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

What am I seeing Here?

Yes, that really is a California Blacktail Deer on someones roof!  This was contributed to my blog by Erin Sunkel of Belmont, who was amazed to look out her dining room window to see a Deer on the neighbors roof chomping on the tops of her shrubs.  Apparently this rascal had jumped from the slope in the back of the home onto the roof to have a buffet of the foliage overhanging the roof. 

Up at my Mom's house in Marin County we have had many amazing Deer interactions including:

A 3 legged deer who couldn't seem to stand up so my Mother (80 at the time) decided to help out and scared herself and the Deer. Luckily they both tottered off without harm.

A huge Buck getting his antlers stuck between the beams on the underside of the house.
So Mom was in the shower and heard a lot of racket from below. She exited the shower, dressed and went to investigate to find the animal in jeopardy.  With the help of the Marin Humane Society they got the Buck free but it ran off before they could determine if he was o.k.. At least he didn't come back.

When I lived at home I heard  crashing,banging noises coming from the woods out back. I came out the back door to find two Bucks doing a nature kingdom spectacular for me. They were butting their heads together at full speed with giant racks of antlers- Wow!  The energy was terrifying and fascinating at the same time.

One of my childhood friends in the hood found a struggling Deer in their creek and was horrified to find that someone had shot him with a arrow.  The Marin Humane Society (they get a lot of action) came out and tried to help out but this Deer also ran off before it could be sedated and taken to the animal hospital.  We always wondered how it got shot and where it went to.

My favorite though is the time Mom opened the front door to find a little doe laying on the front stoop perfectly comfortable and happy out of the rain and cold weather. She was startled but quietly closed the door and smiled.

For all my acrimony with Deer for the damage they cause to the gardens they are a big part of our lives in the old neighborhood and it wouldn't be the same without them.

Rodent Explosion!

Over the years I have battled Squirrels,Gophers, Rats, Moles and the occasional Rabbit but now a full fledged war is on!

The mild weather and late spring rains have created a huge population of rodents in our area. Add to that the depletion of natural predators and we have a big problem on our hands.

Rabbits aren't just in the wildlands anymore they are creeping into lots of urban areas and have been eating a perfectly trimmed skirt around shrubs, ruining lawns and decimating flower beds.
With Gophers eating the tops and Deer browsing too, some areas have become very frustrating garden spots.

If you have a Deer Fence then adding aviary wire along the base will help keep Rabbits out. Deer repellent also works for Rabbits, so that can help if they haven't taken over the garden.
Inside the fencing the Rabbits need to be trapped and moved out into the woods.

Gophers are also taking off and we now routinely use galvanized aviary baskets to plant in but make sure the wire extends up high enough so they don't dive over the edge into the root ball!

Gophers also can be trapped or there is a pretty good pellet drop tool for poisoning them. Not so great for wildlife and cats though!

Let me know if you need a referral on Rodent trapping or information on Deer tolerant plants.
There is no sure things with Deer or other pests but the damage can be kept down with some evasive measures.

One of the key things we have found with these pests is that herby, auromatic plants seem to be something that Rabbits and Deer dont like and even Gophers avoid.
At least these are plants that are good for humans and bees plus are low water requiring!

Squirrels and Rats are also an issue. They eat bark off trees, your fruit and the tips of branches just as they bud out. They are impossible to control and the best solution is a really good hunting cat (or a pack of them). Dogs help a bit but can't get up high enough to be a real threat.
They are way out of control in terms of population size so trying to dissuade them from living in your attic or nesting in dense foliage is a definitely called for. Covering trees with bird netting or mesh doesn't work for these guys at all. Best to plant fruit trees away from powerlines, fence lines and other adjacent trees. An Arborist friend pointed out that the powerlines are the Squirrel highways!

Good luck and I hope you are not a casualty of the rodent war!

Life with Hummingbirds

There was a hummingbird in this picture but he zoomed off! It is hard to get a shot of those little guys they are so busy.

Pictured above is Salvia leucantha- Mexican Bush Sage one of the sages that the Hummingbirds love in our garden. They consistently favor tube shaped flowers or the mini tube shaped blossoms of larger flowers like Lily of the Nile (agapanthus) or the salvia stalks.

This year I realized that we were on the 8th or more generation of a hummingbird family that lives in our garden. This made me happy to think that we had created a consistent habitat for these amazing creatures. Over the years they have become quite at home in the plum tree and I have watched them bathe in the waterfall and even in the spray of the hose as I water the plants.

They have become accustomed to my presence near them and will light on the branches right above me as I work in the garden and sometimes fly up near me as I pull weeds.

We have provided lots of flowering plants to feed at and our pond as a water source so they are well fed. I need not put out nectar because they have plenty. The trees give hidden areas for their nests and to this day I cannot spot the nest in the plum tree!

They are territorial and chase off other hummers who come near the nest. Throughout the day I hear them chatting and hovering about the garden continuously busy from sun up till sunset.

Its lovely to have these little companions and be entertained by their movements and wild play.
Despite our cat they have little fear and I feel they are as much a part of the garden as the flowers and stones.

For your garden to be a place for hummers just provide a source of clean water, bird cover in the form of trees (small trees are o.k.) and lots of tube shaped flowers i.e. sages, abutilon, agapanthus, penstemon, mallow, california fuchsia etc.............

I think that flower nectar is preferable to nectar from sugar in feeders just like fruit juice is better for kids than soda!

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