- Author: Christine Casey
While entomologists might hope that we select plants for our gardens based only on their value as bee resources, gardeners want attractive plantings. To bridge that gap, here are some suggested plant pairings for the bee garden that not only look good together but also provide complementary bee resources (i.e. one provides pollen and the other nectar) and have similar light and water needs.
Winter
Winter and early spring is when our native wildflowers shine. These re-seed easily, so a confined area like a parkway strip is a good place for them; sow seeds in late fall and let winter rains do the rest. If spread to other areas of the garden is a concern, pull these plants while they're still flowering before seeds are set. A great pair for full sun are California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and phacelia (several species); orange and purple are complimentary colors and always look good together. A pair that can take some shade is Chinese houses (Collinsia heterophylla) and five spot (Nemophila maculata). Their purple and white flowers are an attractive combination; Chinese houses provides nectar and the five spot is a pollen source.
Spring
Honeywort (Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens') is an annual that provides both pollen and nectar. Be warned....it re-seeds with vigor! The Haven's plant is well-used by honey bees, and this year it was favored by a California bumble bee (Bombus californicus) queen. It's paired here with foothill penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus), which covers the honeywort's sparse lower growth and provides nectar. Another spring combination are the California natives seaside daisy (Erigeron 'Bountiful') and California sunflower (Encelia californica). Yellow and purple are a pleasing combination and are colors that are attractive to bees. Both plants provide pollen and nectar.
Summer
Yellows and purple continue into the summer. Yarrow 'Moonshine' is a classic Mediterranean garden plant that provides pollen; it's paired here with 'Purple Ginny' sage, but it works well with any of the autumn or little-leaved sages (which are nectar sources). Another summer combination is catmint (Nepeta x faassenii), which provides nectar, and the seaside daisy (Erigeron 'Bountiful'), which provides both pollen and nectar. Both will re-bloom with regular deadheading.
Fall
For fall bloom, another yellow and purple combination is bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis) and goldenrod (several species/cultivars). Both are pollen and nectar sources that grow in part shade; goldenrod will spread over time so keep that in mind when selecting a planting location.
Happy planting!
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- Author: Christine Casey
Wildlife gardens, including those designed for pollinators, tend to be somewhat wild-looking. Abundant flower displays, old logs, bare soil, and wildflowers provide important habitat and food but generally have a casual look. While most bee gardeners appreciate this, there are situations when we might wish for something more formal. In the front yard, for example, personal preference or a neighborhood association may dictate a cleaner look.
The good news is that there are plenty of planting options for bee gardeners who need a more polished appearance to their garden. I've selected twelve options to provide year-round bloom; all can be seen at the Haven:
VERY LOW WATER (will survive on normal rainfall; give one to two deep soakings per summer for best appearance).
January. 'Howard McMinn' manzanita (Arctostaphylos 'Howard McMinn'). Blooms in January and February; best in full sun to light shade. UC Davis Arboretum All-Star. Clean foliage, even during drought. Grows to loosely rounded form about 6 feet tall and wide without pruning. California native.
February. 'Valley Violet' ceanothus (Ceanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet'). Blooms in February and March; best in full sun to light shade. UC Davis Arboretum All-Star. Clean foliage, even during drought. Grows to loosely mounded form about 2 feet tall without pruning; looks good in mass planting. California native.
April. California brittlebush (Encelia californica). Blooms heavily in spring and sporadically throughout the summer if deadheaded; best in full sun to light shade. Clean foliage, even during drought. Grows to loosely mounded form about 4 feet tall and wide without pruning. California native.
June. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia). Blooms in late spring; full sun. UC Davis Arboretum All-Star. Clean foliage, even during drought. Grows to loosely rounded form about 6 feet tall and wide without pruning. Striking red berries in winter. California native.
LOW WATER (water deeply every two to four weeks depending on soil and exposure)
March. Cape balsam (Bulbine frutescens). Blooms for most of the year if deadheaded; best in full sun to light shade. UC Davis Arboretum All-Star. Grows to loosely rounded form about 2 feet tall without pruning. Use in mass planting for the most formal look.
May. Dwarf apple (Malus sp.) espalier. Full sun. Height and spread will vary with cultivar and pruning. Espalier provides a formal look.
July. Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence'). Blooms all summer. Grows into a neat round shape about 2 feet high and 3 feet wide. Looks best massed as a low hedge.
August. Wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys). Blooms late spring through summer. Full sun. Grows to 1 foot high and 2 foot wide mass that can be clipped into a low hedge for the most formal look. Do this after flowering to avoid removing flower buds.
September. Silverleaf (Leucopyllum langmanae 'Lynn's Legacy'). Blooms late summer. Full sun to light shade. UC Davis Arboretum All-Star. Grows to 4 feet tall by 3 feet wide. Clean blue-grey foliage provides good contrast to purple flowers.
October. Blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora). Blooms for most of the year if deadheaded; best in full sun to light shade. Size depends on cultivar; grow in masses for formal look.
November. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Blooms primarily in fall and winter. Full sun. Select an upright variety for the most formal look.
