This guide is not meant to be a primer on gardening in general. There are much better resources out there that can help you get started if you've never gardened before.

Here are just a few of my faves:

• Greatist Guide to Gardening
• Gardinista
• dengarden
• Martha Stewart's Vegetable Garden 101

Here's a fantastic roundup ofbeginner gardener mistakes to avoid from one of my absolute faves,The Garden Betty.

When it comes to bee-friendly gardening, your main focus needs to be flowering plants. This is because flowering plants and bees share a special, symbiotic relationship. Flowering plants rely on bees for pollination, and in exchange bees rely on flowering plants for their nectar--which they convert into honey.

Nerdy fact: A recent study found that, in addition to using colour, shape, patterns, and odour to identify which flowers are the most productive, bees also share a symbioticelectromagnetismwith flowering plants, which aids them in finding the best flowers to nourish themselves and the hive.

Bonus: If you already have a vegetable garden, you'll likely see an increase in your crop yields. Many vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkins, peppers, squash and others) rely on insects for pollination. By inviting bees into your garden, you're increasing the odds of successful pollination and likely the crop output as well.

Once you're comfortable with the gardening basics, take a look at the next couple of sections for more information on whattypes of plantsattract bees, andwhen they should be planted.

Know of other awesome gardening guides? Tell me about them!

Do you know of other awesome beginner gardener's guides? I'd love to know about them. Let me know in the comments section below and I'll add them to the list so other's can benefit from them too!