Russian Sage and Bees (flower, growing, grass, Salvia)

[BusySocialWorker]

At our last home we had a beautiful hedge of Blue Mist Spiraea (Bluebeard), plants, but it seemed as though the bees LOVED this plant - even more so then other flowering plants... Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against bees, but since it is the back yard, the kids swing set etc will be there - so a HUGE swarm is not my favorite thought..

We are working on the backyard at our new house now and considering a nice hedge against our back split rail fence (maybe 10-15 plants) of Russian Sage - Anyone able to comment on the bee attraction factor with Russian Sage - It is a beautiful low maint. plant which is what we are looking for. Should we stick with this option, or keep looking around for something else?

Thanks for any thoughts - or if you have pictures of your Russian Sage (especially in a hedge / boarder / mass amount) I would love to see them!

[tet tea]

At the moment the honey bees are buzzing around my Lamb's Tail. They also love my Russian Sage when in flower. Plus it's a great drought, deer and rabbit tollerant plant. I don't get swarms of bees, and they haven't bothered me when I have to do some trimming. Unless your children are alergic to bees I wouldn't think you would have a problem.

[Cattknap]

I don't go near our Russian sage plants during the day - we have 5 of them and bees of many types are around them. They like sages too (salvias)....Russian sage can get floppy - I do not consider it the ideal candidate for a hedge. I like yew - looks like rosemary but is soft - it can be shaped and trimmed. If you want to keep it low, it needs to be trimmed.

[DLK55]

We had some in our front yard and the bees loved it. They were all over it all day long. Off topic but another favorite of theirs is agastache. We have a huge Blue Fortune agastache that they absolutely swarm over.

[GarlicGuy]

I wish those were my bees. I think you'll be safe. Common sence. They are on a mission to gather nectar and at the moment those blossoms are on their list. On another day it might be something else. Enjoy them and watch them close. Nothing wrong with having a hive out of the way for you to enjoy the honey.

[BusySocialWorker]

Thanks everyone! I don't really need a thick hedge persay, just more of SOMETHING - I love the look and color of these plants -

We are up on a hill so this split rail will be the back of our property and just on the other side, the hill slopes down so we have a great view! We have lots of wild flower and other weeds and grass that grow on the down slope just after our property, and I thought this might blend well - somethign that could be growing wild, but a little more manicured and put together...

[graceC]

I have them in my backyard, right next to my patio, and they're always surrounded by bees. The bees keep to themselves though, usually anyway.

Have you thought of perennial black-eyed susan? Or Shasta Daisy? They are extremely low maintenance (just plant them and forget them), they also naturalize like mad in my backyard. I started my BES with 3 tiny plants, and in 3 years they've formed a 2-foot high, 6-foot long hedge. I started my Shasta Daisy from seeds and within 1 year they've grown as high and as long as the BES. They are not as attractive to bees as Russian Sage or lavender for whatever reason.