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Now open for registration is our fall class, Pruni

Now open for registration is our fall class, Pruning the Bee Garden, to be held November 6. Bee gardens are all about flowers, and pruning the Haven’s plants is an essential part of creating flowers for our bees. This class will review the science behind pruning, discuss pruning strategies, and provide hands-on experience in the Honey Bee Haven garden. The lecture portion of the class will be available as a pre-recorded video and the rest of the class will take place outside. All UC Davis COVID protocols will be followed. For more details and to register, use the link in the photo or visit our website at beegarden.ucdavis.edu. Cost is $50, with all proceeds supporting the Haven.
#hbhgarden #bees #ucdavis #gardening #pruning

Are you getting the maximum bees per gallon from y

Are you getting the maximum bees per gallon from your garden? A goal for many bee gardeners is to use water efficiently while supporting as many pollinators as possible. Our latest The Bee Gardener blog post lists the 10 most bee-attractive, low-water plants based on our recent research. Visit our webpage at beegarden.ucdavis.edu and click on The Bee Gardener link under Hours and Directions.
#bees #gardening #droughttolerant #lowwaterplants #california #hbhgarden #ucdavis

We’re on the pods! Join me this week on the Gree

We’re on the pods! Join me this week on the Green Acres podcast as we chat about the Haven and all things bee.
#hbhgarden #idiggreenacres #bees #gardening #ucdavis

As we move towards the end of summer, it’s easy

As we move towards the end of summer, it’s easy to consider our gardens done for the year. But the bees still need us! Here are two great low-water bee plants that are at their best when much of the garden is brown and done. First is California fuchsia. There are many species and cultivars on the market; this is ‘Schieffelin’s Choice’, which grows low to the ground. The tallest is ‘Catalina’, which reaches about 3 feet tall. While garden centers carry common varieties of this plant, visit a California native plant nursery for a wider selection. It grows best in sun, but can be grown in the shade if you’ll accept fewer flowers. The bright orange, red, or pink flowers (depending on variety) flowers make a striking contrast with the blue-green foliage. We prune ours to the ground after flowering by mowing it with a lawnmower.
A great shrub for this time of year is Leucophyllum. Texas ranger, Leucophyllum frutescens, reaches about 6 feet tall and wide. Smaller cultivars, or the related Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Lynn’s Legacy’ top out at 5 feet and are suited to smaller gardens. It’s native to the southwestern US and northern Mexico, needs little water, and full sun. It tolerates tough conditions like wind and alkaline soils but does need good drainage.
Bee forage is important at this time of year because honey bees are storaging nectar to get them through the winter. Look for these two garden gems if you’re adding more low-water new plants to your garden this fall.
#bees #gardening #california #nativeplants #lowwaterplants

This is our final reminder about our open house th

This is our final reminder about our open house this Saturday, July 31, from 10 to noon. Get directions and learn more about the Haven at http://beegarden.ucdavis.edu. Current UC Davis COVID policy for outdoor events is to maintain space between groups in crowded settings. We look forward to welcoming everyone back.
#hbhgarden #bees #gardening #lowwaterplants #ucdavis

I’m pleased to see that South Carolina is prohib

I’m pleased to see that South Carolina is prohibiting the sale of Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) trees due to their invasiveness. While they aren’t currently known to be invasive in California (Cal IPC has it on ‘watch’ status), they are still weak, low-quality trees that are easily damaged in storms. The Bradford pear’s appeal is in its spring floral display. Two small California native trees to use instead that bloom in spring AND support bees with much less water are western redbud (Cercis occidentalis, shown here at the Old City Cemetery in Sacramento) and desert willow (Chilopsis linearis, shown here on the UC Davis main campus). Both trees are also in the Haven. #hbhgarden #bees #gardening #california #nativeplants #lowwaterplants #calipc #ucdavis

Looking for a low-water bee plant to add some colo

Looking for a low-water bee plant to add some color to the late summer garden? Give rock purslane, Calandrinia grandiflora, a try. This Chilean native is listed as needing regular water in some guides, although it’s rated as ‘low’ for the Sacramento region in WUCOLS. I’ve grown it in my own garden with no summer water. It needs full sun and can spread to 4 feet or more wide. The plant has distinctive burgundy pollen, which you can see the honey bee carrying in the second photo.
#hbhgarden #bees #gardening #lowwaterplants #meditteraneangarden

