- Author: Christine Casey
While most folks don't want to have to search down plants for their garden, some of us avid gardeners love the chase. Here are profiles of some great bee plants that, despite being easy to grow in most of California, can be difficult to find for sale. To add these to your garden you'll likely need to track down a specialty nursery or an arboretum or native plant society sale, or luck out at your favorite garden center. I've listed them in order of bloom.
Butterfly rose, Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis'. There are few roses that we recommend for bee gardens; most garden roses have flowers with excessive petals and scent that are produced at the expense of pollen and nectar resources. In addition to our native California rose, this Asian native and UC Davis Arboretum All-Star is a good choice for the bee garden. Needing only a deep soaking every two weeks in our area, its only downside is that it can grow quite large and may need summer pruning to keep it in check. Flowers are present nearly year-round and open as yellow but change color to pink and then red as they age. This colorful combination pairs nicely with other bee plants such as the yarrow and hummingbird mint shown here. At the Haven it is used primarily by honey bees. It provides nectar and pollen.
Tall sunflower 'Shiela's Sunshine, Helianthus giganteus 'Shiela's Sunshine'. This eastern US native will grow throughout California and makes a striking addition to the bee garden. All sunflowers are valued for their long bloom time, which generally extends from mid-summer into fall, and the fact that they provide both pollen and nectar. 'Shiela' can reach up to 8 feet in height with sturdy stems that don't need staking. Naturally occurring in moist areas, it will need at least weekly watering in central California; at the Haven we grow it in a container where it's watered daily. Look for honey bees, sweat bees, and longhorned bees to use it.
Asters. California aster, Symphyotrichum chilense, and aster 'Bill's Big Blue', Symphyotrichum 'Bill's Big Blue'. The asters (New World species were recently moved from the genus Aster to Symphyotrichum) are a great late-season pollen and nectar source and a staple of the bee garden because they bloom when little else is in flower. With the exception of our native California aster, these plants need ample water, typically about once per week. California aster cultivars 'Purple Haze' and 'Point Saint George' have deeper purple flowers and tend to be more attractive to bees than the species. The non-native asters are from various regions in eastern North America, depending on species (of which there are about 600; they have their own book). Asters are used by honey bees, leafcutter bees, and sweat bees. Of the non-native species, we especially like 'Bill's Big Blue' at the Haven. Measuring about 6 feet tall and wide, it blooms continuously through October and November. Asters will grow in all of California; the native species does well everywhere except the desert and high mountains.
- Author: Christine Casey
Like to eat? Thank a bee! Join us at the Haven on June 19 to celebrate National Pollinator Week. Our open house will take place from 5:30 to 7:00pm. Visitors will be able to:
- View an observation honey bee hive. Get a glimpse inside the hive to watch the queen lay eggs and the workers tend to the young bees and make honey.
- Observe our many bees "in action" working plants in the garden to collect pollen and nectar. Common bees seen in June include bumble bees, carpenter bees, honey bees, leafcutter bees, and sweat bees.
- Check out our lowest-water use bee plants to get ideas for your own water-wise bee garden.
- Taste and buy honey from the Honey and Pollination Center. A portion of the proceeds support bee research at UC Davis.
- Buy native bee houses for your garden. All proceeds support the Haven.
- Author: Christine Casey
It's almost here! Please join us in celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Honey Bee Haven this Saturday, May 2, from 10 am to 2 pm. There will be beekeeping demonstrations, information about native bee conservation and identification, and lots to learn about bee gardening. And if that weren't enough, we'll be giving out free wildflower seeds and ice cream from Häagen-Dazs. Yes, free ice cream!
We'll also have bee houses for sale, a raffle, and free one-year subscriptions (or renewals) to Better Homes and Gardens for anyone who donates $10 or more to the garden.
Here is the complete schedule, along with photos of some of the bees you might see at the Haven:
Native bee information: experts will be available from 10 to 2
Beekeeping demonstrations: 10:45; repeat @ 11:15; 11:45; 12:15; and 12:45pm
Donor and volunteer recognition: 10:30 to 11:30
Bee gardening talk: 1:00pm; repeat @ 1:30 pm
Click here for the campus map location of the Haven.
