May 20 marks World Bee Day, an international occasion designated by the United Nations to raise awareness and support for honeybees and beekeepers, as well as wild bees and other pollinators. Check out these articles for ways to help these friendly fliers in your garden:
When Planting for Pollinators, Don’t Forget Trees The flowers of native perennials and annuals are excellent nectar sources for bees, hummingbirds and butterflies, but to really up the impact of your pollinator-friendly garden, plant a flowering tree. Read more…
Garden Choices That Will Support Bees While the decline in bee populations can be attributed to many factors, including pesticide use, mites and viruses, one of the major players is the loss of native plants due to encroachment by agriculture, and urbanization into habitats that once supported myriads of wildflowers. You can help in no small way by planting some bee-friendly plants in your yard and garden each and every year. Read more…
Four Easy Ways to Aid Native Bees The most successful vegetable gardeners I know are the ones who encourage beneficial insects like native bees. Native bees are fantastic pollinators, and better pollination in your garden means more food for you. Here are four ways to turn your vegetable garden into a native-bee habitat. Read more…
Five Plants for a Garden That Supports Bees Here are planting ideas for a garden that will feed bees from the very start of spring. These easy-to-grow, deer-resistant plants happen to provide other benefits, too, like summer shade, ingredients for cooking or making tea and, of course, visual appeal in the landscape. Read more…
A Natural Garden Brings Life to Its Urban Setting This article visits an urban garden that uses ecological-gardening techniques to support bees, other insects and birds, while conserving water and remaining appealing to the human neighbors. Read more…
Zinnias Will Attract Butterflies and Bees Zinnia flowers are dazzling sights in themselves, but they are simply colorful garden sculptures; their true beauty lies in the attraction of the lively and equally beautiful life forms that visit them. Read more…
Best Plants for Pollinators, Listed by Region Seeking a few good plants for pollinators in your area? Here’s what experts recommend as a place to start. Read more…
Help Bumblebees with Your Garden We shouldn’t wait for bumblebee species to be endangered before we assist them. Here are some things the Xerces Society recommends that we all do to help bumblebees in our neighborhoods. Read more…
What to Plant to Attract More Pollinators Two factors contribute to a successful bee-friendly garden: Flowers planted in full sunlight, and flowers arranged in groups. Read more…
Image credit: Colin Durfee/CC BY 2.0
