# Trees to plant for bees



## Brenda

I'm looking to plant some trees that would serve as pollen or nectar sources for my bees. I'm in zone 5 and I have about 7 acres to plant on.
I'm looking at Catalpa, Red Maple, Tulip Poplar, and maybe serviceberry, sourwood, sumac or a type of willow. 
Some of the land sits under water when we get heavy rains. I was thinking that the Red Maple would be good there. I also have someone sending me Swamp Tupelo seeds.
Any other suggestions are welcome.


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## brooksbeefarm

Black locust, redbud, wild plum and fruit trees. Jack


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## Brenda

I'm trying to stay away from trees with thorns. These will be in my horse pasture. Redbuds grow well around here. We have one in our backyard and my brother has tons of them in his woods. I love them in the spring, so I'll look at getting some seedlings dug up and transplanted.
I have some apple trees and pear trees planted and have 2 more Asian pears on the way for spring. 
The fruit trees are and will be planted outside the pasture area. 

Thanks, and any more suggestions?


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## JOHNYOGA2

Brenda,
I just got a catalogue from someplace called Burgess Plants & Seed. They are located in Illinois somewhere as I recall. It looked like they had very good prices on plants, but I've never ordered from them and know nothing about them. I have recently planted 25 Rose of Sharon that I bought off the web for about $40 (including freight), and I think Burgess had a better price. I really don't know how much the bees use Rose of Sharon, seems like the bumbles like it best, but I like it's blooming period of Summer to Fall. Burgess also had some type of hedge willow and pretty good prices on Sand Cherries. You might check them out. As for the bees, I have two giant Tulip trees that bloomed beautifully last year. As far as I know, my bees never touched them, but loved the white clover in my neighbors field.


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## farmchick

The tulip poplar is a very popular one here. Persimmon trees are good for a late blooming tree, and the bees seem to love it. (and they aren't an issue with horses, I have 5 in my pasture) Ty Ty Nurs. in GA is a very reasonable priced place to order from also.


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## Brenda

I got a Burgess catalog today too. It doesn't have very good reputation (per Dave's GardenWatchdog), but probably wouldn't hurt to buy a few cheap and hardy trees from. I wouldn't spend anything I wasn't ready to lose there though. 


I used to have a persimmon tree in my back yard, and cut it down long ago because of the mess the fallen fruit made. I could possibly put a few out in the back pasture where I don't have to mow.


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## Delta Bay

Hazel is a very early pollen source in my area and the bees work it heavily. I don't know about your location but here it can start to bloom mid Feb. or into Mar. depending on the type of winter we're having. If it's fairly close to the hives they don't have to go to far to collect it when the temps are hovering around the flying point.


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## Brenda

Hazel nut or witchhazel? I love hazelnuts.


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## brooksbeefarm

They work hazalnut, don't know what they get from it. I didn't know that you had horeses, i've heard that the leaves of the black locust tree are poison to livestock and so are the blackcherry tree. Jack


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## Brenda

Yeah, I went through and cut down any wild cherry trees, and just this last summer I had to cut down a few sapling thorn trees that are from my neighbors tree. I'm thinking of fencing off the area near his thorn tree (it's right on the other side of the fence line) and using that area for fruit trees. 
When I bought it had that area fenced off and like a dummy, I took it down.


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## KQ6AR

Our bees made 2 suppers of honey on new plastic frames when the privets bloomed at the end of summer last year.

Privet is a large bush too small tree.


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## Delta Bay

Hazel nut, they work it for the pollen.



KQ6AR said:


> Our bees made 2 suppers of honey on new plastic frames when the privets bloomed at the end of summer last year.
> 
> Privet is a large bush too small tree.


Do you have any views on the quality of the privet honey? 
Any privet bush that I've seen in bloom really attracts the bees.


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## heaflaw

I am fairly certain the privet in California is different from the privet we have in the South. The Southern privet has a reputation of making foul tasting honey even though the bees love it. I try to kill it. I was imported from Japan a century ago or more and spread everywhere. Many people around here hate it. My neighbors probably still curse my grandparents who were the first to plant it in this area back in the 1920's. So, check more thoroughly before you plant it.


