Pruning with Bees in Mind

 

We are smack in the middle of the "Ides of March" and spring is tantalizingly within our reach. It's been a year since we starting becoming aware of how the coronavirus pandemic was going to affect our lives. It's also that time of the year when we start sowing many of our food plant and annual flower seeds. This year more than ever, I'm determined to experience the wonder of growing human and bee food from seed.

But first, we prune! Garden wisdom says it's time to prune the roses when the forsythia is blooming. It's that time of the year to get plants in the rose family in tune for spring. I head out to my garden on a sunny day with leather gloves and pruning shears to tackle the invasive blackberry that took advantage of the warm winter, and clean up the canes in my raspberries that bore fruit last year. (The ones I missed last fall.) Now there are tiny carpenter bees that nest in the stems of the rose family, so I keep some of the dead stems in my yard in an undisturbed place. The bees can use them once they've dried out. I used to recommend bundling them, but since watching a webinar with a scientist named Colleen Satyshur who specializes in stem nesting bees, I've learned that bundling creates better opportunities for parasitic insects to take advantage, so we don't want that.

Ideally they should be put in a place in your garden that is sheltered from rain and gets morning sun. As for weather they should be vertical or horizontal--experiment! See what the species of bees in your yard prefers. As for those invasive blackberry stems--bees don't generally like to nest in green stems and I have enough other stems to leave for the bees, so these go in the green bin. Some of the raspberry canes I just "crop and drop" at the back of the garden beds. I've also seen these small bees nesting in the stems of salal. Some bees like hollow stems, others prefer pithy stems. Some other plants I've seen bees nesting in include fennel (non-bulbing), bamboo and Joe pye weed. They just need the diameter that suits them and (once cut) the stem itself has to be able to last at least one year so the bees can emerge as adults.

I'm thinking of creating some "stem art" pieces to hang individual stems on my fence to see which bees choose each kind of stem. This way I can keep records and learn as a community scientist what I can recommend to other gardeners. I encourage you to do the same!

For more information, I highly recommend this webinar from the Oregon Bee Project:

The Minnesota Bee Atlas: community science and wood nesting bees (Colleen Satyshur)

 

This handout is an excellent resource: https://www.beelab.umn.edu/sites/beelab.umn.edu/files/stem-nesting-bee-handout-v5.pdf

Winter in the Riley Park Community Garden

 

It's so lovely to see the native Oregon grape forming buds. This will be the earliest native plant to bloom here and the hummingbirds and bumble bees will drink its sweet nectar. If you have a small garden, I suggest you stick to early-blooming native plants for pollinators, but if you have more space, then you can squeeze in some winter-blooming non native plants. I think the temptation is to push for those spring flowers that aren't native to the Pacific Northwest because that's how we have been taught that spring should look. However, many spring classics such as daffodils and tulips don't do anything for wildlife here, so to me they really are a waste of space. There are non-native plants that do have some degree of usefulness in winter and early spring. And with climate change, it seems the bumble bee queens may be emerging earlier than ever before, so we may have to cheat and use some exotic plants that produce nectar in late winter.

The winter-blooming varieties of non-native Berberis is prized by overwintering Anna's hummingbirds. It finishes blooming a couple of weeks before our native species of Oregon grape. However, if bees do emerge early because of climate change, perhaps they will also feed on the non-native species. I recommend planting winter heather for early bumble bee queens, even though it's not native.

 

I have been spending quite a bit of time in the community garden in winter to observe, meditate and do my daily exercises. It has been a pleasure to experience the subtle beauty of the garden during this season. In winter, the bees and other insect pollinators are in diapause or they are hibernating. There life cycles are put on hold until it's warm enough to begin developing and foraging again. Many of the plants are resting too, their muted colours blending in with the birds foraging for their seeds. Today I watched the juncos looking for bugs in the leaves under the shrubs. They are well-camouflaged against the leaves, along with the wrens and sparrows. I've noticed that birds love messy gardens because it gives them a safer place to hide and forage, and more food than gardens that are too tidy.

