Bee Friendly Plants for your Garden

Carol did an article on “Creating a Bee-friendly Garden” in 2017. It referred to a government booklet titled “Bee Friendly”. This lists a whole range of plants that are good nectar or pollen producers. Or both! The plants are organised by environment, type and climate. Each plant is described in detail with flowering times and the value to the bees and the gardener.
 
“Bee Friendly” can be downloaded here: https://www.agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/12-014.pdf

The Club Library has two books specifically on bees:
The Bee Friendly Garden by Doug Purdie
The Australian Native Bee Book by Tim Heard

There are also several books on habitat which have information about attracting bees to the garden, These books can be found in the "Habitat" section of the Library.

We have extracted a list of Cool and Temperate Climate plants that you may consider. Click on the Botanical Name to be taken to Google search pages that will give you all the information you could ever need.

The Page number refers to the Bee Friendly document.

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Common name	Botanical name	Type	Environment	Climate	Page
Lavender	Lavandula spp.	Herb	Garden	Cool	26
Lemon balm	Melissa officinalis	Herb	Garden	Cool	27
Oregano	Origanum vulgare	Herb	Garden	Cool	28
Peppermint	Mentha x piperita	Herb	Garden	Cool	29
Grevillea ‘montis-cole’	Grevillea montis-cole	Shrub	Garden	Cool	30
Flowering currants	Ribes spp.	Shrub	Garden	Cool	31
Raspberry	Rubus idaeus	Shrub	Garden	Cool	33
Blueberry	Vaccinium corymbosum	Shrub	Garden	Cool	34
Portugese laurel	Prunus lusitanica	Tree	Garden	Cool	35
Lemon	Citrus limon	Tree	Garden	Cool	36
Apple	Malus x domestica Borkh	Tree	Garden	Cool	37
Large-fruited yellow gum	Eucalyptus leucoxylon ssp. megalocarpa	Tree	Garden	Cool	38
Marjoram	Origanum majorana	Herb	Garden	Temperate	40
Sage	Salvia officinalis	Herb	Garden	Temperate	41
Borage	Borago officinalis	Herb	Garden	Temperate	42
Winter savory	Satureja montana	Herb	Garden	Temperate	43
Gungurru	Eucalyptus caesia	Shrub	Garden	Temperate	44
Hairpin banksia	Banksia spinulosa	Shrub	Garden	Temperate	45
Pin-cushion hakea	Hakea laurina	Shrub	Garden	Temperate	46
Passionfruit	Passiflora edulis	Shrub	Garden	Temperate	47
Red cap gum	Eucalyptus erythrocorys	Tree	Garden	Temperate	48
Hickson mandarin	Citrus reticulata ‘Hickson’	Tree	Garden	Temperate	49
Plum	Prunus spp.	Tree	Garden	Temperate	51
Persimmon	Diospyros kaki	Tree	Garden	Temperate	52
Catmint	Nepeta cataria	Herb	Open Spaces	Cool	150
Iceland poppy	Papaver nudicaule	Herb	Open Spaces	Cool	151
Cornflower	Centaurea cyanus	Herb	Open Spaces	Cool	152
Forget-me-not	Myosotis	Herb	Open Spaces	Cool	153
Willow bottlebrush	Callistemon salignus	Shrub	Open Spaces	Cool	154
Rose	Rosa spp.	Shrub	Open Spaces	Cool	155
Snowberry	Symphoricarpos albus	Shrub	Open Spaces	Cool	156
Mountain pinkberry	Leptecophylla juniperina	Shrub	Open Spaces	Cool	157
Lime	Tilia spp.	Tree	Open Spaces	Cool	158
Sweet chestnut	Castanea sativa	Tree	Open Spaces	Cool	159
Red ironbark	Eucalyptus tricarpa	Tree	Open Spaces	Cool	160
Cootamundra wattle	Acacia baileyana	Tree	Open Spaces	Cool	162
Mexican sage	Salvia leucantha	Herb	Open Spaces	Temperate	164
Pride of Madeira	Echium candicans	Herb	Open Spaces	Temperate	165
Common clematis	Clematis pubescens	Herb	Open Spaces	Temperate	166
Bee balm	Monarda didyma	Herb	Open Spaces	Temperate	167
Bull banksia	Banksia grandis	Shrub	Open Spaces	Temperate	168