We’re back! I’m pleased to report that UC Davi

We’re back! I’m pleased to report that UC Davis COVID guidelines now permit public events. Join us Saturday, July 31 from 10am to noon to learn about bees and the plants that support them. There will be garden tour at 11 focused on low-water plants for bees, and our dial master will be on hand to answer questions about our analemmatic sundial. #hbhgarden #bees #gardening #lowwaterplants #ucdavis #analemma #sundials

It’s now winter in the California native plant g

It’s now winter in the California native plant garden. No, I don’t have my dates mixed up! Here at the Haven we love California natives for their low water needs and the sense of place they give our garden. If you’re new to gardening with these plants, it’s useful to think of the hottest summer months as a native garden’s winter. Many of our natives have adapted to survive our hot, dry summers by normally entering dormancy in July. This chaparral currant is a perfect example. It may not look like much now, but it’s a mass of pink flowers come January. This is the normal rhythm of California plants.
#hbhgarden #bees #gardening #california #nativeplants

Not a bee, but in the same order (Hymenoptera), th

Not a bee, but in the same order (Hymenoptera), these are the larval stage of the jumping oak gall, Neuroterus saltatorius. Encased in each of these tiny galls (they’re about 1mm across) is a larva of this wasp that is found on oaks. It’s thought that the jumping motion distributes them over the ground underneath the host tree. After dropping from the leaves, they pupate in the fall and overwinter as adults. Look for the galls now underneath our native valley oaks.
#hbhgarden #gallwasp

Join us at the Haven for National Pollinator Week,

Join us at the Haven for National Pollinator Week, June 21 to 27, to celebrate these amazing animals. We’ll have experts on hand on June 22, 24, and 25 between 10am and noon to answer questions about bees and plants and how to support them in your garden. Our popular bee vacuums will also be available for visitors to safely catch and observe bees up close.
#hbhgarden #bees #gardens #nationalpollinatorweek

Gardeners have always led the way in environmental

Gardeners have always led the way in environmental stewardship, and California‘s extreme drought is no exception. Throughout June and July we’ll be featuring the best low water bee plants for our California gardens. Shown here is ‘Little Spire’ Russian sage. This plant has been a consistent top performer in our UC Davis bee attractiveness trials. To learn more, visit our blog The Bee Gardener (link in description).
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #bees #salvia #california #drought #droughttolerantplants

Time to check your garden for new ground nesting b

Time to check your garden for new ground nesting bee activity. Here’s a group of sweat bee nests in my own garden. I’m sharing photos from home because in 10 years at the Haven, I’ve never seen any nests in the garden! At only about 1/8 inch diameter, the entrances are easy to miss. This group covers an area that’s about 6 by 12 inches. #bees #ucdavis #gardening #groundnestingbees

Rethink your stumps. Gardeners will usually take o

Rethink your stumps. Gardeners will usually take out the stump and roots when they remove a plant, but there are good reasons to leave them undisturbed. Decaying stumps are great insect habitat. Carpenter bees will use these along with ground beetles, which are good predators to have in your garden. Removing roots can also disrupt soil communities. Soil is full of beneficial organisms that help our gardens grow. For example, many plant roots form associations with soil fungi called mycorrhizae (literally ‘fungus root’). These aid in nutrient and water uptake and help California native plants survive our dry summers. Haven visitors may notice that when we remove plants we cut them off at the soil line to leave the roots undisturbed. In Victorian England, stumperies were a garden feature used to display exotic ferns. Here’s a California version in a gravel garden using bee plants catmint, poppy, and verbena. #hbhgarden #bees #gardens #california #nativeplants #mycorrhizae #stumpery

Today is World Bee Day. Initiated by the United Na

Today is World Bee Day. Initiated by the United Nations in 2017 in recognition of the importance of bees, it marks the birthday of Anton Jansa. His work and writing in the late 1700s led to many beekeeping methods used today.
If this inspires you to get out and watch bees more closely, here’s a great tool. Close-focusing binoculars like these are designed for watching insects on flowers from a distance that won’t disrupt their activity. Search online for ‘close focus binoculars’ or ‘insect binoculars’ for recommendations. As a start with bee identification, click on the YouTube link on the upper right of our web page, http://beegarden.ucdavis.edu, and look for the video ‘Beewatching for Beginners.’ And don’t forget that the Haven is open daily with lots in bloom if you’re looking for a bee watching spot. #hbhgarden #ucdavis #bees #beewatching #worldbeeday2021

