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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

If you haven’t already, it’s time to take your

If you haven’t already, it’s time to take your bee blocks out of winter storage and place them in the garden. For more information about how to use these, visit our web page for links to fact sheets, YouTube videos, and our blog: http://beegarden.ucdavis.edu.
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #bees #leafcutterbee

Looks like California is headed into another droug

Looks like California is headed into another drought. To learn how to save water while saving the bees, our latest video presents some low water native plants to substitute for non-natives in the landscape. The suggested plants are similar in growth habit and bloom time while offering better bee resources and water conservation. Saving water and bees: it’s a win-win!
Click on the YouTube link on our web page to access the video: http://beegarden.ucdavis.edu #bees #ucdavis #california #nativeplants #gardening #drought #waterconservation

Finally! One of our favorite plants at the Haven i

Finally! One of our favorite plants at the Haven is getting the respect it deserves. Calamint (Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta, synonym Calamintha nepetoides) has been named the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2021. This fantastic bee plant is easy to grow and is a staple in many of our borders. It produces clouds of white to light blue flowers from summer to frost with full sun to light shade and moderate water. Here it is in early November with bright pink ‘San Carlos Festival’ sage and the fading orange flowers of ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum.
Native to Europe, this versatile plant grows in much of the US and brings in a range of bees and butterflies such as the male longhorned bee seen here. Despite being easily propagated, it’s not commonly found at garden centers. This Plant of the Year designation should change that. We cut ours back in late winter when new growth begins to appear at the base, but it propagates easily from softwood cuttings if you trim it earlier.
#hbhgarden #bees #perennialplantassociation

Thanks to all who donated and shared in support of

Thanks to all who donated and shared in support of our Crowdfund! We raised $2565 for plants and tools for the Haven. Thank you!
Donors are Connie Alexich, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Baumbach, Sylvia Bender, Yasmine Cordova, Michelle and Randy Davis, Kathleen Dunphy, Frank Gill, Kandis Gilmore, Katherine Hall, Andre Hamel, Diane Kelly, Robin Kent, Sonya Lal, Wendy Mather, Elian Nino, Kirsten Pearsons, Achille Peiris, Vanessa Saavedra, Joy Sakai, Pat Schnick, Selinda Shontz, Natalie Sklovskaya, Kimberly Steinmann, Ray Thetheway, Treva Valentine, Casey Walsh Cady, Rick Williams, Tabatha Yang, and 14 anonymous donors.
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #crowdfunducdavis #bees #gardens

Just 12 hours to go in our Crowdfund UC Davis camp

Just 12 hours to go in our Crowdfund UC Davis campaign to raise funds for tools and plants to keep the Haven buzzing and blooming. To recognize these final 12 hours, here are twelve top plants for the bee garden. Starting at the top left (listed alphabetical by genus): calamint, ceanothus, redbud, coneflower, California poppy, gaura, toyon, sedum, sage, sunflower, aster, and germander. There’s still time to add your name to our list of supporters. One more $5 donation will get us to our $2500 goal, and another $160 will cover our administrative fees so that we’ll net the full $2500. Thanks for your support! To donate: https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/24323
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #crowdfunducdavis #bees #gardens

Only 36 hours to go in our Crowdfund! Featured is

Only 36 hours to go in our Crowdfund! Featured is plant 36 on the Haven’s plant list (alphabetical by genus). This stunner is bluebeard, (Caryopteris x clandonensis). Native to Asia, it grows in sun or light shade. It will even produce some flowers in shade. It doesn’t need much water, but does like good drainage. Blooming from summer to frost, it brings in a variety of bees such as the leafcutter bee shown here. It’s a head-scratcher to me why this great, easy-to-grow plant isn’t more widely available. In honor of plant 36, can you please help us reach our goal of $2660? This will net us $2500 after administrative fees. Thanks to your generous support so far, we only have $215 to go. That’s 43 donations of $5 each. Your support is greatly appreciated.
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #crowdfunducdavis #bees #gardens

It’s the final 72 hours of our Crowdfund campaig

It’s the final 72 hours of our Crowdfund campaign! To mark this timeline, I’m featuring the 72nd plant on the Haven’s plant list (alphabetical by genus): Eriogonum fasciculatum ‘Warriner Lytle’, the dwarf California buckwheat. This is just about the perfect plant for the California habitat gardener. Attractive and long-blooming? Check. Feeds a wide range of insects and other animals? Check. Easy to grow with no summer water? Got it.
This cultivar is about half the size of the species, making it a great choice for smaller gardens. Give it full sun to light shade and well-drained soil. At the Haven we see bees like this sweat bee using it, along with butterflies and many beneficial insects.
A final feature is its wonderful fall color. We trim ours with hedge shears over the winter...that’s the only work it needs.
Can you help get our Crowdfund to the finish line? We’re $325 short of our final goal. Funds will go towards plants and tools to keep the Haven buzzing and blooming. Thank you! To donate: http://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/24323
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #crowdfunducdavis #bees #gardens #California #nativeplants #eriogonum

