The term azalea stands for various species from the Rhododendron plant genus. Planted out in the garden, they impress with their magnificent sea of flowers. This raises the question of whether the ornamental plants are bee-friendly.
Azaleas are bee-friendly plants?
Are azaleas bee friendly? The opinions on this are controversial. Some species, such as the Pontic azalea (Rhododendron luteum) and the Japanese azalea (Rhododendron obtusum), with simple, trumpet-shaped flowers attract bees and bumblebees. Their flowering period can fill nutritional gaps.
Azaleas are among the bee-friendly plants in the garden?
Whether azaleas are among the bee-friendly plants in the garden iscontroversial On the one hand, they are referred to as exotic plants with which local bees, bumblebees and butterflies cannot do anything, and on the other hand, they are pointed out that many species come from Europe. This makes the latter in particular insect-friendly plants.
Which azaleas do bees particularly like to fly to?
Among the garden azaleas there arevarious species that are visited by bees. Azaleas such as the
- Pontic azalea (Rhododendron luteum) or
- Japanese azalea (Rhododendron obtusum)
with trumpet or tubular flowers are a real magnet for bumblebees, which are real bees. It is important that the bushes produce simple flowers, because double azalea flowers usually prevent insects from accessing pollen and nectar.
What do azalea bloom days mean for bees?
The term blossom days refers to theblooming periodfor azaleas and rhododendrons. Since this can be determined almost to the day, you can use garden azaleas to closefood gaps from bees and bumblebees. This is how it blooms
- Rhodendron luteum from mid/late May to early/mid/late June and
- Rhododendron obtusum from mid-June to mid-July, some varieties also from April to October.
Tip
When buying azaleas, pay attention to their winter hardiness
Since not all azaleas survive the German winter without any problems, you should pay attention to their frost tolerance when purchasing. This means the plants will last for you and the bees for many years.
