Twice Flowering plants

[TooBee...]

I was wondering about the best flowering plant for a large corner of my garden, this subject has kind-of been brought up in another thread BUT I am interested in Twice Flowering meaning that the plant flowers twice in one year, not to be confused with Double Flowers which I think is a flower with twice as much petals and difficult for the bees to feed from.

I know that there are Lilac trees that flower twice, but I think their flowers are too long for the bee's tongue to get down, and there are quite a few roses which flower twice, but they don't produce much flowers per square metre (or nectar / sugar per sq.m).

I know of Sainfloin, apparently bees love it more than clover! You only need to cut it at the end of it's first flowering and it will flower again, under good growing conditions you can cut it twice and get three blooms from it in the one year, with the first frost killing it of.

Does anyone else know of any other plants that could be used for nectar foraging for bees that will flower more than once in the same year? Or any crops / plants that could be planted on the same plot one after another to provide two flowerings/blooms?

- I've even read about giving some plants a short burst of red light during the night to encourage a second flowering, but I think that is only able to be done under labratory conditions, so a red plastic bag over the outside light is probably not going to work

 

[Finman]

.
Look from google twice flowering plants.

 

[TooBee...]

Oh, Google ... never thought of that ...

The results (from Google as well...) includes several plants that do bloom twice in the same year (mentioned in passing in my OP), but with the exception of Sainfoin they don't appear to be that great for bee foraging. What I mean is to get the most nectar from my m2 I'd be better of with Clover, actually I'm thinking of turning the entire lawn over to Clover; but if I use Sainfoin and cut it with the strimmer two or three times a year I'd have a longer nectar period for the bees.

On this forum there are many members that have additional knowledge not strictly to do with 'beekeeping', and I was hoping that may extend to plants - flowers - twice blooming. Worth a try anyway, maybe someone will find the info. on Sainfoin helpful / interesting

 

[REDWOOD]

To create a bee friendly garden you need plants that flower spring, summer and Autumn

 

[Finman]

.
Sainfoins are modest plants and grow in poor soils. Weeds cover easily this kind of plants.

All start from your soils, which plants thrive in it and can fight against weeds and lack of water.

 

[enrico]

Grow shrubs, more flowers
E

 

[Curly green fingers]

Grow shrubs, more flowers
E

My bee's were all over climbing hydrangea and ceanothus when there was a cross over from spring to summer forage.

 

[masterBK]

Primocane raspberries flower and fruit twice a year with early flowering on the last years canes and then later on flowering on the current years canes. My garden bees are very active on them.

 

[Popparand]

Primocane raspberries flower and fruit twice a year with early flowering on the last years canes and then later on flowering on the current years canes. My garden bees are very active on them.

Or, more precisely, floricane raspberries flower and fruit on previous year's growth, so earlier, promocane raspberries on current year's growth so later. Some varieties flower on both. I believe raspberry flower honey sets quickly like osr, but I might be wrong.

 

[Finman]

I believe raspberry flower honey sets quickly like osr, but I might be wrong.

It is not easy to crystallizise. I just yesterday extracted many boxes, which is foraged in the midd of June.

Continuously bearing rasberries are good. For example Polka is good. Big tasty berries. 6 g size.
. In Britain they are often cultivated in plastic tunnels.

Look from google pictures "polka raspberry cultivation".

 

[Popparand]

Grow shrubs, more flowers
E

lavender, ceanothus, rosemary, thyme.....

 

[gbee]

Anybody suggesting wysteria? Goes nuts spreading, requires little care and offers 2 blooms

 

[Wingy]

lavender, ceanothus, rosemary, thyme.....

Got loads of lavender in the garden, only seen the odd honey bee on it but covered in bumbles. Just planted up a rosemary hedge so hope the honey bees get something from this next year

 

[Norton Caff]

Comfrey and geraniums