 

Anna's hummingbirds are now wintering in Vancouver, even though it is not natural for them to do this. Warmer weather, non-native plants and feeders have made it possible. You can usually hear them before you see them, with their high pitched razzes and squeeks. "Zikka zikka zikka!" The males can also make impressive territorial dives that create squeaks with their wing feathers. There are plants you can grow that bloom in winter specifically for them. These are not native plants.

 

 

I have never seen hummingbirds forage on sweet box, but other gardeners say they have so I'll have to do more research. It is a fragrant winter-blooming evergreen shrub with dainty flowers. You smell it before you see it and on warmer winter days the scent stops me in my tracks. I've only seen flies on it and not even looking for nectar, but I have seen photographs on honey bees foraging in it.

 

The best bets for hummers are winter blooming jasmine and (as I mentions above) the non-native winter blooming Berberis. Hummers will defend the Berberis with much sound and fury. They become quite territorial.

 

Gardeners say Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn' is prized by hummingbird, but again I have not seen them foraging in it. I'll keep on the lookout once the buds open. Winter-blooming honeysuckle will also support hummers. (ETA: I have since found out that at least two gardeners do see bumble bee queens and hummingbirds on this shrub.)

 

 Hellebores are generally cultivated for looks rather than pollen and nectar rewards, so although there do seem to bee some that are visited by European honey bees, most are not useful for pollinators. 

 

Winter aconite is another non native plant that is attractive to European honey bees in its native habitat. Just be advised that although not as poisonous as Aconitum species, it is toxic enough that it should not be planted anywhere near a food garden. Most of them are finished blooming by the time the first bees arrive.

 

 

Fava beans are a crop that bloom in late winter/early spring and once in a while I will see bumble bees on them, but not enough to say that they are a good plant for bees.

 

We've had such a mild winter, that some plants are getting a very early start and as long as we don't get a late snow cover, it looks like the cilantro will be blooming early this year and it's little white flowers will attract bees, flies and tiny beneficial wasps.

 

Again, because it was so mild the, some of the calendula continues to bloom over winter. This means we may eventually have it blooming all year round. I've seen bumble bees sleeping in the flowers waiting for the sun to warm them up.

 

I've never seen borage overwinter before either, so maybe that's another pollinator plant we'll start to see bloom earlier in the year. What new plants are you noticing that are overwintering this year?

 

 

The garlic is poking through its light layer of leaf mulch. Having the beds rounded like this is a way of keeping the plants from getting too soggy in the winter. Many bees nest in the ground, but they like undisturbed soil that won't get too wet in winter. Some bees actually line their nest cavities with a kind of cellophane to keep the damp out.

 

 

The spots and texture of these leaves have earned Pulmonaria the common name of "lungwort". The blue and pink flowers are much loved by bumble bee queens when they emerge from hibernation.

Beech Holiday

 

 

 I miss going to our local Pacific Northwest Beaches.

 

I miss the meditation of walking on the beach.

 

 

When our child was small we stayed at a motel on the beach on the east side of Vancouver Island. It was called the Driftwood Inn and it was simple, clean and cheap. We walked on the beach and ate simple meals. My favourite kind of holiday. The motel closed down not long after we left. As if it was a magical chimera and hadn’t really every existed at all. 

We hardly ever went on holidays.

 

 

 

 On my walks I look for fungi instead of shells and today I found a crenellated pink fungus that looks like something you’d find clinging to a rock in a tide pool. There is something so human about its undulating folds. The fleshy texture relates to human skin, maybe an internal organ, frenula, vulva, the roof of one’s mouth, or the interior of a yawning cat’s mouth. I found it in a beech tree, along with insect holes and some shrivelled candlesnuff fungus reaching out with wizened fingers. There is one hole that had been filled with plant matter and then punctured by a parasite, leaving a smaller hole. 

This cavity is almost like a little altar in a decaying part of the tree. An offrenda of decaying leaves.

 

I’m drawn back to this tree and its treasures. I dream about it. It has cast its spell on me, whispered its secret stories and now I am its acolyte.