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## Countryboy

Basswood/linden makes good honey. You could also consider the Bee Bee tree (Korean Evodea) which blooms in late summer when nothing else is blooming.


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## pieter1

The Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata) can be very good:

The hop-tree occurs from New England and Ontario south to Florida 
and westward to Michigan, Illinois and Missouri to central Texas. It is 
a shrub or small tree known also as wahoo and quinine tree. The bitter 
fruit is sometimes used as a substitute for hops. The flowers have a dis- 
agreeable odor. Scholl lists the honey yield as good, and very good, in favorable seasons, where the shrub is abundant.


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## KQ6AR

The privet we grow here makes good honey. 
People here also grow texas privet as a shrub, but the leaves are different. The Texas has a wrinkled shiny leaf, 

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1725/

This website says it can grow in zones 8-10
another website showed it down to zone 4

My plant is covered with ripe seeds right now.


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## garprob

We have lots of russian olive around here that I have been told is good for bees. But plant them if you don't already have them in your area- unless you want the farmers to curse your family name forever.


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## seamuswildhoney

which trees cause the most problems for horses?


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## Brenda

I looked up a list of trees toxic to animals-

Trees

Black walnut 
Red Maple and its hybrids 
Oak 
Black locust 
Golden chain tree 
Horse chestnut, buckeye 
Chokecherry 
Kentucky coffee tree 
Russian Olive 
Persimmon 
Chinese tallow tree

It looks like I won't be planting Red Maples, or persimmons in the pasture, but there have been oak trees in there all along and I've had no problem with them.


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## brooksbeefarm

Brenda, i live on a century farm and the black walnut, persimmon, and oak trees grow wild here and have never caused any livestock(cattle and horses) deaths that i'm aware of. A neighbor lost some cows from eating acorns from the oak trees, the vet said they ate to many and got compacted, called it acorn poisoning.:scratch: He also has wild buckeye growing along his branch and has never had any problems from them, my dad used to say buckeyes would kill hogs. Just some useless information from an old sprout cutter. Jack


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## bobbees

Thornless locust and crabapple do well for me


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## heaflaw

Brenda said:


> I looked up a list of trees toxic to animals-
> 
> Trees
> 
> Black walnut
> Red Maple and its hybrids
> Oak
> Black locust
> Golden chain tree
> Horse chestnut, buckeye
> Chokecherry
> Kentucky coffee tree
> Russian Olive
> Persimmon
> Chinese tallow tree
> 
> It looks like I won't be planting Red Maples, or persimmons in the pasture, but there have been oak trees in there all along and I've had no problem with them.


I have lots of Red Maples and Oaks in my cow pastures. Some Persimmons and Black Walnuts. I lost a calf to acorns once. I try to keep them away from persimmons when they are ripe, but deer probably get them before cows would have a chance. Wild cherry leaves are supposed to be poisonous when they start to wilt but not when they are green.


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## Marc

Hi Brenda - you've received a lot of suggestions. Some of them are highly invasive alien species that easily escape into the wild. May I suggest you look up your state's natural resources agency for suggestions of native trees, or trees that are not likely to escape and wreak havoc in the wild? I'm sure you'll find a lot of native trees that will satisfy both you bees and not be toxic to your horses. Good luck, and have fun planting.


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## Brenda

I have been keeping in mind about not planting invasive species. I don't want to PO my farmer neighbor. 
I plan to take a look at what trees the county soil and conservation will offer this spring. Every year they sell seedling trees pretty cheap, and I know what they'll offer should be pretty much native or non-invasive.


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## wolfescrossingfarm

one of the best trees i have every seen is Korean Evodia or bee bee tree it flowers in mid july to mid aug. with very heavy necter flow and pollen


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## Beeslave

It's useless to plant trees in your horse pasture as the horses will eat them unless you keep the trees caged.


