Bee's Friend Flower

Picked this seed last summer specifically for the bees and it did not disappoint. Waiting to see how much it self-seeded once the temperatures warm up here in zone 5/6. Lovely purple flowers and provided a nice filler flower for bare areas in the garden, while providing the bees with food. Will be planting again this year.

9.5 weeks after seeding, mine are in full bloom (first flower opened around 8 weeks). I was slow about transplanting them, so you might get earlier blooms if you act promptly in the spring. They are gorgeous, and the bumblebees are loving them! I have them in the holes of the cement blocks that edge my vegetable garden. I will definitely be planting more next year! They are about 14-16” tall. I grew borage last year, but it got too tall and was too prickly for that location. Bee’s friend is perfect!

These seeds germinate quickly and the plants do remarkably well, even in my tough Colorado climate. The flowers are beautiful and smell heavenly.

I had a hard time germinating these the first year I bought them, but last year I tossed the last of the seeds into a few beds in January, hoping the cold and snow might crack them open. Sure enough, tons of them came up this spring. The bees really do adore them, and the little flowers are very pretty and fragrant.

I have tried a lot of pollinator feeding plants in my garden but Bees Friend is hands down favorite. This flower is easy to grow and gets so covered with butterflies and bees it’s amazing. This year I raised Monarchs, and when they come out and fly they go directly to this flower and visit there for weeks.

The flowers are worth the wait, but the greenery is lovely on its own. Does not like to be disturbed or uprooted.

These are amazingly beautiful and the bees adore them.

The native bees here live these flowers the most! It attracts them the whole bloom season and they are beautiful.

Planted these in a pot outdoors in early March when we'd still be expecting some frost. Zone 5b. I put in low effort and probably got about 50% germination. Make sure the soil is kept moist while the seedlings establish themselves! (This plant is also known as lacy phacelia if you need more info on care.) When these bloom, they definitely are a favorite of pollinators - I've got some nice pictures of bumblebees enjoying them! And the smell is very sugary, like candy.

I'm very happy to have discovered this flower here and intend to plant them every year!