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.

Apricot mallow or desert mallow, Sphaeralcea ambigua. This southwestern US desert native should be used more in dry California gardens. It flowers from mid-February through frost in the Sacramento area provided it is trimmed back after bloom. Honey bees will use it; in addition there is a group of bees that specialize on the globe mallows. Look also for scarlet globe mallow, Sphaeralcea coccinea, which has red flowers. Plant this in the hottest, driest part of the garden in full sun. It needs heat! Not for the immediate coast or high mountains. This plant provides pollen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

   

Calamint, Calamintha nepetoides. This Mediterranean native has small, nondescript white flowers, which likely explains its scarcity in the nursery trade. Plant it in a mass, however, and it makes a striking white cloud of flowers that are never without bees from late spring through frost. It will grow throughout California; it needs full sun and water about every two weeks in the Sacramento area. Calamint is used by honey bees and leafcutter bees and provides nectar. It will grow throughout California.

 

 

 

Bluebeard, Caryopteris x clandonensis. This Asian native has lovely blue to purple flowers from summer through fall. It does best in full sun with watering about every two weeks in the Sacramento area, although it can take some shade and less-frequent watering. Definitely under-utilized in bee gardens; it is an essential late-season nectar source that also provides some pollen. It will grow in most of California.

 

  

 

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.

          

California aster 'Purple Haze' flowers

 

Ask most folks about "fall color" and they'll picture trees turning shades of red, orange, and yellow.  Here at the Haven, on the other hand, we think about all the plants that will bloom until frost. These provide honey bees with critical late-season honey-making resources; other bees and butterflies use these late bloomers as well.

I wrote about fall planting a few weeks ago.  Here are some recent photos from the garden showing our version of "fall color."

Asters

Although they still go by the common name of aster, the New World plants in this group are now in the genus Symphyotrichum.  Here's one of the largest, Symphyotrichum 'Bill's Big Blue' with many honey bees working its flowers. 'Bill' is a big guy, so be sure to give him plenty of room to spread and sprawl.

Aster 'Bill's Big Blue' in bloom at the Haven

Ceanothus

Ceanothus, or California lilac?  What is this winter- and spring-blooming group doing in an article about fall-blooming plants? While most plants in the genus Ceanothus are native to California, there are a few that are not.  In the Haven we grow the hybrid 'Topaz', which is a cross between a central American species, C. caeruleus, and two closely-related deciduous species, C. herbaceus and C. americanus; these two are native east of the Rockies. 'Topaz' is decidous and blooms in summer and fall.

Sunflowers

The last sunflower to bloom at the Haven is the native swamp sunflower, Helianthus angustifolius.  As the name suggests this one needs regular irrigation; this is a reminder that not all California natives can get by without summer water.  While it may be hard to remember now, there are parts of our state that remain moist all year! To give it the water it needs, grow this one next to irrigated turf or in a container. 

Zinnias

Pretty, easy-to-grow, and great for bees.  What more could you want in a flower? We sow zinnia seeds directly into the garden. Do this in May for summer bloom and again in August for blooms that will go until frost.

Zinnia in bloom at the Haven