Like to eat? Thank a bee! Bees are responsible for pollinating about 1/3 of all the food we eat, including most of the fruits, nuts, and vegetable that make our diets tasty and nutritious. Bees also pollinate many of our wild plants that in turn provide food and habitat for other wildlife. Yet many of California’s 1600 native bee species are in decline. While we don’t know all the reasons why this is occurring, one thing is clear: bees need flowers. There are certain types of flowers that encourage bees – specifically those plants that bloom earlier in the season, providing a longer growing period or later in the season, providing bees with the nutritional sustenance to carry them through the colder months.

The following list of plants were recommended by Ross Strasko, the VP of Creek Hill Nursery, who would like to encourage your customers to plant the following bee-friendly plants:

Swan Series Anemones which reboom into the Fall

Asters which are later blooming flowers

Cranesbill (Geraniums) which provide both nectar and pollen

Salvias and Sedums which provide a medicinal resource

And any open ‘daisy’ like bloom that allows easy access to the pollen bees need!