Our Native Bee Shrub Bundle includes four native shrubs, mulch, delivery, a planting and care guide and a specialized fact sheet, all for only $100 +HST! The bundle includes four native species - St. John’s wort, snowberry, common ninebark, and grey dogwood - which provide shelter and food throughout every season for our native, wild bees. Planting a variety of shrub species will help support healthy biodiversity for our native bees in the urban environment. Read on to learn more about these species:
St. John’s wort (Hypericum kalmianum)
This small-growing shrub has clusters of sunny, yellow, nectar-rich flowers at the end of its branches, perfect for hungry bumble bees. These shrubs typically have a longer flowering period (a couple of months) which coincides with the busy growth period for bee colonies!
Common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
This small-growing shrub has tiny pink flowers that appear in the summer, providing many resources for miner and sweat bees. The snowberry is a particularly rich source of food for bees and other native pollinators, with the flowers producing nectar all day!
Common ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
This fast-growing, medium-sized shrub will capture the attention of carpenter and masked bees with its late spring blooms. The abundance of flowers also attract both short and long-tongued bees due to the plentiful pollen and nectar produced.
Grey dogwood (Cornus racemosa)
This large-growing shrub has many small white flowers that begin to bloom in early summer with white berries appearing later in the summer. The blooms are attractive to a variety of native bees including carpenter, digger, masked, miner and sweat bees, making it an excellent shrub for local pollinators. The grey dogwood’s prolific blooms are also perfect for native specialist bees, such as the short-tongued bee, which means it specializes in collecting pollen from specific plants.
Creating biodiversity in your yard is easy with our Native Bee Shrub Bundle! If you want to create habitat and food for our bumbling and pollinating friends year around, apply or contact us to order shrubs today!
Sarah G is the Residential Planting Programs Field Assistant at LEAF
LEAF offers a subsidized Backyard Tree Planting Program for private property. The program is supported by the City of Toronto, the Regional Municipality of York, the City of Markham, the Town of Newmarket, the Regional Municipality of Durham, the Town of Ajax, the Township of Brock, the Municipality of Clarington, the City of Oshawa, the City of Pickering, the Township of Scugog, the Town of Whitby, Ontario Power Generation and Ontario Trillium Foundation.