Probably most of the bees we see are bumblebees, but there are lots of varieties of bee. If you have flowers that bees like, you can't choose which ones will come...

They don't much like summer bedding type plants (surfinia Petunia and so on) because a lot of those don't actually have any pollen, and they also can't make use of double flowers (Kerria pleniflora for instance, though they will come to Kerria japonica, which has single flowers). Anything with an exposed centre, as in daisy style flowers (Echinacea for instance) they will appreciate, as well as lavender (bee magnet), and the obvious Bergamot, though that likes damp soil but lots of sun. Verbenas are popular, Verbena bonariensis in particular, Foxgloves are great...

Cotoneaster, when in flower, (any variety) is usually covered in bees...

If you check out Rosybee website, a small nursery based in Cambridgeshire who sell favourite plants for bees and bumble bees. I ordered some bee friendly plants and have enjoyed a regular coming and going of bees, hover flies and bumblebees so far.

In my garden, bees love Veronica, Sunflowers, Hosta flowers, Sedum Autumn Joy, Tomatoes, Peppers, Asters, clover, honeysuckle almost every other plant that flowers.

I went to the Garden Centre the other day and watched what flowers the Bee’s were landing on, they were landing on a lovely Dahlia a pink (Happy Single Wink) so I bought it, the Bee’s love it :o)), I have a Helenium it’s orange brown in colour always has lots of Bee’s on that but as above, they are all good plants that they make a Bee line for LOL.
Jackie:o))

My cotoneaster horizontalis attracts more bees than any other shrub in my garden and there a berry bonus for the birds in winter. Also I have a buddleia globosa which is also smothered in bees in spring. In spite of growing lots of bee-loving plants I have had fewer bees about this year.By the way the RSPB produces a fascinating chart to help identify different types of bumblebee.

I went to a garden centre a couple of days ago for bee and butterfly flowers and found a display of Gaillardia Celebration, a beautiful rich red colour which was teeming with huge humble bees and I had to encourage them to fly off before I bought it. I also bought a cat mint which they love too and so do the butterflies.

I have Gallardia 'Arizona Sun' and it's covered in bees all the time.

I have lots of teasels on my allotment garden and the bees love them, also later in the season they just love the ivy.

Any kind of hosta in flower. The bumble bee is the only pollinator that can successfully enter the hosta flower to get the nectar. The hosta flower is designed to be successfully pollinated by the bumble bee and no other.

That's a really interesting bit of information, Loosestrife. Unfortunately my hostas only produced one flower between them this year, so the bees won't have done too well on that!