May 4, 2016

Spring has sprung with wild abandon here at 8th & Bee Homestead. Here’s a pollinator planting guide to kickstart your plant sales purchases. We were excited to be a stop on last week’s annual Eco-Friendly Garden Tour. Of course, our bees — and what we’re planting for them and other pollinators around the homestead — were a main topic of conversation.

We were blessed to inherit three mature fruit trees when we moved into the home here a year and a half, which provided an instant food foundation for the bees and other neighborhood pollinators. It’s visually intoxicating every Spring to see our navel orange and multi-variety apple trees bursting with flowers for our bee friends. It’s heaven to be able to stand back and see the wild web of flight paths from hive to pollinator plants around the homestead.

We’ve since tried to make our space a model of biologic diversity and commitment to our regional food system. Growing a bounty for bees and other pollinators will actually enhance the overall bounty of your garden and. In our hugelkultur garden bed and around the property, we’re growing almost as much food for pollinators as we are for ourselves. Even if you don’t want to keep bees, you can easily pitch in to ensure their future health.

This is the list of what’s currently popping (or soon to be popping) around our space. All of the plants on this list like full sun (some partial shade lovers noted below) and well-draining soil.

This is not an exhaustive list of what you can add to your own yard to give it a boost of beauty and help the pollinators out in the process. The main message here is to do a little research and pick the pollinator plants that tickle your aesthetic family and work for your particular climate. There’s a great, comprehensive set of regional guides over on the Pollinator Partnership’s website you can check out.

Happy planting and thanks for thinking of the bees!