Apiary garden / Bee garden

Bee garden

Pink sedum

Pink sedum

Today I added a few plants to the bee garden.  I bought some a couple of weeks ago - some coreopsis starts, and a Caryopteris plant.  I think those were from the marked-down table at Home Depot.  I've been watering them so they don't die.  Now they are planted.

I also moved some very large chive bunches.  I think the bees should like the chive flowers.

I moved the first of several catnip plants.  They, and the chive plants, are much too big for the iris beds.  The bees seem lukewarm about the catnip flowers, but they did forage them a little.

Not much foraging going on today, as far as I can see.

The pink sedum was a stray plant in a border at home.  I don't recall buying it.  It's probably a volunteer.  Maybe a seedling from Autumn Joy.  The flowers are white with pink center.  Nice.  The plants were very lanky  and floppy.  I suspect that is due to the shady / north exposure.  Next year, in full sun, maybe it will be more compact.

Thinking about next year.  I'll put down some sort of underlayment to cover the grass.  Newspaper or brown paper.  Cover with straw, or chopped tree trimmings if I can get them.

Also want to move more Hyacinthoides hispanica from the yard at home.  They naturalized there.  Fairly easy to dig up and move, if caught at about 2 to 4 inches tall.  Once in place, they don't appear to miss a beat.

Moving an established, dehydrated Sedum clump.

Sedum, unknown variety

More for the apiary garden.

I recovered this sedum clump from a grass-filled area under an old cherry tree.  It has not been watered this year.

Sedum is dry tolerant but given the very dry location, that was extreme.

The advantage of the dry soil, is it was very light.  It required a couple of slices with the shovel, and came out easily.  Part of the clump broke off.  So now I have a small clump and a larger clump.

After getting them to the Battleground place, I soaked them for a while, then planted.  THe wilted leaves firmed up a little, not much.   I think they will do fine.  This year is too late to make the leaves nice looking and plump, but there will be a few flowers for the bees.  Next year I expect they will be impressive.  It was an old, well established clump.

Bee Forage. 8/3/2013

Bee Garden

Agasstache

 I've been sick this week.  No gardening this weekend.

OK, except.  Fred Meyer had perennials at 3 for price of 2, so I bought 3 6inch pots.  Sedum - in bud.  Agastache, in bloom.  Another Caryopteris.  Not in bud or bloom  The plant I bought earlier has been blooming steadily and is regularly covered by bees.  There is time for this one to bloom and provide forage.

Catnip is blooming.  Some bee foraging.
Oregano continues.  Lots and lots of foraging bees.
Caryopteris continues.  Lots of foraging bees.
Buddleia continues.  occasional bumblebees.
Borage just started this week.  Frequent honeybees.
Thistle started this week.  Frequent honeybees.

Bees are ignoring the Perosvkia, and Melissa, now blooming actively.

Bumblebee on Caryopteris

Bee on Catnip

Borage

Bee forage now. Late July.

Oregano flowers

I should keep better track of what is blooming, what has foraging bees, and what doesn't.

Oregano just started blooming.  I don't have a lot of oregano, but they are covered with honeybees.

Lavender is blooming.  Lots of honeybees and bumble bees.

Caryopteris continues blooming.  Honeybees and bumble bees.

Shallots just stopped blooming and have set seeds.  They bloomed about 2 or 3 weeks.  They were covered by honeybees.

Chinese chives are almost finished blooming.  I don't have a lot.  They should be more prolific next year.  Bees foraged the chive flowers frequently.

White clover and dandelions - occasional bees.

Catnip - starting to bloom.  Occasional honeybees and occasional small pollinating bees.  As these continue to bloom, bees are more active on the catnip blossoms.

Buddleia - rare bumble bee visitors.  In full bloom now, although "Miss Molly" and "Miss Ruby" are dwindling a bit.  "Blueberry Cobbler" just started.

Sweet alyssum, thyme, marigolds - I have not seen bees visiting these.  They are in full bloom.

About to bloom:  Lemon Balm, Peppermint, Spearmint.

