Bee Friendly, Play Nice!

A miracle happened the other day in the form of two little bee hives perched solidly in the overgrown backyard.  Steven, of swarm catching fame, delivered them last week and I've been sitting a few feet away from the entrances on sunny days like a silent air traffic control, watching them zoom this way and that.  I also check on them in the morning to see if they've begun their day's work (even before I start the coffee!).  Oddly enough, my responsibilities regarding these hives end here, as Steven comes once a month or so to check on them, add a story to their hive, or harvest their honey.  This is the miracle part.  The bees pollinate my cucumbers and in return I take their honey and give a jar or two to the skeptic neighbors.  (Well, Steven harvests the honey, I just eat it and give it away.)  Could I be any happier?!

Since they've arrived, I find myself thinking of plants they and their native counterparts prefer and am considering planting a few things to keep them busy in my own garden before they must venture out beyond.  I pulled out my copy of the Pollinator Conservation Handbook (review here) and refreshed my memory.

-Like many folks I know, bees seem to have a favorite color:  blue.  Now not all blue-flowered plants support bees and not all bees only go for blue flowers, but as a starting point this can be helpful.

-In mild climates like ours, bees need a constant source of nectar.  Planning the garden based on year-round flowers not only makes it look prettier to you, but it's also tastier to the bees.

-Those showy hybridized plants at the big-box store typically don't produce much or any pollen or nectar.  Best to stick with the classics.

-Pesticides kill those bugs ruining your plants.  They also kill every other bug that comes in contact with it.  Try to use pesticide as a last-resort (or not at all).

-Planting the same plant close together is more effective than spacing them out in various parts of the garden.

Here's a plant list I've put together of CA native plants that bees seem to like very much:

Shrub/Tree:
for Sun:
Ceanothus, any Ceanothus
Manzanitas give yummy soft pink flowers just after Christmas.
Rhus ovata or integrifolia (ovata's leaves and habit fit better in a garden setting)
Rhamnus californica or Coffeeberry
Trictostema lanatum, Wooly Blue Curls

Manzanita 'St. Helena'

for Shade:

Manzanitas give yummy soft pink flowers just after Christmas. (some are more shade tolerant than others)
Rhus ovata or integrifolia (ovata's leaves and habit fit better in a garden setting)
Rhamnus californica or Coffeeberry
Cream Bush or Holodiscus discolor

Perrenials: 
for Sun:
All the Salvias (Sages), although spathacea or Hummingbird Sage markets to a different audience
All the Eriogonums, or Buckwheats.  Honeybees love the grande rubescens while the hoverflies and smaller native bees are big fans of St. Catherine's lace.
Penstemon heterophyllus for the bumbles
Erigeron glaucus W.R. attracts all sorts of lovely creatures, bees included
Grindelia's provide late season sources of nectar (Gumplant)

 Heuchera flowering away

for Shade:
Scrophularia (Common name is Bee Plant.  Hmm....)
Heucheras or Alum Roots
Oxalis oregana, or Redwood Sorrel
Prunella vulgaris, or Self Heal
Salvia 'Bee's Bliss' will grow in part shade

Carpenter Bee snacking on a Collinsia heterophylla

Annuals: 
for Sun:
Collinsia heterophylla, Chinese Houses (Carpenter bees especially love this one)
Phacelia (seriously, tanacetifolia's common name is "Bee's Friend."), but other Phacelias help just as well.
Clarkias, or Farewell to Summer might bring you the Clarkia bee
California poppies give the Bumble bees something to do
Gilia capitata, Globe Gilia is a bee magnet! 
Lupines!  Lots of Lupines!
You've heard of Clover honey, right?
 
for Shade:
Collinsia heterophylla, Chinese Houses (Carpenter bees especially love this one)
Limnanthes douglasii or Meadowfoam or Poached Egg Plant

If anyone has others, please add them to the comments.  Also, here's a few links that could be quite helpful or will at least help you procrastinate a little longer:

Urban Bee Gardens- a guide for planting to help out the bees in the Bay Area


Pollinator Pathway in Seattle- cool corridor planting project!

