Bee Friendly: Gardens, Trees, Flowers and Shrubs

The honey bee cannot survive without the help of humans, and we cannot survive without the honey bee. More than one third of what we eat and three quarters of the diversity relies on bee pollination, and so do billions of dollars in export earnings. Bees in New Zealand and all around the world are being critically threatened by Varroa, Pesticides, Disease and loss of habitat.

You can help support the honey bees by planting bee friendly trees, flowers and shrubs in your gardens.

Wild Forage

Wild Forage are selling a Wildflower Bee Friendly seed mix which contains annuals that will provide food for bees all season long. All proceeds from the sale of these seeds go to the National Beekeepers' Association of New Zealand, to Help NZ Bees.

These wildflowers will provide food for bees all season long. Sow directly into a sunny area from spring to autumn.

Calendula, Cornflower, Aster, Clarkia, Coreopsis, Cynoglossum, Gaillardia, Gilla, Linaria, linum, Lobularia, Malcomia, Nemophita, Papaver & Reseda.

Trees for Bees NZ

This is a National Resource for Bee friendly Gardens and Farms

www.treesforbeesnz.org

Federated Farmers Bee Industry Group

The Federated Farmers Bee Industry Group have a whole section on Bees including information on Trees for Bees - listing trees and plants that good for bees to gather pollen and nectar, providing the vitamins and minerals required to maintain optimum hive strength.

Federated Farmers have regional brochures with suggestions about which plants support bee health and lists of banned plants (by regional councils) and trees by region; and also plants that are bad for the bee industry, including Tutin.

Trees for Bees Brochures

Basic trees for Bees

Some of our native New Zealand trees that bees love.

Trees Under 5 metres Trees 5 to 10 metres Trees 0ver 10 metres
  • Lacebark (Hoheria populnea)
  • Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium)
  • Napaka (Hebe speciosa)
  • NZ Flax (Phormium tenax)
  • Three Finger (Pseudopanax colensol)
  • Five Finger (Pseudopanax arboreus)
  • Heketara (Olearia rani)
  • Kohuhu (Pittosparum tenuifolium)
  • Lemonwood (Pittosporum eugebioides)
  • Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis)
  • Kanuka (Kunzea ericoides)
  • Tawari (lxerba brexioides)
  • Weeping Kowhai (Sophora microphylla)