Tips from the Potting Bench

“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, one clover and one bee, and reverie.” Emily Dickinson

We hope you all took advantage of the nice weather this past week end to get out into the garden. While you were out there, did you see any bees? There are about 1,600 species that are native to California. This week I’d like to talk about ways to attract these industrious and most helpful of insects to our yards. A lot of bad news is floating about now a day’s regarding these amazing creatures, scientists in their labs are stumped and don’t know what to do. We gardeners, out in our gardens, instinctively know what to do. We have all watched the bees foraging on our flowers and some of us have even made a list of when and which flowers the bees are going after. So, to start, let’s plant more of those! I don’t think there is any magic bullet, it is going to take all of us doing a little bit to get us out of the mess we are in.

To get the bees to visit your yard all you have to do is make it attractive to them, consequently this makes it attractive to us as well. Here a few ways to do that. First it means planting flowers! Flowers provide nectar which the bees use for energy and pollen which is a rich source of protein and minerals. Some flowers provide both and some provide one or the other. Choosing flowers that provide a good supply of nectar and high quality pollen throughout the growing year will optimize conditions for the bees. A list of flowers and what they supply can be found at, themelissagarden.com

There isn’t anything more rewarding than planting flowers, and there are all kinds, shapes and colors to plant. As far as the bees are concerned, they are partial to blue, purple, yellow and orange colored flowers. The shape of the flower is something to be aware of; bees have short tongues so flowers that have short tubes or no tubes are favored by them. Humming birds on the other hand, have that long snout that makes it easy for them to get into flowers that have a long tubular shape. Also, double petaled flowers don’t have any nectar or pollen so they are not attractive to the bees. One more thing to consider when choosing and planting your flowers is that groupings of like flowers are more attractive than single flowers planted here and there.

A group connected with UC Berkeley has also found that choosing at least 10 different species of flowers make your yard a bee destination. This makes sense from a bio- diversity perspective, where ‘the more diversity the better’ is the general rule. Bees also prefer flowers planted in full sun over those planted in shade. A second consideration, especially for the hot inland areas, is providing a fresh, clean source of water nearby. In the summer, bees will collect water and take it back to the hive where all the workers rhythmically flap their wings to evaporate it, which cools the hive.

Not all bees live in hives though, some bees live solitary lives in trees and some even live in holes in the ground where they lay their eggs and rear their young. This means that if you have been assiduously spreading mulch on your garden beds, which is great for adding organic matter, cooling the soil and preventing evaporation, you are also inadvertently making it hard for the ground bees to nest. So leave a few bare ground spots in corners of the garden for them.

Here are the top 5 flowers that provide quality nectar or pollen: borage, phacelia, echium, Melissa (lemon balm) and goldenrod. They bloom roughly in that order through the spring and summer, then into fall. There are many more, including lots of things you may consider weeds. One in particular is very important and that is the mis-understood dandelion. Dandelions are important to bees because they bloom early in the season and provide an excellent source of pollen. This stimulates the bees to start making brood early on. The more brood the stronger the bee population, so maybe leaving a few dandelions isn’t such a bad idea.

Last year in our garden we watched for weeks as the bees, and a bunch of other beneficial critters went to town on the blooming white sage. The scientific name of white sage is Salvia apiana, the genus name of the bees is Apis, coincidence, I think not! Some scientist must have discovered this plant just as it was blooming and decided to name it after the bees. Another sage, Salvia mellifera shares its name with the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Are you starting to see the picture? Sages are hugely attractive to bees, as are most aromatic herbs. The bees use these plants to dose themselves, and to maintain health within the hive. The honey produced from these plants is also very medicinal and flavorful.

All the culinary herbs, such as basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sage, if left to bloom will bring the bees. These herbs are easy to incorporate in the garden, in corners or as boarders to your beds. Additionally, the medicinal herbs provide a great source of nectar and pollen, these include, mints, catnip, cilantro, horehound, valerian, coltsfoot, yarrow, angelica, hyssop, germander, lavender, mullein and willow. Some annual flowers to plant are, poppies, zinnia, marigold, cosmos, agastache, milkweed, asters, cornflower, sunflower, calendula, coreopsis, goldenrod, black eyed Susan’s, Shasta daisy and many more. For more info go on-line and check out, themelissagarden.com or Google search, ‘bee plants’.

One more tip before I go, you can actually help provide nesting sites for native bees on your property. Mason bees drill holes in wood to lay their eggs. You can lure them in by cutting and drying 2 foot pieces of elderberry stems. Drill a hole in one end and a few different sized holes into the sides, sharpen the opposite end and stick them in the ground here and there around your garden. They will find them and start taking up residence. Another easy way to lure them is to take a bunch of plastic or paper straws, wrap them into a bundle and hang them under an eve.

Remember planting flowers not only brings bees, but also butterflies and birds to your garden. Some flowers actually repel pest insects…but more on that later!