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## Merlyn Votaw

Also Peach trees but because of your location you will need a viriety that blooms late. A good place to buy trees for a reasonable ptice is VERNON BARNES in Mc Minnville Tenn I have got trees and plants from them for several years and they aleays lived I don't think they have a web site but they will send a catalog 931 668 8576


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## Brenda

Actually there are lots of trees in my horse pasture and they don't bother them, except to rub on some of the big old ones, to scratch an itch.
But I know they might nibble the bark on saplings, so I had planned on fencing them off from the horses. I wanted to fence off a bigger area for some hives anyway, and that's where I want to plant the trees.


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## Merlyn Votaw

Peach trees but you will need the viriety that blooms late because of your location. Also Vernon Barnes In Tenn. has good prices . They have always lived for me


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## beeking1

Sourwoods are highly desired but difficult to grow outside of a rich, *ACIDIC *soil. Here in Ky, the only places they do well in the wild are in the Appalachians and places like the Red River Gorge high on the ridge. We are attempting to grow a bunch of them by using acidifying agents and plenty of decomposed horse manure. The sourwoods are a great source of nectar when *The Dearth* starts in mid to late summer. You can get a bunch of young trees for next to nothing from Musser Forests Inc. Then, keep them watered and acidified (use a pH meter). You will be rewarded with highly prized sourwood honey.


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## Brenda

Merlyn, my brother has a bunch of peach trees on his place, so I'm tending toward apple and pear trees at mine. But the Japanese beetles have decimated my young apple trees for the last 3 years, stripping them bare of leaves, so I'm not planting any more apples.

Beeking, sourwood sounded good, but I don't want to have to try to keep the soil acidic. Blueberries do not do well here, neither do rhododendrens or azealas. Too much effort, too much money to keep the soil acidic.


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## rickh

check out vitex, for bees and hummingbirds


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## Brenda

It looks like Vitex may be marginal here. We are on the cusp of zones 5b and 6a. I usually plant for zone 5 just to be safe.


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## JOHNYOGA2

Brenda,
I have the same feeling about Vitex. I'm now looking at Siberian Pea Tree. We may be a little warm for it! It seems to prosper with winter temperatures of -35. Looks intreging in that it can be used as a windbreak and the bees seem to like it well enough that university based websites say the honey from it tastes "floral".


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## USCBeeMan

Crape Myrtle. Bees love it for pollen and nectar. If you cut back the dead blooms quickly the trees will bloom a second time. (Do attract Jap. Beetles).

Mulberry 

Althea doesn't seem to do anything for bees. At least in my yard. I have plenty of them along with crape myrtle. Bees never touch them. Bumble and Mason bees like them (along with Jap. Beetles).


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## beepriddy

Hi Brenda! I recently joined the Arbor Day Foundation, they sent the invitation and with it got some free trees, some the bees would like. They send a book with your new membership called the "Tree Book" that is very good, it shows how to prune your fruit trees and also have trees for sale at very, very good prices, I compared them to a Burgess catalog I got a few days later and was very impressed. They also offer dwarf. semi dwarf and standard size trees to fit your particular space/conditions. Good Luck!


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## Brenda

I joined the Arbor day Foundation a couple years ago and got those free trees. The only thing still alive are 2 lilac twigs. The main problem is that they sent tiny little twigs and sent them so late in the year that the ground was froze and I could only try to heal them in. Well, come spring they were mostly dead.
You may have better luck.

Crape myrtle- I planted it once about 15 years ago and it froze out. 

I did check into my county soil conservation's tree program and was disappointed that this year they have cut way back on what they are offering. 

Maybe I'll just plant some buckwheat or some herbs.


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## larrythebeek

I joined the Arbor Day Foundation 7 years ago. They were the cheapest I could find anywhere for fruit trees, and I received lots of free trees too. Like Brenda said, they were just little sticks with labels when they arrived. The neighbors chuckled but I planted everything just before a hard freeze. Every tree survived and all are doing well to this day.

Arbor Day has a warranty that is second to none. I bought some Hardy Almond trees that developed into peaches (the root stock 'overcame' the graft), they offered a refund or replacement 5 years after I bought them!

