Attracting native bees in South East Queensland: Plant selection guide

31 October 2023 | By Amanda Little

Establishing a bee-friendly garden or balcony is a fantastic way to aid the environment and bolster the survival of native bees and other essential pollinators. You can achieve this by selecting nectar-rich and pollen-laden plants, along with a variety of flowers that bloom throughout the year.

So which plants should you choose?

To help you make the best choices, we talked with Jenny Thynne, a dedicated volunteer at Wildlife Queensland, nature photographer and bee enthusiast. She shared her top recommendations for flowers that native pollinators adore in her bee-friendly garden in South East Queensland.

View Jenny’s top bee-attracting native and exotic plant recommendations below. You can also download the list as a PDF.

Fascinating fact!

Jenny has photographed more than 50 different native bee species that have visited her garden in South East Queensland.

Bee-attracting native plants

• Melaleucas, especially M. linariifolia
• Kunzeas
• Leptospermums
• Callistemons
• Eucalypts
• Dianellas
• Plectranthus (now Coleus)
• Syzygiums
• Hibbertias
• Westringias
• Native daisies — Brachyscome species and Xerochrysum bracteatum
• Yellow pea flowers such as Pultanaea and Dillwynia
• Purple pea flowers such as Hovea and Hardenbergia
• Tibouchinas

Bee-attracting exotic plants

• Salvias, especially deep blue ones such as ‘Indigo Spires,’ ‘Mystic Spires,’ and ‘Anthony Parker’
• Lavenders, especially French
• Grewia occidentalis
• Perennial basil
• Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia)
• Rondeletia
• African daisies (Osteospermum)
• Dichorisandra (also known as Purple Ginger) — loved by Amegilla (blue-banded and teddy bear bees) and Xylocopa Koptortosoma (great carpenter bees) species. You can hear them buzz pollinating on this plant.
• Plants in the Solanum family such as tomato, chilli, eggplant, capsicum
• Anise hyssop (herb)
• Motherwort (herb)
• Buddleia
• Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajun)

Where to source bee-friendly plants in Queensland

Native plants:

• The GroNATIVE app is an excellent resource to find local native plants that will attract pollinators. FREE to download from the iTunes App Store or Google Play.
• Local nurseries: Visit your local nurseries and garden centres, as many will carry a variety of native plants that can attract bees. Here in South East Queensland, we love Indigiscapes Native Nursery in the Redlands, which sells native tube stock for just $2.
• Free local native plant programs: Many local councils in Queensland run free local native plant programs, offering a range of plants to residents. Check with your local council.
• Native Plants Queensland is a community-based organisation that propagates and grows native plants for beautiful, sustainable, fauna-friendly gardens and public spaces. They hold regular Native Plants Markets which feature a huge variety of native plants from a range of growers.

Exotic plants:

• Local nurseries: Visit your local nurseries and garden centres, as they often carry a variety of exotic plants that can attract bees.
• Online plant retailers: Many online plant retailers and garden stores offer a wide selection of exotic plants. Australian Plants Online stocks a large range of bee-friendly native and exotic plants.
• Garden expos and plant sales: Look out for local garden expos, plant sales, or community events dedicated to gardening. These events often feature exotic plant vendors.