- Author: Christine Casey
One of my favorite group of plants for the California bee garden is the globe mallows (Sphaeralcea spp.). These tough-as-nails plants grow in full sun to light shade and can get by on normal rainfall alone, although they'll bloom better with some summer water. I cut them back after the first flush of flowers in the spring and again in the fall. This genus is listed for Sunset zones 3 and 7-24 but does best in hot, dry climates. They also need well-drained soil.
Native to the arid west, the globe mallows flower nearly year-round and grow quickly to three to five feet tall and wide. Detailed information on this group of plants and the bees that use them is available from the USDA.
There are two examples of this genus at the Haven: Sphaeralcea ambigua and a cultivar introduced by Hopley's Nursery in Great Britain, Sphaeralcea ‘Hopley's Lavender'.
/div>
- Author: Christine Casey
On Saturday, March 14, the California Center for Urban Horticulture (CCUH) sponsored a Pollinator Gardening Workshop as part of their Sustainable Backyard series. Co-sponsors were the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Arboretum. Over 100 participants attended on a beautiful day that was perfect for viewing both pollinators and plants.
Along with me, entomologists on the program were Robbin Thorp, Neal Williams, and Eric Mussen. Participants learned about both wild bees and honey bees, their importance to our food supply, and UC Davis bee research. Providing for bees in urban gardens and how this is done at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven were also discussed.
Ellen Zagory, Director of Horticulture at the UC Davis Arboretum, spoke about her favorite bee plants and presented design ideas for successional bloom.
In the afternoon, workshop attendees had the opportunity to see these ideas in practice. After visiting the Haven, where Robbin and I answered questions, participants could head to the Arboretum plant sale for a “workshop only” hour of sales.
If you weren't able to make it, the good news is that the presentations will be available on the CCUH web site. Other Arboretum plant sale dates this spring are April 5, April 26, and May 17.
And mark your calendars for May 9, National Public Gardens Day. There will be an open house at the Haven from 5:30 to 7 that evening, with a garden tour at 6.
- Author: Christine Casey
Part of our mission at the Honey Bee Haven is to inspire the planting of other bee gardens. But what are apartment dwellers or others without the resources for gardens to do? Plant a container garden!
The concrete planters at the Haven were designed with this idea in mind. Executed by students in the Department of Entomology and Nematology's ENT 001 class (part of the campus Art/Science Fusion Program), they depict bee plants that grow well in pots. To reinforce the message, some of these plants are growing in the containers. Two examples are blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora) and black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida).
Planting a container bee garden at home is easy. Using supplies from a local dollar store, I put together a bee garden for less than $5. This includes a container, a bag of potting soil, two packs of seed, and a small bowl and stones to create a water source.
Will this work? If this small container has the only flowers within sight, then bees probably won't find it. If you're in an area with extensive bee-friendly landscaping, or if all the apartments in a complex plant these gardens, then I would expect them to be used by bees. I'll post updates throughout the summer on what's blooming in the Five Dollar Bee Garden and what bees I see on the flowers.
Here's how to do it:
Supplies: potting soil, container (I purchased a 1 ½ gallon wastebasket), 2 packs of seed, small pet bowl, and a bag of stones. The seeds were $0.25 each and all other supplies were $1 each.
Some of the good bee plants in the two seed mixes I purchased are yarrow (Achillea millefolium), coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata), lupine (Lupinus perrenis), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).
Bee water source: Along with pollen and nectar, bees need to drink! A shallow dish with stones that bees can stand on to access water is perfect.
- Author: Christine Casey
One of the most beautiful and valuable plants for the California bee garden is ceanothus, also called California lilac or blue blossom. Most of the plants in this amazingly diverse genus are California natives. So admired are these plants by botanists and horticulturalists that they have their own book: Ceanothus by Davis Fross and Dieter Wilken (Timber Press, 2006, 272 pp.) Not to mention that bees love them!
The Haven's ceanothus species have been selected to provide flowers from January through September. March, however, is when many species and cultivars begin to bloom, so ceanothus is our March bee plant of the month. With a few exceptions, most ceanothus produce blue to purple flowers and are evergreen. They generally need full sun, well-drained soil, and limited summer water, although those tolerant of other conditions are noted below. If you come to the garden to see bees, check out these plants first. Many have a fragrance like honey.
The Haven's ceanothus include, listed in order of bloom:
Ceanothus ‘Valley Violet', Ceanothus maritimus ‘Valley Violet'. Full sun to light shade, 2 feet tall to 4 feet wide. Purple flowers from January to March borne on the full length of the stem. Away from the coast, this one does best with afternoon shade and some supplemental water (every 2 to 3 weeks). Tolerates a variety of soils.
Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman', Ceanothus arboreus x thrysiflorus var. griseus. Full sun to light shade, 10 feet wide to 20 feet tall. Rosy buds open to purple flowers in February and March; the easiest ceanothus to grow and the most tolerant of garden conditions (i.e. regular watering and clay soil), although it will survive on normal rainfall alone. Can be shaped into a small tree.
Ceanothus ‘Julia Phelps', Ceanothus ‘Julia Phelps'. Full sun, 6 feet tall to 8 feet wide. Reddish buds open to small, deep purple flowers from February to April. Does best in coastal locations, and survives on normal rainfall alone.
Ceanothus ‘Concha', Ceanothus impressus x papillosus. Full sun, 6 feet tall and wide. Pink flower buds open to intensely deep purple flowers in March. Tolerates some summer water and clay soils, although it will survive on normal rainfall alone.
Ceanothus ‘Frosty Blue', Ceanothus impressus x thyrsiflorus var. griseus. Full sun, 10 feet wide to 12 feet tall. Buds with a frosted white appearance open to purple flowers in March to May. Tolerant of garden conditions (i.e. regular watering and clay soil), although it will survive on normal rainfall alone.
Buckbrush, Ceanothus cuneatus. Full sun, 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. White flowers in April. Survives on normal rainfall alone.
Ceanothus ‘Skylark', Ceanothus thyrsiflorus ‘Skylark'. Full sun to shade, 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. Light blue flowers in May to June. Does well in a variety of climates and soils. Survives on normal rainfall alone.
Ceanothus ‘Topaz', Ceanothus x delilianus. Full sun to light shade, 4 to 9 feet tall and wide. Blue flowers from June to September. This plant is the cross between a Mexican/Guatemalen native and a New Jersey native. A deciduous plant that needs regular water.
- Author: Christine Casey
It takes a village to maintain the Haven. Our regular volunteers a great job taking care of the Haven, but sometimes there are big tasks that require a larger crew. This past Saturday was our quarterly Entomology and Nematology department workday at the garden. Rose pruning, removal of frost damaged plants, fence-building, irrigation repairs, and plant label-making were among the many duties handled by the volunteers.
Tremendous thanks go to Katie Bright, Janet Brown-Simmons, Felix Klaus, Muree Larson-Bright, Eric Mussen, Nick McMurray, Corwin Parker, Michael Parrella, Marisa Petersen, Melody Schmid, Richard Simmons, J.J. Smith, Billy Synk, Alexa Terrell, Robbin Thorp, Chloe Tuccori, Maria Tuccori, Katharina Ullman, and Kimiora Ward.
The garden will be in fine shape this spring thanks to your hard work.