As we California gardeners face another drought, i

As we California gardeners face another drought, it’s important to consider low-water plants for the bee garden. The genus Teucrium, commonly called germander, offers many choices. Here’s two lesser-known members of the group to consider for your bee garden. Now blooming at the Haven is Madeira germander, Teucrium betonicum. This shrub reaches about 3 ft tall and wide and offers dazzling pink-purple flowers for a few weeks in late spring. Full sun or light shade are best; we prune ours hard after flowering and can get some re-bloom. If you’ve admired the winter-blooming germander (Teucrium fruticans ‘Azureum’) but don’t have the room for this large shrub (about 4 feet tall and wide), consider the variety ‘Compacta’. It’s also a winter-bloomer, but maxes out at about 2 feet tall and wide. At the Haven it hasn’t grown as vigorously or bloomed as profusely as the larger ‘Azureum’, but it’s still worth a try in smaller gardens.
#hbhgarden #bees #california #drought #gardens #teucrium

Happy Earth Day. Please keep bees in mind as you p

Happy Earth Day. Please keep bees in mind as you plan and plant this spring. We’re open daily for inspiration; you’ll also find plant ideas and much more on our web page and social media: http://beegarden.ucdavis.edu #hbhgarden #earthday #ucdavis #bees #gardening #habitatgardens #california

Here’s another way to mount your solitary bee ho

Here’s another way to mount your solitary bee houses. The fence rail the shelf is attached to is about 4 feet off the ground and the fence faces south. The upper shelf supplements the afternoon shade provided by trees to the south and west. The evergreen clematis to the right (Clematis armandii) will also provide shade in another year or two.
The blocks were made from a redwood fence post that was still in good shape after a fence was replaced. Each block is 6 inches deep and the drilled holes are 5 inches deep. You’ll find a tip sheet about these under ‘Resources’ on our web page, where you’ll also find a link to our YouTube channel. Check out our video about making and using bee houses: http://beegarden.ucdavis.edu #hbhgarden #bees #solitarybees #beehouses

Like to monkey around in the garden? You need the

Like to monkey around in the garden? You need the monkey flowers! Whether you use one of our native species or a native hybrid, this group of spring- to summer-flowering plants are a great choice for larger bees and hummingbirds. A major revision moved our California native species from the genus Mimulus to Diplacus and from the family Scrophulariaceae to Phyrmaceae, but they’re still just as fantastic in the garden. All grow to about 2 feet by 2 feet and will take some shade. They are short-lived perennials.
First is Diplacus auranticus, the sticky monkey flower. It has yellow-orange flowers and is best suited for dry gardens. It’s also a larval food source for the California native buckeye and variable checkerspot butterflies. For wet areas, use the yellow-flowered native seep monkey flower, Diplacus guttatus, seen here with purple bog sage, Salvia uliginosa. There are lots of hybrids of the sticky monkey flower available as well. These need more frequent water than the sticky monkey flower, but will bloom on and off for much of the year. The bright red and yellow ‘Fiesta Marigold’ looks great in a border with other hot colored flowers. My personal favorite is the pink to raspberry-colored ‘Trish’. I’ve found this cultivar to a bit more tolerant of reduced watering than the other hybrids.
#hbhgarden #bees #ucdavis #california #nativeplants #monkeyflower

An under appreciated plant for the spring bee gard

An under appreciated plant for the spring bee garden is the Chilean native avens, often referred to by its genus name of Geum. The single flowered species, shown here with one of our California native spring bees, Andrena sp., is Geum magellanicum. The bright red double flowered plant is Geum quellyon ‘Blazing Sunset’. The latter is reported to bloom all summer, but as it’s new to the market I don’t have first-hand experience with it yet at the Haven. In central California these need light afternoon shade and water every 7 to 10 days, depending on your conditions. #hbhgarden #ucdavis #bees #gardens #andrena #california

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