{"id":25713,"date":"2025-03-13T15:49:52","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T19:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=25713"},"modified":"2025-03-13T15:49:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T19:49:52","slug":"should-i-plant-wildflowers-to-attract-and-support-bees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2025\/03\/13\/should-i-plant-wildflowers-to-attract-and-support-bees\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I plant wildflowers to attract and support bees?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/span><\/h3>\n

I have a property with some woods on it, which I think was logged back in the day. I’ve seen a few bees around and was wondering if it was wise to spread some native wildflowers around the area or would that be disruptive and give them an unfair advantage?<\/strong><\/span>
\nAdditionally, how far away does a flower need to be before it isn’t native anymore? In other words, do I need to collect seeds from flowers I find in the surrounding woods or would flowers from maybe coastal or northern Maine be considered native?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Answer:<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
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Thank you very much for thinking about the bees!<\/span><\/p>\n

To answer your specific questions, 1) planting wildflowers is a fantastic way to attract and support bee populations, and you needn’t worry about negatively influencing competition by planting pollinator plants, and 2) we typically considering a plant native if it is native anywhere in Maine (there will be the occasional plant native to one part that might not\u00a0thrive<\/em>\u00a0in another, but this shouldn’t be a huge issue for you).<\/span><\/p>\n

Please take a look at our\u00a0UMaine Cooperative Extension Plants for Pollinator Gardens page<\/a>\u00a0for suggestions on what kinds of flowers would be beneficial. You can also look at the\u00a0State of Maine’s Yardscape page for pollinators<\/a>\u00a0for fantastic resources and lists of plants, as well as the\u00a0Wild Seed Project’s “Where to Buy Native Plants” tool<\/a>\u00a0(the Wild Seed Project also\u00a0sells<\/a>\u00a0native wildflower mixes, if that’s more convenient). If you are interested in collecting seed yourself, the Univ of MD Extension has a nice information page\u00a0here<\/a>–obviously, their native plants are somewhat different from\u00a0ours<\/a>, but the principles of seed collecting are the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you’re farther along in the project, you might even consider\u00a0pollinator garden certification<\/a>\u00a0if it’s something that interests you… and even if you don’t there is a ton of great information on the topic on that series of pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy gardening.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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