Is Your Garden Getting its Maximum Bees Per Gallon?

Bee gardeners are good stewards of the environment, which includes making the most of our precious water supplies in the garden. But are you getting the most Bees Per Gallon? We've recently completed a five-year study to evaluate the bee-attractiveness of common northern California landscape plants. Funded by the USDA-NIFA-SCRI, this work was part of a US-wide project to investigate how the horticulture industry can support bees. At UC Davis, we evaluated low- and medium-water plants that do well in northern California.

While all the plants we tested were bee-attractive to varying degrees, here are the ten most-attractive plants with WUCOLS ratings of L or VL in the Central Valley region. These are the plants that will help your garden support the most bees with the least water -- the most Bees Per Gallon!

This list is not intended to be a comprehensive recommendation. There are other great low-water bee plants (here's a list on the Haven's website); the most detailed recommendation for California bee plants of all water needs is in California Bees and Blooms by Heyday Press.

 

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium 'Moonshine' and 'Island Pink')

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms summer and fall

Grows approximately 2ft h x 2ft w

Sunset zones 1-24

 

 

 

Cape balsam (Bulbine frutescens)

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms nearly year-round

Grows approximately 2ft h x 3ft w

Sunset zones 8, 9, 12-24

 

 

 

 

California lilac (Ceanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet'). All California lilacs are attractive to bees, but this variety grows well in the Sacramento region.

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms late winter

Grows approximately 1ft h x 4ft w

Sunset zones 5-9,14-24

 

 

 

Santa Barbara daisy, Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus)

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms nearly year-round

Grows approximately 3ft h x 3ft w

Sunset zones 8, 9, 12-24

 

 

 

 

California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = VL

Blooms summer and fall

Grows approximately 3ft h x 3ft w

Sunset zones 7, 9, 12-24

 

 

 

 

Gaura (Gaura lindheimerii)

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms summer

Grows approximately 2ft h x 2ft w

Sunset zones 2B-24

 

 

 

 

Texas ranger, Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms late summer

Grows approximately 4ft h x 4ft w to 8ft h x 8ft w depending on variety

Sunset zones 7-24

 

 

 

 

Catmint (Nepeta x faasenii 'Walker's Low'). We tested this cultivar, but others are also bee-attractive.

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms summer and fall

Grows approximately 2ft h x 2ft w

Sunset zones 1-24

 

 

 

 

Russian sage (Salvia yangii (Perovskia atriplicifolia))

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms summer and fall

Grows approximately 2ft h x 2ft w to 6ft h x 6ft w depending on variety

Sunset zones 2-24

 

 

 

 

Wall germander (Teucrium x lucidrys (Teucrium chamaedrys))

Full sun

WUCOLS rating for the Central Valley = L

Blooms summer

Grows approximately 1ft h x 2ft w

Sunset zones 2-24