BEES!

Its hard to underestimate the value of European Honeybees and Native Bees as pollinators
in our gardens, fields, orchards and wild areas. Above is a Bumblebee gathering pollen from
a Lavender flower.
I get a lot of comments from client's about bees- either friendly or fearful. Everything from-
"I don't want any of those bee plants in my garden" or "I'm afraid or bees" (or their children) or
"I don't want to attract insects"or "I am allergic to bees so don't want to attract them"
to the opposite-
"I want to locate a bee hive in the garden. Where should we put it" or "what plants can we use to
help the bees" or "I don't see any bees anymore"

Here are a few answers and comments on having bees in the garden. First and most importantly, I try to encourage folk to not be afraid of bees. Unlike wasps- bees are normally very docile, and non
threatening. They are totally focused on their task of gathering pollen and returning to the hive.
Being stung usually happens when a bee is accidentally touched and feels threatened or a hive is
disturbed, even then bees don't always sting. I have spent many thousands of hours working in the gardens- pruning, weeding, planting and maintaining areas with bees all around and within a few inches of my face! I actually haven't ever been stung doing these things. My only stings were at a park where I was walking in sandals and scared a bee at a clover flower, when the wind blew a bee
into the car and it hit my arm and when I turned on a hose tap without looking and grabbed a bee.
None of these things were aggressive acts on the part of the bee just fear of getting squished.
Anyway, enough of that- you get the idea and I must also say that I have really enjoyed watching the
bees in the garden as they gather pollen- I even had entire school groups out in the school garden watching the bees gathering pollen from California Poppies. What a blast for the kids and I to have that time together with the bees!

Plants that especially draw bees are varied and many, but some of the best are herbs such as
Lavender (as seen above), Oregano, Rosemary, and Thyme. You get the added benefit of having
the herbs to use and the fragrance of them. Planting an herb border along the edge of an orchard is
an excellent two fold benefit.  Obviously, flowering plants are the key to having bees come into
the garden and these can be part of the landscape or especially planted for pollinators.  If you want
to avoid bees the opposite is needed- plants that are non-blooming or have inconspicuous flowers.

Locating hives in gardens requires a bit of space but is totally doable even in an average sized garden
(approx. 30'x60'). I would locate the hive in an area that is away from doors and gates, not totally
shaded and the garden should have some flowering plants and trees. The bees will fly out into the
neighborhood, of course, but its great to have pollen close to the home hive!
Avoid use of pesticide sprays in the area and be aware of bringing plants treated with neonaticides into the garden (ask nursery person or see labels for this).

I feel a great affinity for bees as I to love flowers and are drawn to them, am industrious, loyal,
have a clear life goal and crave sweet things! Helping folks with their gardens and adding
flowering plants gives the customers joy and color plus gives the bees a source of pollen to sustain them.
The trend to use plantings in place of lawn has really enriched the ecosystem for bees, butterflies,
birds and other insects- and people too!

Here are a few other resources I found that have helpful information:

There are also some Facebook groups dedicated to bees. I have the Native Bees of North America page and it is super fun.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It takes a Pandemic!

I have been so busy the past few years that I haven't had any time to work on the blog. Well, we are sheltering in place for weeks on end and thought it was the perfect opportunity to add some articles and notes to the blog. I am excited at the prospect that folks will have a bit of time for rest,
contemplation, family and - Gardening!

Luckily, we have had some rain and it is a lovely time to be out in the garden. I have been pulling weeds, applying fertilizer (water in well), adding some plants and doing general repairs and clean up.
It is not a good time for rototilling when the soil is very wet as it destroys the soil structure but
spading and planting individual plants is o.k., if the soil is damp but not soggy.

Weeding is a lot better now as they pull out a little easier! Depending on the weed of course.
Best to weed the garden before they finish flowering and let go of seeds to avoid having
a deluge next year!  If you remember in fall to apply a pre-emergent i.e. Preen, Ronstar, Ortho
Weed Preventer etc..................repeating on a regular basis through spring, you can avoid quite
a few of the weeds that seed in. I actually don't use this in our garden as we have flowers and
bulbs that grow from seeds and tubers/bulbs so the pre-emergent (which kills emerging plants from seeds) isn't a good idea here. It has been great for general landscaping but should be
avoided in vegetable gardens where you are seeding in veggies. It is unknown how bulbs are
affected so don't take the chance with them.

The climate is definitely warming, as we know, and I see the results of this in my work everyday.
The lack of freeze has meant we have flourishing sub-tropicals and even tropicals  in our
gardens here in the SF Bay Area. There has been a huge interest in succulents too, as they
normally would get freeze damage in our area but now not so much. Rodents and insect pests
have also shown a population gain as the hard winters subside.
The gist of all this is that more drought tolerant gardens are finally having a gain in popularity and
a wide range of plants are available that weren't in our plant "palette" before. The nursery folk and growers have kept up with the trend and there are more and more drought friendly and interesting plants available. This makes my job very fun! Introducing new and colorful hybrids to client's and gardens is a blast.

As the weather improves, I will spray the poison oak and noxious scotch broom (a very invasive and rapidly spreading weed). A yearly task that keep the wilderness at bay and help with future issues. Remember to spray your deciduous fruit trees with dormant oil spray just before the flower buds open.
Clear old fruit and leaves from below trees and weed around them to avoid diseases and pests.
Citrus, gardenias, and plants that have yellowing of the foliage benefit from a good dose (or 2)
of chelated iron (soluble iron). This will green up the leaves and help the plants vigor.

I have saved up some topics for the blog so will add some more articles- finally!
Stay safe, healthy and have fun in the garden!