It’s the last week of our Crowdfund! Thanks to a

It’s the last week of our Crowdfund! Thanks to all who’ve shared and donated. Your support is amazing, and without it we could not keep buzzing and blooming.
Each day of our last week will feature a bee or plant that really stands out to us here at the Haven. Today it’s Bombus melanopygus, the blacktailed bumble bee. Although not quite as common as the black faced or yellow faced bumble bees, Haven visitors should see this one starting around mid-April. This bee stands out to me for a few reasons. This was the first bumble bee species for which I observed a queen as a new bee gardener. She was also the first queen of any species seen that year in the Haven. She’s pictured here on Spanish lavender.
Second, this is also the first species for which I had the chance to observe a color morph. From about north of Redding into southern Oregon, this bee has an orange band on the abdomen. I had a chance to see this (second picture) on a bee-watching trip.
Finally, this is the first (and only) bumble bee species I’ve observed in my own garden. I’m in a fairly urban area and was thrilled to see a queen, worker (third picture, shown on the California native Carpenteria californica), and a male. This indicates they are established in the area. Build it and they WILL come!
Please help us out if you can so we can reach $2500 for the month. Thank you: https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/24323
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #crowdfunducdavis #bees #bumblebees #california #nativeplants #oregon

Our supporters are the bee’s knees and the cat’s whiskers...in other words, you’re the best! These two expressions came into common use in the 1920s and referred to things that were small or overlooked but nonetheless important. Kind of like the Haven and our bees. Our February Crowdfund is nearing $2000 in donations thanks to your generous support and sharing. Look for a tool review next week to see how we’ll be using your donations and to get some ideas about tools for your own bee garden.
Also next week is a bee garden Q&A Zoom session. I’ll be on from 12:15 to 12:45pm PST on February 23 taking questions about bees and gardens. I’ll start with a look at ceanothus, one of the best shrubs for California bee gardens and then we’ll open it up for questions. Meeting ID 99501847681, passcode 671621.
Pictured are the variety ‘Concha’, which blooms starting in late March, and a honey bee on ‘Joyce Coulter’, which blooms in April.
Thank you for your continued support and sharing. Our Crowdfund runs through February: https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/24323.
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #crowdfunducdavis #bees #gardens #ceanothus #california #nativeplants

We’re going a bit nutty here at the Haven becaus

We’re going a bit nutty here at the Haven because it’s the beginning of almond season. California’s $5 billion crop — 80% of the world’s supply — is completely dependent on the humble honey bee. Hives from all over the US are moving into almond orchards so the girls can get to work. Once almonds are done, they’ll move on to other fruit crops. The Haven was funded by Haagen-Daz in recognition of the importance of this pollination to ice cream flavor ingredients, and maintaining a demonstration orchard at the Haven has always been important. The large almond trees in our garden blanket us in petals every year and are remnants from the time when our location was a commercial orchard. Unfortunately our orchard has seen better days. This week’s goal of for our February Crowdfind is to raise $1000 to replace our orchard. Please consider a donation if you can at http://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/24323. If you’re in an agricultural area, your bee garden plays a role in feeding these bees before and after almond bloom, but it’s also essential that beekeepers have the latest, science-based training to keep their hives healthy. Enter the @californiamasterbeekeeper program. They’re also raising money this month to create a virtual beekeeper program to expand their reach. They’re another great program to support as the girls are hard at work bringing us our food: http://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/24314 Thanks for your support!
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #crowdfunducdavis #californiamasterbeekeeperprogram #bees #almonds #california

It’s Fundraising February at the Haven! Our uniq

It’s Fundraising February at the Haven! Our unique garden is a source of information and inspiration to bee-lovers everywhere. We were unable to hold the tours and classes last year that bring in our operating revenue, so we’re asking for the community’s help this month. Your support through the UC Davis Crowdfund platform will allow us to purchase plants, tools, and irrigation supplies to keep our garden growing and the bees well-fed.
Be one of the first to donate-no amount is too small: https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/24323
Thanks!
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #crowdfunducdavis #bees #gardens

It’s manzanita season! This large, diverse group

It’s manzanita season! This large, diverse group of California native shrubs is now blooming. First up is ‘Austin Griffiths’, one of my favorites. Next is a honey bee on ‘Howard McMinn’. Manzanitas need full sun, excellent drainage, and no summer water and many fail when grown in irrigated gardens. ‘Howard’ is the exception and is a great choice. This honey bee sure thinks so! We have several of this cultivar at the Haven. In fact, you’ll find manzanitas throughout the UCD campus, including this mass planting at West Village. Bees active in winter use them, and they are mobbed by hummingbirds.
#hbhgarden #ucdavis #beecampusucdavis #california #nativeplants #manzanita

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