Environmentally conscious hobby gardeners always keep an eye on the relevance of bee-friendly plants for natural diversity. In this respect, clematis is considered a prime example of the lush little table set for the busy pollinators. Get to know the most beautiful types and varieties of clematis as bee pasture.

Early flowering species and varieties

Bees depend on an uninterrupted supply of pollen and nectar throughout the growing season. Even a few days without food mean starvation for the busy insects. It's a good thing that clematis comes up with species and varieties that blossom early in the year. The following overview presents the most beautiful early-flowering clematis for the garden:

  • Clematis montana 'Rubens': one of the most beautiful varieties within the Montana group with soft pink flowers from May
  • Clematis alpina 'Ruby': robust clematis, tolerates shade, charming purple-pink flowers from April to June
  • Clematis macropetala: a wild Chinese species that bees flock to, with pink and white flowers from April

The undisputed star among the spring-flowering hybrids with huge blue flowers is the world's top variety 'The President'. On the trellis, the magnificent specimen climbs up to 3 meters in height and from May opens its up to 18 centimeter large flowers for bees, bumblebees and butterflies.

Late flowering clematis for the bee-friendly garden

When the summer flowering is coming to an end, busy bees are on the lookout for fresh sources of pollen and nectar. Ideally, the tireless insects will now find a clematis in the garden that is just unfolding its blossoms. The following clematis bloom well into September:

  • Clematis Ascotiensis 'Bicolor': an old variety from Japan that also thrives in tubs thanks to its low height growth
  • Clematis viticella: all varieties of the Italian clematis are recommended as a bee-friendly, magnificent climbing plant
  • Clematis Abundance scores with small, flat buds that are easy for bees and bumblebees to harvest

tips and tricks

Bees don't attach much importance to the size of the flowers. As a rule, it is rather the small-flowered wild species that have a rich buffet of pollen and nectar in store. The particular advantage for the hobby gardener is that these types and varieties of clematis are extremely resistant to the dreaded clematis wilt.

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Category:

Indoor plants