Hotlips salvia. photos by Cindy Yee

It's going to be a sizzling 100°F day today, so I'm outside watering the yard at 7:30 am and notice all the bees also making an early start.  Here are some of the bee magnets in my backyard. 

Salvia microphylla' Hot Lips' is a perennial favorite. It is not a native, but you wouldn't know it from the number of carpenter bees kissing Hot Lips.

I love the brilliant blue of this sapphire sage. I am always happy to provide the carpenters with a welcome distraction. Otherwise, they would be diligently boring into my hole-studded wood pergola! 

Blue flowering salvia.

Right now, this Crassula tetragona is covered in clusters of white blossoms, and bees are humming around it. It is extremely low maintenance and does spread. 

Crassula tetragona

Calandrina spectabilis' stunning magenta flowers make perfect little bowls for visitors to rest and savor the pollen. In May,Calandrina provided a glorious riot of color. 

Calandrina spectabilis

Lastly, Salvia 'Pozo Blue' would be a strong contender in a pollinator popularity contest. Several bees are navigating its many blue-violet blossoms (there is no picture of a bee because it's up high in the retaining wall). Being a native, Pozo Blue does not need much water. 

Keep up the good work, bees.  Buzz on!  Cheers!