Apiary Garden / Bee Garden

Daisies, dandelions, hawthorns, blackberries

I haven't seen many honeybees on the dandelions or daisies.  They are eating something.  I don't know what. 

Caryopteris "Dark Night"  and Canothus  TLC plants from close-out sale.

These plants are in place for a better tomorrow.  They won't look like much for a year or two.  They will need to be moved next year - will run out of room.  This 'nursery' is good for now.

Catnip, lavender, lemon balm

Also in 'nursery'.  I grew the catnip from seeds.  Next year it will have its own location.  The lavenders were small seedlings, need more time to grow.  The lemon balm is volunteer from yard in Vancouver. 

Blackberries, Tilia americana, lemon balm

Each of the trees gets a surround of an herb.  Lemon balm, mint, oregano.  Oregano is more compact compared to the other two - better choice for smaller trees.   There is marjoram by the house -  also compact, would be a good choice for smaller trees.

Buddleia  hybrid "Miss Molly"

So far not a lot of insects on the Buddleia's.  might be a mistake.  They look nice.  One of the few shrubs in bloom now.  They are deer and rabbit resistant and should tolerate the dry summers with minimal effort.  I did see butterflies on one.  So they stay.

Cilantro in bloom

This bed went to wildness.  Cilantro is blooming - can provide seed if I time it right.

Lavatera "Barnsley Baby" - started as seedling.

This lavatera was buried by snowpeas and turnip greens.  Blooming now.

Apiary yard

Nice setting for apiary.

Daisies and wild flowers

Wildflowers

Clover and dandelions

Shrubs by the road

 The shrubs don't look like much  now.  Come Spring, they should take off and grow and bloom.  TLC this year, pays off next year.  Lots of grass clipping mulch.

Shallots in bloom

 Allowed the shallots to bloom.  I don't care much about the bulb formation.  When the flowers are done, I'll dig them up.

Perovskia / Salvia rusa "Little Spire"

 Te leaves of this Perovskia have a nice medicinal fragrance - not exactly like sage or lavender, but there is a similarity.  I'm doing to expect it to double in size next year.  I was browsing Lowes garden department, and noted honeybees concentrating on the Perovskia.   So I bought one.

Caryopteris "Dark Night" and Penstemon "Red Riding Hood"

They can be moved when bigger.   The Caryopteris came from Yard and Garden Land - same situation, they had more bees than any nearby plant.  Back to Lowes, the Penstemon was a major bee magnet, better than lavenders.  They are over the hill, but the plan is to build up the apiary garden for next year and the year after. 

June, July, August - Pollen and Nectar Plants for Honeybees, Pacific Northwest and my Apiary garden.

Working on plants to encourage and feed honeybees for the apiary garden.  Some parts of year are covered - in Spring, Acer (maple)  flowers are plentiful, other spring-blooming trees, shrubs and flowers.

For early Spring, we've planted a hedge of pussy willow.  That may be too early to benefit honeybees, due to cold.  But it needed, it's there.

Following Acer, are fruit trees and Buckeye.  Then there is a dearth of pollen and nectar.

From list of "Main Honey Plants in Pacific Northwest" for June, July, August:

June

Thistle - Noxious weed.  There are some around, but I wouldn't plant more.

Cascara - had to look these up.  I think there is one large cascara shrub on the Battleground property, but only one.  There are semi-wild areas, may be some there.

White Clover. via commons.wikimedia.org

White Clover = pollen and nectar.  In bloom now.  I've planted quite a lot of white clover seeds.  It is in bloom now.

Snowberry = haven't seen much around the area.

Red Clover.  via commons.wikimedia.org

Red Clover - pollen and nectar.  There is some of this blooming.

Wildflowers - Ning's wildflower meadow is looking nice, in bloom.  Still a lot of grass.  No sure how to remove the grass.


July

Fireweed.  via commons.wikimedia.org

Fireweed - no pollen, variable nectar


White Clover - pollen and nectar

Blackberry flower.  via commons.wikimedia.org

Blackberry - Considered a noxious weed but so ubiquitous, might as well be native.  Plentiful on our property as well as in the area.  I might remove some this fall and winter, and replace with raspberries which are also good honeybee forage and not as invasive.  I have lots of raspberry plants, I can move here.

