This past Sunday at Gardenerd HQ we said goodbye to our bees. We've kept bees for 12 years now, but when the hubby went into anaphylaxis after being stung in April of 2024, we knew we had to change directions.
Today Robin Jones of Honey Girl Grows returns to the Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast. We chat about bees and monarchs and stuff you might not know yet.
Our podcast guest this week is Kim Flottum, long time beekeeper and author of more than 6 books. His latest book, is all about common sense natural beekeeping.
Kate Frey is an accomplished gardener. She earned awards from the Chelsea Flower Show. She co-authored The American Horticultural Society's Best Gardening Book of 2017. And she tended an organic farm for a Saudi Prince for two years. Needless to say, I was dying to interview her for the Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast. Bee-Friendly Gardens Kate Frey Kates first book, The Bee-Friendly Garden, is co-authored with Gretchen LaBuhn. Together they explore the basics of biodiversity, including plant recommendations,…
Our 5-year-old hive up and died the other day. About a month ago, we noticed a pile of dead bees outside the hive. We didn't think much of it at the time. We've seen it before and nothing bad happened. We inspected and everything looked active and fine. But then...Bee death. It appears to have taken several weeks for most of the bees to leave or die, but when we cracked open the hive the remaining bees numbered in dozens…
A very cool question came in to Ask Gardenerd from Trevor Pratt this week: "How geographically dense does the distribution of pollinator gardens have to be in the LA area to support bees and other interesting threatened species of pollinating organisms? I am not sure what the problem is but it seems they need a network. Pollinators are neat." Great question, Trevor. The good news is that statistically speaking, bees and other pollinators in urban areas like Los Angeles are…
Today's post includes an infographic sent by Budget Direct down under. It shares how to create a bee-friendly garden for your local pollinator population. While here at Gardenerd we always recommend starting with native plants for your particular climate and hardiness zone, here are plants from around the world that will help keep bees and other pollinators well-fed during the year. Plan your fall garden to include some of these bee-friendly plants. Next spring you'll have all the pollinators you…
The last video in our Plants for Pollinators Series on YouTube is all about vegetables and fruits for bees. A diversity of crop varieties will give bees plenty to forage on during the summer when there is a dearth of flowering plants. Grow crops like peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, squash, beans, and melons to give bees something tasty to enjoy during the spring and summer. In fall and early spring, grow peas, cucumbers, lettuces and other greens and let them go…
We continue our Plants for Pollinators Series with Honeylove.org. Our latest video gives you helpful suggestions for trees and shrubs you can plant for the pollinators in your life. They need pollen and nectar throughout the year, and some of these trees and shrubs bloom during the dearth, when other flowers are done for the season. This list is just the beginning. Depending on your hardiness zone, native trees and shrubs are your best bet. Consult your local native plant…
I usually leave crafting to Martha Stewart, but this project has been four years in the making and I'm chuffed about it. Four years ago we began harvesting honey from our backyard bee hive. Four years ago we started saving the wax in order to make five new pillar candles for a swanky candelabra in the dining room. Last week, the dream came true. Many people don't know that before I became the Gardenerd, I was the Crafter of Things.…