IDEAS "mailbox" bed - NO BEES - NY area

Hi folks:

I am in zone 6a. I have decided to "cheer" up the mailbox section (3 mailboxes) at the top of the private "shared" drive that we live on. All the neighbors said great idea but some suggested I try to find flowers that bees don't like. -- and I am thinking to myself "Is there a flower that bees don't like???"

Also - anyone have any good suggestions for plants (or a combination) that might give me good color from Spring to Autumn?

Thanks!

I'm not sure you'll find a flower that bees don't like, except maybe Tansy (I've always heard that, although I'm not sure it's true.) And Tansy might be a bit "scruffy" for curbside :)

Some flowers are more "bee magnets" than others, although I've found that when bees are attracted to a particular plant, they seem to be pretty mellow when I'm working around it and them.

If you keep the plants low-growing, the bee problem is less of an issue; only when you have something clamboring over and around the mailbox can it be a bit hazardous to stick your hand in there.

Having said all that, Lantana montevidensis is a good choice for full-season bloom, stays low to the ground and is fairly drought-tolerant. It comes in purple and white, and it will need to be treated as an annual for us zone 6-ers.

Another spring-fall blooming annual would include the annual Vinca (aka "Madagascar periwinkle") - they bloom their heads off and rarely seem to need much of anything except water if it gets really hot and dry for too long.

Lamb's Ear (Stachys) makes a nice filler, and - if you keep the blooms cut off - will stay bee-free, and *might* even be evergreen for you (it stays green year-round here in 6b/7a)

Sedums are another good choice for heat- and drought-tolerant conditions. Nice fall color from the Sedum spectabile and cultivars, and the bees are mostly gone by the time the sedums put on their best color.

Grasses are another choice, especially some of the lower-growing forms - nice colors and not particularly attractive to bees.

As for my own mailbox, I'm holding out for a particular Honeysuckle - 'Pink Lemonade' that I saw at Calalily's last spring. It isn't as aggressive as the species, and it smells gorgeous. My mailman will just have to deal with the few weeks it's in bloom, assuming I can find it and get it established :)

Thanks for responding and great ideas. I really appreciate your response (and anyone elses)!

At least I have a basis to start researching and planning from.

:)

This message was edited Thursday, Nov 7th 1:09 PM

I have read that feverfew is distasteful to bees; but my bees can't read: they love it!

I have hardy geraniums (late spring blooming) under my mailbox and white phystogia (obedient plant -- mid to late summer) beside it; the bees aren't especially active on those. They also don't get too excited about the corydalis lutea on the other side of the mailbox. All the above plants are very drought-tolerant, very hardy (in zone 5 and warmer), but tend to spread a bit much for small gardens).

I have two clematis trained on an arch over the mailbox, and the bees also aren't too attracted to these. One key, though, might be that I have a lot of other flowers fairly close that the bees prefer (monarda, Scotch thistle, lavender, single roses). Can you plant an area near, but not too close, to grow bee-attracting flowers, for bees to congregate?

There is a cultivar of lamb's ear that does not flower at all. It is fairly readily available at most nurseries.

What about Virginia Creeper, kept in check? That would be pretty in the fall.