 

 

 

 

 

Desire Paths: Following your wild heart

 

 

It was a magical moment: I saw this witch hazel bush blooming from one block away glowing in the winter sunlight. I felt drawn towards it as if pulled by my heart strings.

 

Talk about fireworks! These electric pompoms are dazzling. They also have a light and heady fragrance.I was so thankful for the gardener that planted this witch hazel shrub (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane') on a public boulevard.

 

At the base of the  shrub, the leaves have dropped in a neat pile, providing a lovely background to the lower branches.

 

The big question I'm asking myself there days is "how do you increase your capacity for forming relationships with the natural world?". 

 

As I go on my nature walks, I remind myself to keep my heart open for these kinds of magical encounters--to let myself have the luxury of following "desire paths" along the way. As an insect and herbaceous plant fan, I often find myself scanning the scene from eye level down to the ground, but since I've started exercising in parks, I am seeing things from different perspectives. As I kneel at the base of a tree to stretch I see small oval holes that insects have bored into the base of the tree. As I reach up to the sky to lengthen my spine I see the full height and majesty of the glorious cedar.

 

 

If I wouldn't have looked down, I would have missed the little "mouse tails" peeking out of the Douglas pine cones. If I hadn’t looked way up I would have missed the silhouette of their branches and pine needles against the sky. If I hadn’t turned my attention upwards today I wouldn’t have seen two bald eagles: an adult passing through on its way to false creek and a juvenile that perched in a nearby tree, alarming the neighbourhood gulls and crows.

 

I also need to keep the nattering inner thoughts at bay so I can hear what's around me: the soft mew of a spotted towee as he rustles in the leaves, the chip notes and "ring ring" of the dark-eyed juncos, and the wolf whistles of starlings. I need to take deep breaths and inhale the resinous aroma of the conifers, being careful not to wear too much perfume so I can really be aware of the subtle scent trails.

 

 

It's great to have some time walking quickly to get that heart muscle pumping, but it's also important to slow right down and examine catches your eye and piques your curiosity. You become nature's detective, deciphering mysteries and looking for clues. What's up there on that mossy roof?

How do you honour the land today? You kneel, you listen, you sniff, you wonder as you wander and you look waaaaay up, stretching your hands as if to reach for the stars.

Resources for Gardening for Bees

 I've been enjoying so many online presentations lately that I thought I'd start keeping a list of recommended viewing. There are so many wonderful webinars popping up, it's hard to keep track of all of them! I will pin this list and keep adding to it.

 

I highly recommend a presentation on Winter and Native Bees by Laura Langlois Zurro. Laura has a wonderfully biodiverse garden in Florida and she is an accomplished macro photographer and videographer. Her presentation really focuses on her close observations of bees in and around their nesting sites. Watching this will teach you about sensitizing yourself as a gardener to the life cycles of the bees in your garden. Laura's garden in warm enough that she has active bees in her yard all year, so she focuses on the seasonal changes in species she sees. You can follow her on Instagram (@ecogeekmama)

The Garden in Winter: Reading the Trees

Hello!  It’s been awhile! After a hibernation hiatus I decided it’s time to write myself back into the world again. I want to share some thoughts and images from my neighbourhood and also some strategies and resources that have been helping me through the lockdown this winter. You can also follow me on Instagram (@beespeaker) where I post on a more regular basis.

 

 

I am learning to deepen my relationship to this land I live and work in. I wake up and ask myself: “How will I honour the land today? How can I lighten my footsteps and “food steps” on this land? How can I fall more deeply in love with the natural world within my reach? I am challenging myself to get out in all kinds of weather and get down in the dirt on my knees with my camera documenting the gifts that I discover on my daily nature walks. It might mean more loads of laundry, but it’s worth it!

 

It’s almost February and getting close to the time when the earliest spring bees will emerge seeking nectar from late winter and early spring blossoms. I’m walking around the neighbourhood, seeking inspiration from people’s boulevard and front yard gardens. I need to take a measuring tape out and document the sizes and heights of some of my favourite raised beds. It’s lovely to see how many folks are growing food and herbs in raised beds during the pandemic lockdown. Artist Jenn Pearson has coined the term “ad hoc” gardens to describe the ways people have improvised all kinds of containers to grow a variety of plants. It’s also a good time of the year to look at the “bones” of gardens, to see how the gardener has used hardscaping and plants to shape the site in three dimensions.

