Herbal bee heaven
by Ruhl Bee on 08/10/13
Yes, bees love the herbal plants, and their general drought tolerance makes them great for summer nectar. Last posting, we talked about borage and lavender. Our bees are still working the borage in the bee garden, and while some of the lavender is finished, other varieties are still yielding nectar.
Mint is another fabulous bee plant. It grows well in the Willamette Valley, and, with a bit of watering, provides good forage well into mid-summer. Our bees are still working the mint hard (upper right), but the forage is starting to decline now.
Another excellent plant for the bee garden is oregano. This time of year, our oregano plants are humming with bees. This herb comes on just a little later than mint in our garden, so it provides forage continuity (lower right).
