In 2017, the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden joined in collaboration with the UC Master Gardener Program to offer public education to the Yolo and Solano communities on gardening for pollinators.
UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden landscapes attract a wide variety of pollinators and thus have become popular location for groundbreaking research on these vitally important species.
Staff at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden hope to educate their community to think outside the bud, set up their landscapes for an incredible, year-round display and, at the same time, prepare their landscapes for our area’s inevitably intense summer heat.
Why garden for pollinators? Nearly all ecosystems on earth depend on the pollination of flowering plants for survival. Gain gardening tips and learn more about attracting all types of pollinators to your outdoor spaces.
The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden is committed to practicing, promoting and teaching about sustainable horticulture. Learn about more environmentally friendly alternatives that reduce the use of water, energy, and chemical inputs and support native pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects.
The plants included here were selected based on information available through this work and that of others both in the Bay Area and the Sacramento Valley. These plants were chosen for spring, summer and fall bloom, low to medium-low watering need, low maintenance requirements and the variety of bee species they attract.
California is home to 1600+ native bee species that range in size from less than a quarter inch long to more than an inch and a half. What may come as a surprise to many is that none of them make honey or live in hives like the ubiquitous European honey bee. However, they are all critical to the future of our state’s environmental health, the pollination of our food as well as the reproduction of plants in California’s natural areas. Here's how you can support native bees in your own garden.
Bees are important as indicators of environmental quality, are key in the continued existence of our wildlands, vital to sustainable pollination of crops, and serve as food that supports a diversity of other species. In addition, bees are critical to the health of natural, ornamental and agricultural landscapes.