Jun 15, 2010
Three little words can help us determine what to plant in a bee friendly garden: "attractive to bees."
Escallonia, a fast-growing evergreen shrub often planted as a hedge or screen, is indeed attractive to bees. Bees work the blossoms like there's no tomorrow--and no colony collapse disorder.Escallonia's delicate pink blossoms remind me of apple blossoms, and indeed, there's a cultivar named just that: Escallonia Apple Blossom (E. xlangleyensis).
A native of South America (probably Chile), the plant is drought-resistant, hardy, fragrant and basically pest-free.
Butterflies and hummingbirds join bees in finding it attractive.
So, perhaps Escallonia should be referred to as "attractive to bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and people-looking-for-what-to-plant-in-bee-friendly-gardens."
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Attached Images:
![HONEY BEE foraging on Escallonia blossoms. The fast-growing evergreen shrub is native to South America. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) HONEY BEE foraging on Escallonia blossoms. The fast-growing evergreen shrub is native to South America. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/4191.jpg)
Bee on Escallonia
![OBLIVIOUS to her surroundings, a honey bee gathers nectar from Escallonia, a plant that's praised as OBLIVIOUS to her surroundings, a honey bee gathers nectar from Escallonia, a plant that's praised as](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/4192.jpg)
Going for the Escallonia
![BOTTOMS UP--A honey bee dives deep into the shrub, Escallonia, in search of nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) BOTTOMS UP--A honey bee dives deep into the shrub, Escallonia, in search of nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/4193.jpg)
Bottoms Up