Looking for raised bed plant - like lavender but something bees don't like!

[lechatnoir]

I've got a raised bed running along the side of our garden that I'd love to fill with lavender, but it's right next to the dining area & don't want to spend the summer dodging bees. Any suggestions? West facing decent size and soil will need some work regardless.

Bees would be focused on the lavender, wasps would be interested in your food and drinks - are you getting the two confused?

Wasps will find you if you are eating outside no matter what flowers you have in your garden. Putting wasp traps a short distance away from the table might help divert them.

I don't want to sound like a killjoy but I just wanted to defend wasps. I know they are annoying and I'm not keen on them myself however they are extremely important pollinators and also play a critical role in the natural decomposition process. I've found that warily ignoring them when they approach and staying still tends to make them just get bored and move off. Plus a few handy covers for your drinks and grub

Except...

I love this story!

OP, go ahead and get lavender.

Lavender full of bees is lovely and they really don't bother people, no matter how close you are. There's a park near here with brick built raised beds full of lavender and bees and you can comfortably sit on the "walls".

I spend the summer months rescuing bees since they never fail to fly indoors, then exhaust themselves repeatedly banging into the window. I also keep a honey and water solution for revival purposes. You can never have too many bees - they’re essential to our ecosystem.

And I love the idea of befriending a bumble bee 🐝

Bees will only care about the 'tasty spread' on your table if you are eating flowers. They have no interest in human food.

The nets are zipped to fit the exact size of our gazebo so nowhere for them to get "trapped inside and die". Sorry for the lack of drama.

@BigMandsTattooPortfolio I did beekeeping for a while and the problem with giving bees honey is that it can spread diseases around. Better to stick to sugar water instead.

‘Dodging bees’! 😂

@Geneticsbunny Thanks, advice taken. 🙏

Mophead hydrangeas don't produce any nectar so they won't attract bees.They have a long flowering season. The dead flower heads give some architectural interest in winter.
You could intersperse them with winter flowering plants such as winter flowering pansies, cyclamen, hellebore and winter heather.

Bushing cat mint.

When it flowers it has similar purple plumes to lavender but the flowers are quite small and the bees don't really bother.

Plus it smells divine.

If you don't like cats in your garden though...

@Jimmyneutronsforehead I have several catmints (nepetas) in my garden & the bees love them!

@APurpleSquirrel how odd.

We do also have a giant cardoon, and the bees are all over that, perhaps it's just that they don't bother with the catmint because there's something better up for grabs.

The only thing that gets the attention of the catmint in our garden are mint moths and they're tiny and unbothersome.

I think the OP can’t tell the difference between bees and wasps.

@lechatnoir , bees have no interest in your lunch and never will have. They eat nectar and pollen.

Wasps are attracted by sugary things but are actually put off by strong scented herbs like lavender or mint or rosemary, so having those nearby will actually deter them.

@Jimmyneutronsforehead - the only time the bees leave our nepeta alone is when the cats come to loll all over it and spend the rest of the afternoon stoned

I agree it’s the appeal of the cardoons distracting your bees. Ours are three beds down and the bees are mad from it

@LenaLamont perhaps it's the cats deterring the bees 🐝 😁 I know which one I'd rather have round my garden lunch though 🐝

I spent many sunny hours last year sipping some sangria and just sitting watching several different kinds of bees roll round those big purple pompoms together and it was one of the most peaceful and beautiful moments in life.

OP is entitled to not like bees I suppose, but I think they're just so fantastic and love watching them do their little jobs, buzzing around with their little pollen packs like someone carrying shopping back from a supermarket.

This.

Bees LOVE cardoons & globe artichokes - apparently the rain water gets into the nectar pools & it ferments, so what you're seeing is drunk bees! 🥴🐝 Hence why they like it sooo much 😂

Drunk bees 😄 I love it.

My cardoons bring all the bees to the yard, and they're like it's better than yours, damn right it's better than yours so they'll leave you alone OP you don't need to worry about it, they're all at my garden having a tipple.

I have lots of lavender in my garden, some right by eating areas, and you don't end up with swarms of bees - you end up with several at a time all happily busy with their noses in the pollen. I like watching them and they never bother us in the slightest (they have better things to do with their time) so I think you might be overthinking.