Need Ivy Suggestion

Hey J.,

Any flowering plant is going to attract a few bees, I'm afraid. Also, you didn't say whether or not your new arbor gets mostly sun or mostly shade. All ivies are shade-loving plants, and will burn in our Texas heat in July and August and die back quite severely with full sun exposure. If your arbor gets mostly shade, I'd personally go with a creeping fig over an ivy. It's a dense, woody vine that will have much better luck in the wintertime growing on an arbor than a delicate ivy.

If your arbor is sunny, you might consider a wisteria vine. Yes, it does bloom, so you will get a few bees in the spring, but the blooms last for less than a month, and the rest of the summer it's a rich, deep green. Also, in the winter months when most of the leaves fall off, the wisteria vines themselves are very pretty to look because of their woody, twisting vines.

Just my two cents, but I hoped I helped! Please feel free to ask me any questions - I've been an avid home gardener all my life, and grew up with a florist as a mother who had a garden that rivaled Martha Stewart's.

From my knowledge, anything that flowers will pretty much attract bees/wasps, but I could be wrong. I do know that honeysuckle attracts them.

I liked English Ivy. It's inexpensive, typically has a verigated look (darker and lighter green for contrast). It is also hardy. I would buy some planters and set them on each side of the arbor. When you buy the plants add miracle grow to the potting soil and it will help boost the growth.

It will be winding up your arbor before you know it and you can wrap it easily, as well.

Good luck!

I bought two Yellow Jasmine vines last Spring, and they are doing VERY well now, despite the weather. They are fully grown, over 6', and I've had to trim them a few times. They've had gorgeous yellow flowers that bloom and I've seen no bees with mine. I don't consider myself having a "green thumb" either; so, I take it these are very hardy. I've added no special fertilizers or food, haven't always watered, and didn't cover them in the winter. Needless to say, they MUST be very hardy. lol

One thing you should know about ivy is the old saying -- the first year it sleeps, second it creeps, third it leaps. This is SO true. If you want faster coverage then go get a few crossvines (or carolina jessamine as someone else said). They flower, but the flowers are tube-shaped, and I think they're meant to attract hummingbirds. I like these guys for the pool because they flower in the spring when the water's still too cold to get into. The woody climbers that grow fast are notoriously covered in bees. They are definitely gorgeous in the winter, though, with their bare, twisty branches. Also, if you just want something to SURVIVE the winter, as opposed to being green, you could throw up some Boston Ivy. It'll grow like crazy and turn vibrant red and orange in the fall. The leaves will fall off in the cold, so you'll get the winter sun on the patio as a bonus. I wish I had a place for some Boston at my house.