/div>/div>
- Author: Christine Casey
European white birch, Betula pendula, is widely planted in the Sacramento area. It is a riparian species that did well before water metering and drought led homeowners to restrict lawn watering. The past several years of dry weather have focused careful attention on landscape water use; unfortunately borers tend to attack drought-stressed trees.
What are some bee-friendly small trees that can be substituted for birches? There are two small trees that do well in much of California under low water regimens and also provide for bees.
I've mentioned the first, western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), many times on this blog. Its attractive flowers are in bloom right now, but this plant's primary value for bees is the foliage. Leafcutter bees use this tree's leaves for nest-building material, and we've planted it throughout the Haven to ensure an ample supply. It's a UC Davis Arboretum All-Star that reaches about fifteen feet in height and grows in full sun to light shade. It tends to have a shrubby form but can be pruned into a tree shape. It also has interesting seed pods that persist through the winter.
Another less common native tree that's also a great bee resource is desert willow, Chilopsis linearis. As the name suggests, it is native to the desert areas of California and does well in the hotter, drier parts of the state. The showy flowers of this fifteen to twenty foot tree appear in spring and continue on and off through the summer.
Another small native tree is California buckeye, Aesculus californica. This one is noticeable because it loses its foliage in mid-summer as an adaptation to our summer-dry climate. Unfortunately this plant's pollen and nectar are toxic to honey bees, so it is not recommended for bee gardens.
/div>- Author: Christine Casey
There will be lots happening at the Haven this year for bee, plant, and nature lovers. In addition to the garden events listed below, we'll also be at other locations: we'll have a display at the Yolo Basin Foundation's Duck Days on February 21, and I'll be speaking about water-wise pollinator gardening on March 11 at the City of Woodland's Water-Wise Wednesdays program. On April 18 I will have a native bee display and bee gardening information at Wildflower Wonders, the spring plant sale of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.
Keep those bee gardens growing!
March 28
The California Center for Urban Horticulture's Create a Living Landscape workshop will conclude with a tour of the Haven. We'll have bee houses for sale to help support the garden.
April 11
The Haven will be a stop on the Gardens Gone Native tour sponsored by the Sacramento chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Docents will be on hand from 10am to 3pm to answer questions about the garden's native plants and native bees.
April 23. Please note this is a revised date for this event.
Native bees lunchtime drop-in. New at the Haven this year are lunchtime drop-in days, each featuring a topic related to the garden with docents present to answer questions or give informal tours. Stop by anytime between 12 and 1:30pm to view native bees and their host plants; native bee houses will also be for sale.
May 2
The Haven is five years old! Join us between 10am and 2pm for a fifth anniversary celebration. There will be informal tours and lectures, an observation honey bee hive, and lots more.
May 8
National Public Gardens Day open house. Join us between 5:30 and 7pm for informal tours, information about bee watching and ID, and an observation honey bee hive. We'll have bee houses for sale and free plants (while they last) to get your bee garden started.
May 9
The Haven will host a reception as part of the Keeping Bees Healthy symposium sponsored by the Honey and Pollination Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. The symposium is intended for a general audience at the level of high school students and up; student registration is only $15!
June 19
National Pollinator Week open house. Join us between 5:30 and 7pm for informal tours, information about bee watching and identification, and an observation honey bee hive. We'll have bee houses for sale and free zinnia seeds (while they last) to help your bee garden grow well into the fall.
July 17
Native ants lunchtime drop-in. New at the Haven this year are lunchtime drop-in days, each featuring a topic related to the garden with docents present to answer questions or give informal tours. Stop by anytime between 12 and 1:30pm to view and learn about native ants. Like bees, ants are social insects with amazing biology and life histories.
September 25
Honey bees lunchtime drop-in. New at the Haven this year are lunchtime drop-in days, each featuring a topic related to the garden with docents present to answer questions or give informal tours. Stop by anytime between 12 and 1:30pm to view honey bees and their fall host plants as well as an observation bee hive.
October 2
Fall open house. Join us between 5:30 and 7pm for informal tours, information about bee watching and identification, and an observation honey bee hive. We'll have bee houses for sale to help support the garden.
/div>