 

I don’t garden in winter. I guess this is partly because of my prairie roots. In the winter, we put the garden to bed and wait until the spring thaw. Of course in Vancouver you can grow things all year round, harvesting leeks, Brussels sprouts and kale, but it’s best if you leave the garden alone as much as possible. There are bees overwintering in the ground, leaf mulch and stems. There are well-camouflaged butterfly and moth cocoons that need to be left alone. The soil needs to rest and replenish. Birds need to forage in the seed heads and scurry about in the soil digging for grubs. For these reasons, it’s best not to over-clean, over-mulch or over-prune your garden in the fall. Just “let it bee”. A light touch is all that’s needed. And in winter you’ll see that gardens with some of the wildness left in them are what’s best for wildlife.

 

In winter I peruse the bones of gardens and I also make friends with our local trees. At this time of the year when I’m not distracted by bees and blooms I can turn to the subtle beauty of the tree bark, moss, lichen, and fungi. And because we can’t hug many of our loved ones, I find the skin-to-bark contact a very important part of my mental health right now. I like to cozy up to a tree and give it some lovin’! I want to read its bark like a book, getting to know its surface and becoming attached to the subtle textures and how they change from week to week. I find myself wanted to revisit a tree to see how its fungi are transforming. I examine its bark like a lover’s skin, mapping it and marvelling at the rich textures and colour. Velvet Turkey tails emerge and then fade to a papery death. Jelly fungus pop up and plump up, only to shrivel, fade, and disappear. Mushrooms grow in number, height and width and then fall over and fall apart, chewed by slugs and torn by curious children.

 

 
Trees are dynamic! Landscapers often want plants that are static and function more like lawn furniture than nature. They like the cedar and yew hedges that stay put and stay green. (If you’re lucky.) We need to change that aesthetic to embrace plants that are ephemeral and ever-changing. What I’ve been noticing lately are the subtle changes I see upon closer examination. And in reading those changes, I deepen my relationship to the beautiful trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants I see on my walks. My gratitude for their beauty deepens too.

Riley Park Community Garden Autumn Pollinator Plants: Part 4

 

Potentilla is a drought tolerant shrub in the rose family. It blooms all summer and into fall and is an essential pollinator plant gap-filler in the garden. The hoverflies and bees love its shallow blossoms. Look for bees collecting chocolate coloured pollen.

Verbena bonariensis is another long-blooming pollinator plant that is essential in our garden. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees will sip from the nectar rich flowers.

It's too bad Joe pye is called a "weed"! It's another essential pollinator plant that can bloom well into fall. Give the stems a stubble cut in the fall and bees will nest in them next spring and summer. But also, leave some intact so birds can enjoy the seeds.

This is bush honeysuckle (Diervilla rivularis 'Honeybee’) which this yellow-faced bumble bee is enjoying immensely!

Hummingbirds are crazy about the red tubular flowers of cape fuschia and California fuscha (Epilobium canum).

 Pineapple sage, another hummingbird magnet, bloomed really late this year. This photo was taken on October 17th. Some additional late-bloomers that the garden would benefit from are the late-blooming perennial sages such as 'hotlips' and the black and blue sages. Let's pack them in there!

The long white tubular flowers of nicotiana are pollinated by moths. Their fragrance persists into the dusk to attract nocturnal visitors.

On warm fall days honey bees will visit the small florets of persicaria.

As the garden winds down there are vegetable flowers here and there such as arugula, squash and tomatillo which will no longer develop fruit, but still shelter and feed bees. Leave these as late as you can--until the first front to support our sweet pollinators.

 And speaking of vegetable flowers, bumble bees and humming birds love the flowers of the scarlet runner beans that are climbing up the vertical garden on the east side of the shed. The beans are delicious too--eaten fresh when they are small or left to dry and form those beautiful purple seeds!