The bee population has been on the decline for years now. Without bees, plant evolution is at high risk, eventually affecting food crops. Although the bee population has improved significantly since 2016, a report reveals that U.S. beekeepers still lose about 30% of their colonies. Thankfully, fairy gardeners like us can do something to keep our bee population thriving. And that is by planting bee friendly flowers that even fairies will love!
Here are 10 low-lying flowering plants and flower-bearing ground covers that will look great in any fairy garden and feed pollinator bees too!
Left: Outsidepride Phlox Blue, Amazon | Right: Wild Strawberry Plants, Amazon
1. Creeping Phlox
This groundcover grows 4 to 6 inches tall and gives you fragrant dark pink flowers in Spring. These small blooms usually attract smaller pollinators like honey bees.
2. Alpine Strawberries
Everbearing Ozark Beauty Strawberry Plants, Amazon
The bees won’t be the only ones eating if you plant these. Alpine strawberries not only produce flowers that bees and other pollinators will feed on. They also give you miniature strawberries that are actually edible! The fairies and magical folk will be delighted, for sure!
Left: Yellow Happy Face Bush Cinquefoil – Potentilla, Amazon | Right: Forget Me Not – Dwarf Ultra Marine (1,000 Seeds), Amazon
3. Creeping Potentilla
Your fairy garden will be filled with small flowers in bright yellow hues when you plant some Creeping Potentilla. The flowers bloom in Spring all the way to Summer, with dense green foliage holding them up for all the pollinators to feast.
4. Forget Me Not
Solitary bees and bee flies are naturally drawn to the small Forget Me Not Flowers. The true Forget Me Not plant usually grows to up to two feet in height before bursting a mass of tiny blue flowers with yellow centers in May.
If you want to grow these lovely wildflowers in your fairy garden, consider getting the dwarf variety like the one pictured above. They grow up to 6 inches tall, making it the perfect height for the Forget Me Not fairy!
Left: Purple Flower Aubrieta Hybrida Seeds, Amazon | Right: Alyssum Carpet of Snow Nice Garden Flower, Amazon
5. Rock Cress
6. Alyssum
Left: Lobelia Blue Carpet, Amazon | Right: Aloha Blue Dwarf Ageratum, Amazon
7. Lobelia
8. Ageratum
Also known as Floss Flowers, ageratum is a unique annual plant bearing powder puff blooms that attract bees and butterflies alike. Some varieties can be too tall for fairy gardens so pick dwarf ones like Aloha Blue for the bees and fairies in your fairy garden.
Do you know of any other compact and low-lying flowering plants and ground covers that are bee friendly? What are your favorite bee friendly flowers? Share to us in the comments below!
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