scissor bees. The small scissor bee is the UK’s smallest bee and is highly specialised, relying almost entirely on campanulas. The males sleep inside the bell-shaped flowers at night and during bad weather. The final segment of their abdomen is modified into a two-pronged peg to hold on inside flowers, hence the name ‘scissor bee’. Mating takes place inside the flower too.
• Geranium Rozanne – a long-flowering, multi-award-winning perennial that’s great for honeybees.
• Knapweed – a British native
  A term generally applied to non-woody, flowering plants that are natural to a particular area and grow there without human assistance. More accurately, British wildflowers normally applies to UK natives including plants introduced into the wild before 1500.

  wildflower that attracts green-eyed flower bees.
• Tomato – a favourite crop that also supports bumblebees, which shake pollen out of the flower by vibrating their flight muscles at a high frequency – a process known as buzz pollination, which honeybees and other insects can’t replicate.

• You can browse Dave Goulson’s full range of books at Summerfield Books here.

Campanula lactiflora 'Loddon Anna'

milky bellflower 'Loddon Anna'

• 1–1.5 metres
• 0.1–0.5 metres

<em>Campanula</em> <em>lactiflora</em> 'Loddon Anna'

Solanum lycopersicum 'Gardener's Delight'

tomato (cherry) 'Gardener's Delight'

• 1–1.5 metres
• 0.5–1 metres

<em>Solanum</em> <em>lycopersicum</em> 'Gardener's Delight'

Campanula carpatica

tussock bellflower

• 0.1–0.5 metres
• 0.1–0.5 metres

<em>Campanula</em> <em>carpatica</em>

Campanula lactiflora 'Loddon Anna'

milky bellflower 'Loddon Anna'

• 1–1.5 metres
• 0.1–0.5 metres

<em>Campanula</em> <em>lactiflora</em> 'Loddon Anna'

Solanum lycopersicum 'Gardener's Delight'

tomato (cherry) 'Gardener's Delight'

• 1–1.5 metres
• 0.5–1 metres

<em>Solanum</em> <em>lycopersicum</em> 'Gardener's Delight'

Campanula carpatica

tussock bellflower

• 0.1–0.5 metres
• 0.1–0.5 metres

<em>Campanula</em> <em>carpatica</em>

prev

next

You might also like

Cater for caterpillars with verbascum

Cater for caterpillars with verbascum

Why comfrey is the superplant you need

Why comfrey is the superplant you need