Bring Bees to Your Yard

You’ve probably heard by now that bees in the United States are disappearing. The following tips will help you create a beautiful garden that is helpful to bees and other beneficial insects.

Create diversity and color. The more color and the wider variety of flowers in your garden, the better. Bees are particularly fond of blue, purple, yellow and white flowers.

Use native plants. Bees will be most attracted to native plants with which they are familiar. Mix a few in with your favorite ornamentals.

Plant flowers in clusters. Even if you have only a small garden area or a few containers to plant in, larger groupings of flowers will be beneficial to foraging bees.

Plan for a succession of blooms. Plant some flowers that bloom in spring, some in summer and some in fall. That will provide food for the bees over the course of the year.

Plant in sunny areas. Bees prefer to forage in sunny, protected areas where they won’t be challenged by wind. Sunny spots produce the most prolific flowers as well.

Plant fruit trees. Fruit trees provide a profusion of flowers for bees from winter through spring.

Add flowers to your vegetable garden. Interspersing flowers that bees love with veggies not only supports the livelihood of bees, but also helps increase pollination of your vegetables for a better crop.

Allow some vegetables and herbs to bolt. Leaving a few vegetables and herbs in the garden in the fall will allow them to flower and provide late-season food for bees.

Garden organically. Use nontoxic forms of pest control. Traditional pesticides may kill beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.

Judy Seaborn, Co-founder
Botanical Interests
botanicalinterests.com
Courtesy of Walter Andersen Nursery
12755 Danielson Court
Poway, CA 92064
858-513-4900
3642 Enterprise St.
San Diego, CA 92110]
619-224-8271
walterandersen.com