Two-leaf hakea	Hakea trifurcata	Shrub	Open Spaces	Temperate	169
Cup gum	Eucalyptus cosmophylla	Shrub	Open Spaces	Temperate	170
Saw-tooth banksia	Banksia serrata	Shrub	Open Spaces	Temperate	171
Smooth-barked apple	Angophora costata	Tree	Open Spaces	Temperate	172
Spotted gum	Corymbia maculata	Tree	Open Spaces	Temperate	173
Coast banksia	Banksia integrifolia	Tree	Open Spaces	Temperate	175
Swamp mahogany	Eucalyptus robusta	Tree	Open Spaces	Temperate	177
Rosemary	Rosmarinus officinalis	Herb	Streetscape	Cool	88
Alyssum	Lobularia maritima	Herb	Streetscape	Cool	89
Grevillea gaudichaudii	Grevillea x gaudichaudii	Herb	Streetscape	Cool	90
Gazania	Gazania spp.	Herb	Streetscape	Cool	91
Fern leaf grevillea	Grevillea asplenifolia	Shrub	Streetscape	Cool	92
California lilac	Ceanothus spp.	Shrub	Streetscape	Cool	93
Hebe	Hebe spp.	Shrub	Streetscape	Cool	94
Escallonia	Escallonia spp.	Shrub	Streetscape	Cool	95
Tulip tree	Liriodendron tulipifera	Tree	Streetscape	Cool	96
Crab apple	Malus ioensis	Tree	Streetscape	Cool	97
Snow gum	Eucalyptus pauciflora	Tree	Streetscape	Cool	98
Yellow bloodwood	Corymbia eximia	Tree	Streetscape	Cool	99
Cherry plum	Prunus cerasifera	Tree	Streetscape	Cool	100
Fairy fan-flower	Scaevola aemula	Herb	Streetscape	Temperate	102
Dwarf bottlebrush	Callistemon subulatus	Herb	Streetscape	Temperate	103
Pigface	Carpobrotus glaucescens	Herb	Streetscape	Temperate	104
Grevillea bronze rambler	Grevillea ‘Bronze Rambler’	Herb	Streetscape	Temperate	105
‘Harkness’ bottlebrush	Callistemon ‘Harkness’	Shrub	Streetscape	Temperate	106
Acorn banksia	Banksia prionotes	Shrub	Streetscape	Temperate	107
Glossy abelia	Abelia grandiflora	Shrub	Streetscape	Temperate	108
Violet honey myrtle	Melaleuca wilsonii	Shrub	Streetscape	Temperate	109
Water gum	Tristaniopsis laurina	Tree	Streetscape	Temperate	110
Broad-leaved tea tree	Melaleuca quinquenervia	Tree	Streetscape	Temperate	111
Red flowering gum	Corymbia ficifolia	Tree	Streetscape	Temperate	113
Currawong	Acacia doratoxylon	Tree	Streetscape	Temperate	115
Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum	Herb	Rural	Cool	222
Russian sage	Perovskia atriplicifolia	Herb	Rural	Cool	224
Anise hyssop	Agastache foeniculum	Herb	Rural	Cool	225
White clover	Trifolium repens	Herb	Rural	Cool	226
Sweet bursaria	Bursaria spinosa	Shrub	Rural	Cool	228
Silver banksia	Banksia marginata	Shrub	Rural	Cool	229
Manuka	Leptospermum scoparium	Shrub	Rural	Cool	230
Gorse bitter pea	Daviesia ulicifolia	Shrub	Rural	Cool	232
Tasmanian blue gum	Eucalyptus globulus	Tree	Rural	Cool	233
Narrow-leaved ironbark	Eucalyptus crebra	Tree	Rural	Cool	234
Red stringybark	Eucalyptus macrorhyncha	Tree	Rural	Cool	235
Apple box	Eucalyptus bridgesiana	Tree	Rural	Cool	236
Lacy phacelia	Phacelia tanacetifolia	Herb	Rural	Temperate	238
Bird’s foot trefoil	Lotus corniculatus	Herb	Rural	Temperate	239
White sweet clover	Melilotus alba	Herb	Rural	Temperate	240
Variable daisy	Brachyscome ciliaris	Herb	Rural	Temperate	241
Heath-leaved banksia	Banksia ericifolia	Shrub	Rural	Temperate	242
Hairy-leaved pea	Pultenaea villosa	Shrub	Rural	Temperate	243
Parrot bush	Banksia sessilis	Shrub	Rural	Temperate	244
York gum	Eucalyptus loxophleba	Shrub	Rural	Temperate	245
South Australian blue gum	Eucalyptus leucoxylon	Tree	Rural	Temperate	246
Blakely’s red gum	Eucalyptus blakelyi	Tree	Rural	Temperate	247
Yellow box	Eucalyptus melliodora	Tree	Rural	Temperate	249
Marri	Corymbia calophylla	Tree	Rural	Temperate	251