You won't get big trees from Arbor Day, but you can get a real bargain if you are patient enough to watch the little sticks grow into trees. Fall is supposed to be the best time for planting, but they made a mistake by shipping after your ground was frozen... I would try emailing or calling them, I'll bet they will ship you new trees. 

Larry


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## Brenda

I may re-join and try some more trees. Thanks.
I don't expect them to replace the others after this amount of time.


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## Ardilla

Brenda said:


> It looks like Vitex may be marginal here. We are on the cusp of zones 5b and 6a. I usually plant for zone 5 just to be safe.


There are several varieties of vitex. I have seen some vitex thrive in central Minnesota (zone 4)

I'm also on the edge of 5b/6a, and vitex does well. It seems to be more durable than the catalogs indicate. And it can flower for a long time.


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## Brent Bean

Black locust trees supply abundant nectar and pollen, honey will be very light in color. And for the first five or six years the trees grow very fast.


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## Southern Bee

There are new varieties of Crape Myrtle that are more cold tolerant, some bred especially for the north. That being said we have lots of Crape Myrtles here in Virginia and I can't say as I have ever seen my bees work them, might be a case of something else blooming at the same time that they like better, don't know. 

Someone mentioned hazelnut. I read somewhere that hazelnut is no more nutritious for bees then corn/corn pollen, which is not very. They work it and work it but it would be like us eating nothing but cotton candy.

You said no thorns, but if they will be behind a fence, well holly makes a very lovely light spring honey.


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## James R

You may look into Button Bush obviously not a tree but bees love it and it bllooms thru out the summer after the clover and others. Button Bush also likes wet area. I have a lot of sumac and the bees love it howevere it is quite invasive.

James R


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## Brenda

I looked up Buttonbush and it looked good until I found this-
"Southern Native Americans and French Settlers made a tonic from the bark of the Buttonbush to treat fevers. It is related to the coffee tree and the tree which provides quinine. The leaves do contain glucoside, a known poison which can affect grazing animals."
So it can't go in the pasture. 

I think I've decided to get some trees from Arbor Day again, and someone is supposed to be sending me some Golden Rain Tree seeds.


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## beekeeper1756

I didn't see anyone comment about the Rose of Sharon trees and whether or not they are attractive to bees for polen and/or nectar. The Rose of Sharon tree is very hardy and has a tremendously long blooming period from all summer long to fall.

It grows well here in Texas. I just don't know how attractive it is for producing honey.


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## wolfescrossingfarm

the rose of sharon here the bees work very well


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## USCBeeMan

I had 10 - 16 beehives in my back yard at any given time during the summer lasat year. I have a lot of Althea (Rose of Sharon) in my yard. In fact most of it is by the hives.

Have never seen a bee on the flowers. Flowers are well pollinated as I have tons of new trees come up every year. The only thing I see pollinate them is bumble bees. I look at these blooms a lot during the summer because of Jap. beetles. I go around my yard up to 6-8 times a day looking for and killing these beetles with gallon pesticide spray bottle.

Guess they have things here they prefer over the Althea.


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## alexcc1

Have you considered Basswood.


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## markmaster

Reading several posts about the Arbor Day folks and their offerings -- have you looked into your local soil & water conservation group? Most states have them as a part of the Ag Department and many - ours included - have regular tree and shrub sales. Our county extension agent is a beek himself and always makes certain that there are appropriate selections for plants producing good pollen and nectar.


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## johng

Crape Myrtles are almost too easy to root. All you have to do is put them in a pot and keep them moist until they start growing. So you can get a lot of trees real cheap.


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## Brenda

Just to update- I did get the ten flowering trees from Arbor Foundation. 2 crabapple, 2 redbud, 2 washington hawthorn, 2 dogwood, 2 goldraintrees. Little bitty, but I potted them up and a couple are starting to put out leaf buds. 
I don't know how many of these will be good nectar or pollen sources, but it's what I could get for what I could afford.


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