Do Petunias Attract Bees?

Bee Attraction

• Both moths and bees prefer plants like petunias with petals that form relatively short tubes, though tube length differs depending on variety. Multiflora or cascading petunia varieties have shorter tubes than the large-flowered grandiflora petunias. Bees also need the pollen petunias produce, which they use to feed their young. Other pollinators, like butterflies, are attracted to colorful plants, especially those in the yellow/orange/red range, but bees can only detect ultraviolet markings, which humans cannot see. The varied colors of petunias are not a factor in bee attraction.

Bee Friendly Partners

• Plant variety is key to attracting bees to the garden. Petunias bloom regularly throughout the growing season, so they can be paired with many other bee-attracting plants. Members of the large daisy (Compositae) family are bee- and insect-pollinated and pair well with petunias. The most familiar members of the daisy family include cosmos (Cosmos spp. and varieties), asters (Aster and Symphyotrichum spp. and varieties), tickseed (Coreopsis spp. and varieties), Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum), coneflowers (Echinacea spp. and varieties), black-eyed Susan (Rudbekia spp. and varieties), marigold (Tagetes spp. and varieties) and zinnias (Zinnia spp. and varieties).

Optimal Bee Conditions

• Planting petunias and other bee-friendly plants will go a long way in attracting these important pollinators. Avoid the chemical compounds that can harm bees by creating a pesticide-free garden. Water features, even small dishes or birdbaths, provide much needed moisture. Honeybees and some other bee varieties nest in colonies, while other bee species are solitary. Make the garden a haven for all by providing cover where foraging bees can hide from predators or bad weather.

Petunia Culture

• Optimal flower production brings more bees and other pollinators to the garden. Plant petunias in sunny locations with well-drained soil as soggy soil will rot the plants' roots. Flowering shoots of young plants should be pinched back to encourage a branching, spreading habit and more flowers. As flowers fade, deadhead the spent blooms to encourage flower production. If the petunias get "leggy" in summer, producing longer stems and fewer flowers, water thoroughly and pinch back stems by one-third to one-half to rejuvenate the plants.