Las Pilitas' bumblebee page- they're such helpful folks!

Buckeyes vs. Bees

So it all started last Spring when I saw the buckeyes in bloom and I.  Had.  To.  Have.  One.  So I planted one right after Christmas and it's already playing peek-a-boo with it's leaves.  Then my brother gave me an awesome book about Backyard Beekeeping from this great little shop in Sacramento.  Cool!  Then, I remembered that Aesculus californica pollen and nectar is poisonous to European honeybees.  But, I asked, how poisonous?  Does the bee realize it's bad and avoid it or does he naively sip away to his own doom?   Oh, what's a urban farmer/native gardener to do when she wants it all?  Well, here's what I turned up in terms of internet research:

This article by CNPS doesn't discuss the Aesculus/bee relationship extensively, but it does provide a fun, short read about the relationship between insects and native plants.

This page talks about the symptoms of honeybees that can't help themselves and partake of the pollen/nectar.  There aren't disturbing pictures, but I did feel very bad for the bees after reading it.  Sensitive folks take note before clicking on the link.

And finally, Bingo!  A page that concisely answers my question.  Buckeyes greatly benefit the native insect world, but if you have many other blooming plants for the European bees, they'll choose healthier options.

Of course, since this is the internets, I take this advice with a grain of salt.  It is a start, however.  It would be great to hear Gordon Frankie's opinion.  He runs the Urban Bee Research project and I keep meaning to take one of his classes.  Can anyone else weigh in on this subject?

Plant of the Week: Hummingbird Sage

Salvia spathacea is the plant for those shady gardeners with sun denial.  While Hummingbird Sage indeed goes home to the Sage family for the holidays, it uncommonly thrives in part sun/shade conditions while its brothers and sisters shake their heads and bask in the hottest of conditions.

While many of our native Salvia's foliage have a musky scent, Salvia spathacea exudes a sweet, pineapple frangrance to delight the senses.  As the name suggests, when it's magenta flowers appear on twisting, curving flower stalks the Hummingbirds' chirp is never far off and buzzy fly-bys become frequent occurrences. 

What I enjoy about this plant is that I can show it to people who think California natives are gray and scraggly.  It would look equally at home under oak trees as it would in a white picket fenced cottage garden!

Soil:  well-drained but medium clay

Sun:  part sun to part shade.  I find morning sun and afternoon shade works best.

Plant:  Any time of year, really.  They grow fast from 4" pots. 

Buy it:  Annie's is out of stock for mail order, but they may have some at the nursery.  Yerba Buena has a few.  Oddly enough, California Flora Nursery carries the 'Las Pilitas' variety while Las Pilitas Nursery carries a few different varieties, along with its signature one.

Good for:  a shot of color when you're in a shady disposition (mix it with Douglas Iris!), cottage gardens, habitat gardens,  culinary or sensory gardens, under water intolerant trees, or trailing out of a brightly colored container.

Garden Tour: Euphorbia Gardens

I'd like to think I've inherited my design sense, but my Aunt Joyce's garden proves I have a long way to go.  Her garden at the base of Mt. Diablo hosts birds, birds, birds.  Deer come for a nightly buffet, too but that's not always a good thing!  An owl emerges from his tree in the evenings as the flocks of quail scurry amongst the shrubbery.  The turkey vultures slide through the air, down the mountain after a day of scavenging as the whirlwind of yellow finches get their last bits of seed.

What I love about it, however is that it wasn't designed with just wildlife in mind.  It's people friendly, too.  Pictured here is a sweet little terrace for late summer dining or the perfect place to celebrate the coming spring with an afternoon tea.

 

Paths wind around grasses and perennials, guiding  you past ornaments that bring strange questions to mind.  Is it art?  Is it found?  Is it the coolest thing ever?!  Ummm.  .  .  yes!

 

It's a large space, but the paths, sculpture and planting beds make you feel like you're on an adventure and create areas that have their own intimate identity.  I always come away refreshed and inspired.  .  .  and closer to getting my own back garden started!