In most years the Puget Sound area goes into a summer dearth just after the blackberry bloom wraps up. A dearth is a period of time where hives have limited food sources available to forage for pollen or nectar. By planting Summer and Fall flowering trees and shrubs you can help mitigate this dearth and provide food for hives when it is most needed. To help you get started on finding the perfect tree for your garden, here are a few bee loving examples to consider:
Bee Bee Tree (Tetradium daniellii, Evodia daniellii, or Euodia daniellii)
Chaste (Vitex agnus-castus)
Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia)
Golden Rain (Koelreuteria paniculata)
Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus)
Japanese Stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia)
Linden (Tilia)
Purple Robe Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Purple Robe’)
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Seven Sons (Heptacodium miconioides)
Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin)
Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
