Water Butts with Planters - Bee-Friendly Ideas

Water butts with planters are a great way to save water and support our bees.

Our space saving water butts, that include a planter on the top means that you can collect and store rainwater whilst also enjoying some lovely pollinator friendly plants, all at the same time – what a winner!

Bees and other insects play a vital role as pollinators and are essential for many plant species to survive. This includes many of the plants that provide us humans (and animals) with food – think fruits, vegetables, nuts etc. Yet it’s no secret that these unsung little heroes are sadly in decline, and as one of the contributing factors is a loss of flowering plants.

We’ve been busy bees ourselves, putting together a list of our favourite bee-friendly plants to grow in your water butt planter to share with you. These little beauties will not only look pretty in your garden (some will even feed you) but they’ll also provide access to the much-needed nutrients, that are so essential for the growth and development to bees and other insects.

Bee-friendly plant ideas for your water butt planter

Our top picks to get you started…

Flowers to pack a punch

Cosmos, Dahlia (singles), Asters, Gerbera, Daisies, Heathers, Nasturtiums and Alyssums.

Trailing flowers

Honeysuckle, Lobelias (cascade/trailing varieties) and fuscias

Herbs

(ideal if your water butt is close to your kitchen door)

Lavender, Salvia, Thyme, Mint, Borage, Oregano, Lemon Balm, Chives, Rosemary and Sage.

Fruits

Strawberries, Cherry tomatoes, Chilli peppers (if in a warm sheltered location), and dwarf varieties of blueberries.

Taller Bee-friendly annual plants for flower beds

Sunflowers, Cornflower, Rudbeckia, Echinacea and Foxgloves.

Of course we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg above, so here are a few more pointers to keep in mind, when choosing your pollinator friendly plants….

Variety really helps…

Including a mix of flowers with different colours, different sizes and bloom times as this will help to attract various bee species throughout the season.

The type of flower head is important…

It’s essential that insects and bees can easily access that much needed pollen and nectar inside your flowers, so make sure you choose plants that have single, open blooms or the tubular kind like Foxgloves) and not the ‘doubles’ that make it hard for them to access.

Water butts with an integrated planter…

The planter area in these water butts is part of the top of the water butt and cannot be removed. 

For further information about the above water butts see the following links:

• Alana Water Butt – 160L
• Rainbowl Flower Water Butt – 150L

Water butts with optional/removeable planter …

The planters in these water butts are under the lid and can be removed if desired. The plant pots in the Tubo and Drop have retractable handles. The Noblesse has two smaller plant pots under the lid.

For further information about the above water butts see the following links:

• Tubo Water Butt – 210L
• Drop Water butt – 410L
• Noblesse Water Butt – 275L

For more information on choosing a water butt to fit in your garden, please contact our helpful team.