Attracting more Bees: Best potted plants?

Hi,

My wife is keen to keep the numbers of bees up in our garden. We have an unknown bush (currently in the ID area) that is a bumble bee haven for all of 2 months, then they move on once the blossom dies off around late June.
We have maybe half a dozen large mixed pots of bizzy lizzies, petunias, violas, pansies around our small garden, they're all doing extremely well, but bees don't seem bothered. Maybe it's the bush that's distracting them at the moment, who knows?

Anyway, she wants to know how to attract bees for as long as possible. I know that Lupins and foxgloves are a good way throughout the summer, do you have any other suggestions?

We are restricted to pots and containers.

 

Lavender, lavender, lavender. Does fab in pots and the bees flock to it.

 

I was going to say the same Aaron, It also smells fantastic..

 

I've hit the jackpot with Bees this year, I have Foxgloves, Sweet Rocket, Nasturtiums (which you can both use in salads), Catmint, Lupins, some browny/green leafed thing with pink flowers they adore - but for containers, I could not recommend Poached Egg plant high enough. Grows anywhere and they adore it.

 

speaking of lavender, how easy is it to grow from seed?

 

Never tried it from seed, but you can take cuttings which root with varying degrees of success. My one remaining lavender is a result of cuttings taken two years ago from my old lavender hedge (since departed).

 

"speaking of lavender, how easy is it to grow from seed?"

Plug plants cheap (£19 for 126 plants) from van Meuwen (provided that you have the "gear" to pot them up on arrival, and nurture them until planting out in the autumn.

http://www.vanmeuwen.com/plant/61045

I grew some last year, pictures in My Blog

 

If you can find Heliotrope in you local GC then get some, the bees and Butterflies love it.

 

Also, most of the herbs such as oregano, marjoram, borage, sage, basil, thyme and rosemary, if allowed to flower, are real bee magnets and do very well in containers. You can also eat them (the herbs, not the bees :D).

Sedum spectable is great during late summer.