What, nobody responding????

Porter weed may fit the bill for the first one, it can get bushy though but it's blue, pretty and will definitely attract the bees.

Profusion Zinnias may work for your second layer, their dwarfs.

Portulaca/purslane will fit the bill for your third layer.

I hope some other folks come along, I'm a relative newbie at flowers.

Tom

Thanks Tom!

I had totally forgotten about the Blue Porter Weed. A home in our subdivision has some and I love the look but don't think DH would approve because of it's growing habits.

I may have come across something that will work for the pathways...Perennial Peanut and Sunshine Mimosa. I'm researching them now.

Will also check out the Zinnia's!

I have a huge african blue basil planted in a pot sitting in the middle of my raised bed garden. It is an amazing bee magnet! Any of the flowering basils will do the same. I prefer the african blue because the seed are sterile and you won't have a problem with a million plants in the garden. Also I have found all of the purple/blue salvias to attract bumble and honey bees. Look around your yard and your neighbors yards to see what is blooming and what is attracting the pollinators. Also, in our Master Gardener beds we have chives planted around and they are blooming now and attract all kinds of pollinators.

I have perennial peanut in one corner of my pool area and I've enjoyed it but I'm getting ready to pull it out. It's a crawling vine, you'll have to control it if you have a confined area and you'll also have to weed it, weeds easily grow through it....

Tom

I planted a sunshine mimosa in early spring last year to cover an area between a large hedge and my pool about 4 foot wide and twenty feet long. That one plant has filled in the entire area in one year! No special irrigating and a full sun location. It gets light foot traffic from me to water a flower bed next to it, but bounces right back. Most mimosa's leaves will close when touched, but will open back up. I do get grass and broad leafed leaves growing through it, but plan on applying a herbicide Labor Day weekend. For a good upright plant that stays controlled consider a canna lily. Although they don't bloom in the winter, they come back each spring and are nice until the winter. Mexican heather attracts the bees, are a purple color and are compact. Happy gardening!

Tom, I thought the PP grew thick enough to choke out other growth? Hmmm... Lovely pool area by the way!

Dunedingal...where did you get your Mimosa? So far, the only place I've found a link for it is on a website that directs me to what appears to be some Florida native plant AG groups or something similar. Haven't found anyone locally yet that carries it.

Lots of other good suggestions that I'll be checking on soon. Thanks Everyone! :)

I bought the sunshine mimosa at Wilcox Nursery.
12501 Indian Rocks Road
Largo, FL 33774-3037
(727) 595-2073
Happy Gardening!

Sunflowers attract bees. I know you are short on space but if you have room, bottlebrush trees are loaded with bees all the time. Mexican petunias always attract bumblebees. Salvias attract them. The flowers of all kinds of herbs, also. And of course Zinnias.

I have a sunshine mimosa. It looks just like the sensitive plant only without the thorns and a little less leaf sensitivity. You only need one. It will expand as much as you allow it. It has a puffy light pink flower.

For the garden maybe add borage when it gets a little cooler. It has a blue flower.

What about the ruellia (that doesn't set seed) for 3-4 foot and purple tone?

Plumbago?

A verbena for the low creeper?

A Lantana for the creeper also?

There are two varieties, at least that I am familiar with on porter weed- a low grower and one that grows up taller.

Thanks for the replies everyone. We ended up getting a couple of Blue Porter Weeds and were given a Blue Sage as a Freebie. I'll just keep them trimmed and out of husband's way if they start to overhang the walkways. Also, looks like we won't be doing the ground cover, at least not yet. For the time being we'll just lay some mulch down.