The Bee Gardener

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View of the UC Davis Bee Haven in June
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Thoughts on the Haven at Fifteen

May 1st, 2024
The Haven was created in 2009: we celebrate our 15th anniversary this year. I joined the garden in 2012 and was tasked with creating an outreach and education program. Tours, social media pages, classes, and this blog soon followed.
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Research plot to evaluate bee attractiveness
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Haven Research Summary 2024

April 30th, 2024
I've written previously about the Haven's research on bees and gardens. This work included a look at bee preferences for common California landscape plants and work to help growers and landscapers provide the healthiest plants for bees.
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Graph of bee attractiveness at a nursery
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Research to Create Better Bee Gardens

February 27th, 2023
Regular Haven visitors notice that we frequently change our planting. It's one of the joys of gardening -- there are always new plants to try and experiment with. At the Haven, research on new plants and methods for bee gardens is essential to our educational mission.
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California aster 'Purple Haze' blooming
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End of Summer Plants for Bees

August 8th, 2022
As we move into the hottest, driest part of the summer, many of our gardens are looking a bit worn out. It's certainly easier to stay inside where it's cool and put garden tasks off until the fall. But the bees are still out there doing their work to bring us food and create habitat for wildlife.
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