Thursday, March 12, 2015

Garden Design Challenge: Bee Allergies


Recently, I encountered a project challenge that was entirely new to me – How do I design a garden for a client with a severe allergy to bee stings? First of all, the client understands that a 100% bee-free garden isn't possible unless we're talking about constructing some sort of bio-dome, and we're not. After doing some research I found that what we can do is design a garden space that is, shall we say, less alluring to bees. Normally, I design gardens that do quite the opposite by re-establishing and/or supporting native habitats – and pollinators (like bees) are a crucial part of that. But with some careful finagling I think it'll be possible to design a healthy, sustainable garden without attracting too many stingers.

How do we begin? We think like a bee.

So what makes a flower attractive to a bee? A few key characteristics:

  • structure–easy access to nectar/pollen. Can the bee's body/proboscis reach the nectar? If the blossom is too long and narrow, no.
  • scent–pretty straight forward. Most highly fragrant flowers have a lot of nectar - a big draw for bees - so it's something to consider when selecting plants for bee avoidance.
  • color–blues and purples are easiest for bees to see, and therefore, especially attractive. Reds, on the other hand, looks black to a bee, so they generally ignore them. 

Now that we've got this information, some strategic choices can be made in selecting plants for the garden that won't attract bees, but will attract other important wildlife like hummingbirds and butterflies. 

Here's a list to get you started:

Cardinal flower – A great native flower that the butterflies and hummingbirds adore.
cardinal flower





















Red Coneflower – Double petal or classic, it's a gorgeous pop of color. 
red echinacea





















red coneflower





















Crocosmia –Not a native, but the hummingbirds still love it. 
crocosmia













Double-petal or "ball" Dahlias – The petals are too compact for most bees to get to their nectar, or they're sterilized. They come in a delightful array of colors. 
Purple Dahlia





















Penstemon– Another native, some bees won't be able to reach the nectar because of the shape of the flower.
Purple Penstemon














Coreopsis "Mahogany Midget" – More reds, prolific bloomers. 
Coreopsis "Mahogany Midget"





















Gaillardia "Sundance Red" or "Arizona Red"– Native and also red, the butterflies are big fans. 
Gaillardia red




















Feverfew– A nice non-red option, and bees are generally turned off by it's fragrance.
Feverfew
















Columbine– Native or not, some bees struggle to reach the nectar because the flowers are facing downwards.
Aquilegia canadensis


















Black Columbine





















Ornamental grasses– Go to town with these guys. They're an important part of a healthy ecosystem, but the bees aren't interested

Carex Glauca
















Ferns– Lush and lovely, they're great for you and of little interest to the bees. 
Cinnamon Fern





















Want more info on all things bees? Check out the American Beekeeping Federation's website 

No comments:

Post a Comment