HIGH WATER (water every week)
December. Escallonia (Escallonia 'Compakta'). Blooms summer, fall, and winter. Full sun to light shade. Grows into a neat mound about 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide with clean, shiny leaves.
- Author: Christine Casey
Lawn removal is on the mind of many Californians these days. In my own neighborhood I've seen many interesting and creative new gardens; one person even made a monument to the lawn of the past that includes an old push mower ringed with stones in a place of central prominence.
If you're taking out some or all of your turf, you have a great opportunity to re-plant so your garden is bee-friendly. Unfortunately, rocks and cacti often seem to be the default options for low-water gardens. While bees use cactus flowers, this type of garden provides nothing else for these important animals.
As an encouragement to do more, here's a concrete patio area at my own bee garden, before and after:
Need some help getting started? Here's a plan for a simple, nine-plant, low-water bee garden for a small, sunny yard. Want more ideas? Check out our list of 25 low-water bee plants that includes bloom times and pollen and nectar resources. You can see all 25 of the these plants (plus many more!) at the Haven.
- Author: Christine Casey
When gardeners think of good bee plants, many choices in the mint (Lamiaceae) family come to mind. A favorite of many folks (and many bees!) is Spanish lavender, Lavandula stoechas. Among the lowest water users of the lavenders, there are a few tried-and-true cultivars and many new introductions. Primarily a nectar source, attributes for the bee garden include late winter bloom (followed by repeat bloom through the summer with regular deadheading) and great bee attractiveness. All need full sun and well-drained soil. To give an idea of relative attractiveness, our largest planting of 'Anne's Purple' is next to a similar-sized planting of 'Hot Lips' sage. When both are blooming, there are no bees on the sage while the lavender is heavily foraged.
Spanish lavender cultivars in the Honey Bee Haven:
- 'Anne's Purple'. Among the largest cultivars (about 30 inches tall and wide), this one has been a vigorous grower at the Haven, where it is a bee favorite.
- 'Dedication'. Newly planted this winter. A cultivar of the subspecies Lavandula stoechas pedunculata, it was developed in New Zealand and is similar to 'Anne's Purple' in size.
- 'Kew Red'. I planted this a year ago because of the interesting raspberry-colored flower. I removed it this winter as it did not prove to be as attractive to bees as the purple-flowered cultivars.
- 'Lutsko's Dwarf'. Newly planted this winter. Grows to about 12 inches by 12 inches and a great choice for containers.
- 'Madrid Purple'. Newly planted this winter. This is part of a series; there's also 'Madrid Blue', 'Madrid Pink', and 'Madrid White'. On the smaller side, these reach about 18 inches by 18 inches and are also an option for containers.
- 'Mi Casa'. Newly planted this winter. Not much information available.
- 'Otto Quast'. This one has not been as vigorous or as attractive to bees as the other cultivars at the Haven.
- 'Winter Bees'. Smaller in stature (about 18 inches tall and wide), it blooms for a long time (it's the first to bloom in late winter) and is very attractive to bees.
At the Haven, Spanish lavender seems to be more attractive to bees than our other lavender, Lavandula 'Goodwin Creek Grey'. I have not yet tried and of the white-flowered lavender cultivars.
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- Author: Christine Casey
Last year I planted the Five Dollar Bee Garden to show how inexpensively a bee garden could be created. I got what I paid for, which wasn't much. I wanted to see if soil and seeds from a local one-dollar per item store could do the job and unfortunately they did not. Poor seed germination and plant growth made the Five Dollar Bee Garden a failure.
This year I stepped it up a notch and planted the Nine Dollar Bee Garden. Soil and seeds from name-brand companies sold at local garden centers cost $3.99 and $3.49 respectively. I did find a nice grow bag for $1 from the discount center used for last year's soil and seeds. My total cost with tax was just over $9 and so far the extra $4 investment has been worth it: just a week after planting, this year's garden has already germinated.
Seeds in this year's garden are listed below. This was sold as a pollinator mix; these are all good bee plants.
Baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii). This is an annual California native that blooms in late winter and early spring.
Blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata). This is a perennial native to the Southwest that is the parent of the many blanket flower hybrids seen in garden centers. Blooms in summer.
Blue flax (Linum lewisii). This is a perennial California native that blooms in spring and summer.
California bluebell (Phacelia campanularia). This is an annual California native that blooms in late winter and early spring.
Farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena). This is an annual California native that blooms in late spring and early summer.
Globe gilia (Gilia capitata). This is an annual California native that blooms in spring.
Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria). This is an annual native to the Midwest that blooms in summer and fall.
Prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera). This is a perennial native to the Midwest that blooms in summer and fall.
Yellow lupine (Lupinus densiflorus). This is an annual California native that blooms in spring.
Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). This annual is native to the Mediterranean and blooms nearly year-round. Re-seeds freely and can spread.
Lance leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata). This perennial blooms in spring and summer and is native to the eastern and southern US.
Wallflower (Cherianthus allonii). This Mediterranean native is a short-lived perennial that blooms in late winter and early spring.
Container gardens are a great way to provide for bees if you're in an apartment or are otherwise limited in your gardening resources.