I wrote recently about pollinator-friendly plants and, in response, an email from Susan Savolainen, who gardens in Banning, drew my attention to a number of bee-attracting trees.
The first of these is red river gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), which Savolainen describes as “literally buzzing from the amount of bees visiting it.” This is a massive tree that may reach over 100 feet in height in the manner of many eucalyptus gums, so-called on account of the gelatinous sap that exudes from their bark. This species is endemic to Australia — meaning it is native to that part of the world and nowhere else — as is the case with nearly all other eucalypts, numbering 900 species in all. While most people do not have room for a red river gum or any other gum, for that matter, they might want to consider planting a mallee instead.
Mallee is a generic term for eucalyptus trees that do not grow taller than 30 feet. A distinguishing feature of mallees, as opposed to gums, is the presence of lignotubers, underground structures that allow mallees to grow back after the entire above ground portion of the tree has been incinerated in a fire. Fire is essential for regenerating the Australian kwongan, equivalent to the Mediterranean maquis, the South African fynbos, and our own chaparral. Fire eliminates dead and diseased plants while opening their seeds. Many mallees are highly ornamental and perhaps the most stunning is booklet mallee (Eucalyptus kruseana), which stays under 20 feet tall. The leaves are perfect, silvery blue circles that overlap like the pages of a book. Flowers are a contrasting sulfur yellow and attract an abundance of bees. Another species of special distinction in this category is red-flowering gum (Eucalyptus/Corymbia ficifolia) which bears a bevy of scarlet flowers. Finally, coral gum (Eucalyptus torquata) is a unique species since its pyrotechnic, coral-red flowers are displayed on and off throughout the year with flower buds that resemble lanterns in a Japanese garden. Note: Both red-flowering gum and coral gum are technically mallees due to their lignotubers and small to medium stature.
The next bee-loving tree mentioned by Savolainen is the bottlebrush. We take this tree for granted because it is so widespread in our area, but nothing flowers more spectacularly in red than a bottle brush, blooming most heavily in spring and fall but showing a few flowers, at least, in every season. Two species are commonly seen, the upright lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus) and the weeping Callistemon viminalis). However, there is also yellow bottlebrush (Callistemon pallidus) and purple or violet bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus var. Violaceus). The related Melaleucas have smaller bottlebrushes that resemble giant caterpillars. Among them are paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia), noted for its spongy, exfoliating bark, white flowers, and columnar growth habit, making it suitable as a tall hedge, and granite honey-myrtle (Melaleuca elliptica), with fire-engine red flowers and highly unusual needle-like foliage.
Our Banning correspondent extols her California native western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), which has attracted not only honeybees but carpenter bees and bumblebees as well. Incidentally, the difference between these two giant bees is not only in their appearance — bumblebees have yellow fuzz on their abdomens while carpenter bees’ abdomens are smooth — but in their lifestyles; bumblebees live in colonies, albeit in underground burrows, while carpenter bees are solitary creatures, burrowing into and nesting — as their name implies — in wood. Bumblebees will move their colonies from one year to the next, while carpenter bees — which can live for a year or more — return to the same nest. If you plant a redbud, whose combination of electric pink flowers and smooth gray bark makes a startling spring statement, take care to let it grow naturally. When trained to a single trunk, its thin bark can be scorched by the sun and crack. Its natural tendency is to produce suckers and grow into a sphere. In this manner, the bark on its main trunk is protected from sun scorch and never cracks.
Finally, Savolainen praises palo verde (Parkinsonia spp.) for its magnetic pull on several bee species. If you go with palo verde, make sure to plant the Desert Museum variety. A hybrid of three different palo verde species, Desert Museum is the more floriferous than any of them due to its sterility. In not having to “worry” about making viable seeds, it can devote all its springtime energy to producing flowers. It is also thornless, unlike typical palo verdes, so it is much more friendly to those living and gardening in its proximity.
As long as we are on the subject of bees, I should mention that Janet and Rex Kiddoo, a Northridge couple with a passion for horticulture, invited me to take a look at a beehive in their backyard. High up in a crape myrtle tree (Lagerstroemia indica), there it was. I had never seen a beehive in a tree before and this one was gargantuan, measuring at least two feet in length. The hive had been there for a number of years — a beehive can persist for up to a decade — but just a few days ago, some of the bees living there began to swarm around one of the highest branches of a neighboring Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum). The Kiddoos have been considering hive removal and were relieved to find that there are a number of local companies that offer beehive rescue and relocation — keywords to search if you are considering such a service.
The South Bay Bromeliad Associates are holding a bromeliad show and sale on Saturday, August 9, from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Palos Verdes Art Center, located at 5504 Crestridge Road, in Rancho Palos Verdes. Admission and parking are free. If you have any questions about the event, contact Ted Johnson at 310-850-2824.
California native of the week: Guadalupe Island Senecio (Senecio palmeri var. Silver and Gold) is a compact two- to three-foot subshrub with brilliant silvery-white leaves and gold flowers. When in peak bloom, the leaves may be completely obscured by the flowers. However, even when growth is more diffuse, the foliage is always a delightful highlight of a drought-tolerant garden. Once established, it will probably not need more than a single monthly soaking, if even that. This is an endangered species since it is endemic to the single island it calls home. The plant’s species name references Edward Palmer, who in 1875 was the first botanist to visit Guadalupe Island. Although this island is technically part of Mexico, it falls inside the boundaries of the California Floristic Province and thus achieves the status of a California native. This plant is currently being grown by San Marcos Growers (smgrowers.com) and the Theodore Payne Foundation (theodorepayne.org).
Do you have any pollinator-friendly plants to recommend or beehive stories to tell? If so, send your suggestions to Joshua@perfectplants.com. You questions and comments, as well as gardening conundrums and successes, are always welcome.
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