The Tucson Botanical Garden has become very bee friendly. Yes, of course there are still displays of cacti and other desert plants as well as their famous ramadas and winding shady paths. Their efforts to support bees, however, are non-traditional for a Botanical Garden and should be applauded. And, in my opinion, should be emulated by other public gardens!
Here are some of the efforts they are making:
Above, what appear to be tall, whimsical garden ornaments are actually homes for solitary bees–the kind of bees that do not live in hives and do not produce honey–but pollinate flowers and fruits and vegetables nonetheless. These bees are non-aggressive because they do not have hives or honey to protect.
As you can see these homes are holes drilled into the wood. It is something so simple almost any gardener could do it. Or you can purchase an economical bee home online and easily hang it up on any branch in your garden.
What to do about honey bees
Working in conjunction with a local Tucson beekeeper, this box up in the tree is a bee trap — not a bee house. When a swarm of honey bees has entered the box, the beekeeper comes and removes it to transfer the bees to his apiary because honey bees can become aggressive. The bee trap in the tree is then replaced with an empty one.
The Tucson Botanical Garden is noted for its shade-producing ramadas in several designs. Beside this one is a bed of flowers to help provide food for bees. Not to mention the flowers are visually appealing.
One of my favorite places in the garden is the Mediterranean herb garden under its blue pergola. It was one of the first gardens created in 1964 by the plant collector Harrison Yocum who founded the Tucson Botanical Garden at his home. Since then the garden has been expanded with purchases of neighboring properties.
And here are some other photos of the garden, including the docent who gave me a private tour. Thank you, Carolyn.
As I was leaving I discovered this amazing decorative wall by a local Tucson artist. No bees that I could spy but there are hummingbirds, red peppers, butterflies and magical angels. If anyone knows the name of the artist, please let me know.
Just a reminder. Until the daily high temperature falls below 90 F (32 Celsius) the only thing your garden plants need is regular watering. It’s inadvisable to fertilize or transplant during hot summer months.
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