Creating Bee-Friendly Landscapes in Tennessee: A Practical Planting Guide
Bees need three things to thrive: a diversity of flowers from early spring to frost‚ a mix of native and non-native flowering plants‚ and no pesticides․ That's the core of it‚ and the rest is icing․ The good news for all you Tennessee gardeners is that our USDA hardiness zones range from 6b to 8a‚ so the state offers a long enough growing season that you can plant everything from dandelions in late February to asters in November․
Bees don't need a perfect pollinator garden but prefer a steady supply of pollen and nectar throughout the growing season‚ a safe home for nesting‚ and a break from pesticides․ Here are ways to achieve those goals‚ plant by plant‚ and what benefits you will get in the process․
Bee Balm: Your Early-to-Mid Summer Workhorse
Bee balm (the genus Monarda) is one of the best plants you can put in the ground in Tennessee for pollinators; it blooms from June through August‚ after most of the spring flowers are done‚ but before the show is taken by fall-blooming plants․ The tubular red‚ pink, and lavender corolla is almost perfectly shaped for long-tongued bumblebees․ Honeybees and hummingbirds also enjoy it․
It grows best in sun to light afternoon shade․ In the Southeast‚ full sun can distress the plant at the hottest times in July and August․ Soil should be well-drained and water should be applied at the base of the plant; Monarda can be affected by powdery mildew in humid summer conditions․ Space plants 18 to 24 inches (0․46 to 0․61 m) apart for good airflow․ This step can mostly eliminate mildew problems․ Clumps will spread naturally via rhizomes․ Divide every 3-4 years to prevent it from becoming overcrowded with neighboring plants․
Native Flowers: The Non-Negotiable Foundation
If you take nothing else from this‚ try and plant native plants․ Native flowers co-evolved with the native bee species in the area over thousands of years‚ so their bloom times‚ nectar production‚ and flower shapes are all ideally suited to local bee populations' needs․ Ornamentals may provide little valuable nectar or be completely inaccessible to native bees because the mouthparts of the bees are unsuitable․
In Tennessee‚ some of the best-known native plants include purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)‚ wild bergamot‚ black-eyed Susan‚ and lupine․ Coneflowers flower from June to September․ They also tolerate the clay soil common in Middle Tennessee's gardens․ Lupine prefers slightly more acidic and well-drained soils and slightly higher elevations in East Tennessee‚ and it requires less additional moisture after the first full growing season․ This is important since East Tennessee often experiences drought conditions in the summer months․
Native plant species also support the entire life cycle of native bees rather than just adult foraging․ Many ground-nesting species of bees ‚ for example‚ actually nest at the bottom of clumps of native perennials․ Do not put heavy mulch around the base of these plants‚ where the bees may be nesting․
Dandelions: Reconsidering the Weed
Dandelions are often pulled or sprayed before people realize they are among the first and earliest flowering plants to provide pollen to bees emerging from hibernation in late February and March, who are already operating on reserves of body fat and urgently need pollen to rear brood․ Dandelions are one of the first plants to flower when there is little else․
You might also consider leaving part of your yard unmown this early in the season․ You don't have to let your whole yard go to dandelion‚ but leaving a back corner or strip along a fence line to let them finish out their bloom cycle in April gives the foraging bees a head start․ If total lawn tolerance is not an option‚ consider avoiding herbicide applications in that early spring window․
Goldenrod: The Fall Lifeline
Another major source of nectar in Tennessee is the goldenrod (Solidago)‚ which is in bloom from late August to October‚ when bees are still building up their winter stores‚ but other sources are gone․ Goldenrod is one of the best plants for wintering healthy bees‚ but at the same time‚ one of the most misunderstood․ It is commonly blamed for hay fever‚ although it is ragweed that is blooming at the same time and is wind-pollinated․ Goldenrod pollen is heavy and sticky and is not typically airborne as ragweed pollen is․
Give it full sun․ Avoid too much fertilizer‚ which causes goldenrod to grow leggy and flop over․ It is one of the few on this list able to tolerate the poorer and rockier soil conditions‚ making it useful for a Tennessee slope or hard-to-mow region of your yard where clay and drainage are continuing challenges․
Filling Out the Landscape: Structure and Shelter
While flowers are the most visible habitat resource‚ native bees need other habitat resources as well․ Many native bees are short-range foragers․ This is where structural plants‚ such as Green Velvet Boxwood‚ fit in as a windbreak and structural framework of protection from wind desiccation for flower beds‚ and as a means to create and protect warmer microclimates in the cooler weather of early spring․
A Flowering Dogwood Tree provides an early spring nectar source (dogwoods usually flower in April in Tennessee)‚ high above ground level where such nectar may be otherwise inaccessible to pollinators‚ such as a mason bee or bumblebee queens‚ which are early emerging pollinators․ Dogwood trees are also something of a catch-all‚ since they can work in the understory of wooded Tennessee properties where full-sun perennial beds are not an option․
Building out the Full Season
The real challenge in creating a bee-friendly landscape is to sequence bloom times so that there are no more than 2-3 weeks during which no flowering plants are available․ A rough‚ simple Tennessee bloom calendar looks like this:
- February to April: dandelion‚ flowering dogwood‚ early spring bulbs - May-June: Native lupine‚ early coneflower - June-August: Bee balm‚ black-eyed Susan‚ wild bergamot - August through October: goldenrod‚ aster‚ coneflower
However‚ there are also other gaps in this calendar which are often more serious for bee populations․
A Few More Things That Matter
Avoid all insecticides‚ including those labeled bee-safe,‚ while plants are in bloom․ When it comes to bees‚ timing is everything․ Leave patches of bare‚ undisturbed ground available for ground-nesting bees‚ who are 70% of native bee species․ And resist cleaning up in fall; open stems and leaf litter provide shelter to overwintering bees and other helpful insects․
None of this requires a big garden and landscape renovation․ A few perennial plants‚ a native tree‚ and some restraint in your mowing and herbicide will do much more for local bee populations than almost anything else a home gardener can do․
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