Podcast: Mini Meadows with Mike Lizotte
Our guest this week is Mike Lizotte of American Meadows. He’s better known as “the Seed Man” because of his passion for planting wildflower gardens.
Podcast: Pollinator Victory Garden with Kim Eierman
On the Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast this week, we chat with author Kim Eierman about her book, The Pollinator Victory Garden.
Robin Jones of Honey Girl Grows
Podcast: Culinary Gardens and Beekeeping with Robin Jones
Our guest this week on the Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast is Robin Jones of Honey Girl Grows. She designs and maintains culinary and pollinator gardens for resorts and corporate clients. Robin is also a science-based beekeeper who stewards hives around Southern California. We chat about what she grows for the bees and butterflies, as well as her top tips for gardening. Robin Jones out in the field. Photo courtesy of Robin Jones We interviewed Robin at one of…
Honey bees taking pollen and nectar from wisteria blossoms.
Ask Gardenerd: Pollinator Garden Density
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…
Bee-friendly plants from around the world, and ways to create habitat for pollinators in your yard.
Plan Your Bee-Friendly Garden
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 bees enjoyed the flowers of bolting kale and mustard greens.
YouTube: Vegetables and Fruits for Bees
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…
Rosemary is flowering now. We'll prune it back by a third when flowers finishing.
YouTube: Trees and Shrubs for Bees
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…
Irises show up just in time for Easter.
YouTube: Flowering Bulbs for Bees
Honeylove and Gardenerd bring you yet another video in the Plants for Pollinators Series. In this video we show you which bulbs are great for growing for the bees and other pollinators in your garden. Find out some of our favorites, how to plant them, and more. Flowering Bulbs for Bees Learn more about bulbs: Planting Bulbs - a primer Storing Bulbs to Winterize - #2 in this newsletter Do or Die Daffodils Irises, Irises, Who Needs Some Irises? Plan…
Bee on a cardoon
YouTube: Wildflowers for Bees
This week's YouTube video shares tips about what wildflowers to grow to encourage and feed bees and other pollinators in your garden. Wildflowers are easy to grow, most of the time you just scatter seeds before a rain comes and wait. They also re-seed themselves year after year, so the whole endeavor requires minimal effort. Wildflower seed blends are available through many native plant societies or seed catalogs. Just pick the varieties that grow well in your region. Try to…
YouTube: Garden Plants for Pollinators
Spring is coming, and now is the time to plant (or start seeds for) flowers for pollinator-friendly gardens. This is the first video in our "Plants for Pollinators" series, a collaboration with Honeylove.org. In the coming weeks, you'll learn which wildflowers, trees, vegetables, bulbs, and herbs are best for bees and other pollinators. Stay tuned for a new video each week and plant something to help our pollinator population. Garden Plants for Pollinators For more information about growing plants for…