Worker Bee

Busy Bee

The bees have been pretty busy in my garden this year.  I try to do everything I can to welcome them.  Here's a list of things to do that are helpful in attracting bees:

• Don't use pesticides
• Plant native plants
• Plant a variety of colors and flower shapes
• Try to have something blooming every season
• Plant in sunny spots
• Plant in masses when possible

Here's one of my garden visitors who has taken a particular liking to my Calibrachoa "Double Pink".  It's a low growing annual that blooms profusely from spring until fall.  This is the first year I've seen Calibrachoa that's double flowered.  Cool.  And what's cooler still is it required no maintenance.   You read that right:  No deadheading, no fertilizing, no moving it to the shady spots when it's 100F here in northern Virginia.  The bees and I are in agreement:  We love it.

Bookshelf:  Container Gardening Books