I need help with growing flowers; I know absolutely nothing about growing them, and the only reason I'm growing them is to attract bees so that my fruiting plants (any type of melon and any type of squash) will be pollinated. I'm posting this topic on this forum, because it does have to do with bees, and somebody recommended that I post this topic here.

My main question is, what colors are bees most attracted to? The reason ask this is because according to some research I've done, what type of flowers bees are attracted to, depends on what color the flower is.

Again by research I've done, I've found bees are attracted to flowers with the colors yellow, blue, green, white,

and purple/violet. They're also attracted to flowers with a high pollen/nectar content. However as stated before, I have no idea what flowers have a high pollen/nectar content, because I've never grown flowers.

Please provide a general list of what flowers bees are attracted to. You can put the botanical name, but if you do, please put the common name in parentheses; I apologize if I come off as 'demanding' I'm not trying to, it's just I'm not a botanist, so I don't know what the flowers are if the only name listed is the botantical one.

Also as far as flowers go, I can only grow from seed, plants aren't really an option, as they're too expensive.

Also with the flowers listed, please specify whether they like hot weather or cold weather, which season they're best grown in. The flowers that I'm going to grow would have to like hot weather, since the vegetables I'm growing would be grown in summer, since they do best in hot weather.

Please don't refer me to another section on the forum or just give me a link. Somebody gave me a link about flowers, which bees are attracted to. There were only a few varieties listed, and I've never heard of them. I'd prefer to grow flowers I've heard of and at least familiar with, because I'm going to guess they'll be easier and simpler to grow.

With flowers this is what I'm looking for:

*Varieties that are simple and easy to grow

*Flowers that can be started indoors as transplants

*Early maturing varieties

Here is a description of my growing season......

I live in the upper part of the lower peninsula of Michigan. The growing season here is very short; it starts in May (cool weather stuff can be grown in April) and ends in October-November (December if we're really fortunate). The summers are hot in the 'heat of the summer' but compared to summers in warmer climates, our summers are milder.