Red Clover- There are some blooming now.  Also crimson clover, I planted last winter and spring.  I don't see bees foraging on either, at this time.


August
Fireweed - no pollen, variable nectar - not sure why this is listed.  I've seem some blooming around the area.
Red Clover - pollen and nectar

Mint flower.  via commons.wikimedia.org

 Mint - pollen and nectar

September
Mint - pollen and nectar
Sage - pollen and nectar - we have some sage that just finished blooming.  Interesting.

Also from wikipedia., list of plants listed as bee friendly, I've added-
Clovers - last fall winter and spring, I sowed white clover, red clover, crimson clover, and blue clover seeds.  It looks like white clover took nicely, growing throughout the lawn, especially compacted and poorly fertile areas.  Some of the crimson clover is blooming now as well.  I also included clovers in Ning's wildflower meadow mix.
Ceanothus - these shrubs will require a few years, before they make significant bee forage.  They are quite beautiful, and contribute nicely to the landscape.
Buddleia - B. davidii is a noxious weed.  There are other, acceptable, cultivars which are see-sterile, so not invasive.  They are patented, so it takes some investment.  I added about a dozen plants.  They are growing rapidly.  Some varieties - "Miss Molly" and "Miss Ruby" are among the few plants blooming now.  .Most of the plants are small this year, but have put on about 18 in since planting in winter and spring.  I think next year they'll have enough flowers to add significantly to the bee forage.  I can't find info about whether Buddleia is, or can be, significant for bee forage.  Some gardeners who want to encourage butterflies, love these plants.  Others hate them because they are invasive and non-native.  I'm sticking with the noninvasive ones.  I haven't seen many bees on the flowers yet.  This is one of the few plants that is blooming significantly, now.
Thyme - Planted among irises.  not enough to be significant, but bees covered the flowers last month.
Lavender - This week I bought a blooming-sized 1/2-gallon "Goodwin Creek Gray"  As soon as I sat the plant down, bees were on the flowers.  Only a few are open.  I can see lavender being a significant forage plant, if I can add enough plants.

Caryopteris X clantondenis via commons.wikimedia.org

Bluebeard - Caryopteris "Blue Mist" - bought a 1/2-gallon in bud this  week.  It's hot and dry outside, but this is a dry-tolerant plant.  I think it will be OK.  I watered thoroughly and mulched with a deep layer of grass straw.
Pussy willow - Ning planted a hedge of truncheon cuttings in March, and all of them took.  Won't be much bee forage next spring, but there is potential for the following winter.
Garlic Chives, Chives - Not enough to contribute significantly, but the flowers are always covered with bees.
Rosemary - small amount.
Basswood - doubt there will be enough to contribute to bee forage, for several years.  Have to start somewhere.
Plum - as these trees mature, they will contribute.  Will take a while.
Sumac - just a seedling.
Apple - Pear - As for the other trees.
Mint - We have some areas where it's OK for mint and lemon balm to be invasive.
Lemon Balm - ditto.  I moved about a dozen plants from the Vancouver place.  I'm thinking the orchard will have mint and lemon balm tree surrounds.  And Oregano. 
Blueberry - There is one large shrub.  We added 5 new small ones.

Borage, via commons.wikimedia.org

Borage - started some seeds late this spring.  One packet.  Only a few seeds germinated, and rabbits or deer ate some of the leaves.  Still, looks like it's going to take.  This was an experiment.  These would be nice to include in a border or wildflower meadow.  It's hard to find borage plants at the nursery, or borage seeds, but apparently once they bloom, they scatter seeds and volunteers come up all around.

Others we have in multitude

Dandelion - a major bee forage plant.
Henbit - blooms early spring.
Cherries - big cherry trees, and new small ones.
Maple - Majestic trees in the area.
Wild Carrot - these should start blooming in August.
Buckeye - one mature tree.  It was covered with flowers - should make for a lot of forage in the space of one tree.
California Poppy - mostly from seeds I planted.