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What Should You Grow for Pollinators? 

Pollinator plants for California (commonly available at nurseries):

http://bonniebeecompany.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Plants-for-pollinators-in-Marin.pdf

 

Calscape.org

The California Native Plant Society has a system called calscape.

Just type in your zip code and a list of plants, specific to your area, will appear.

 

Pollinator Partnership: eco-regional planting guides

https://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/CalifCoastalStepperx4FINAL.pdf  The Pollinator Partnership also has a resource where you can search which flowers bloom in your region and when. 

 

UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab

http://www.helpabee.org/best-bee-plants-for-california.html

 

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: Habitat Assessment Guide for Pollinators

https://xerces.org/publications/habitat-assessment-guides/habitat-assessment-guide-for-pollinators-in-yards-gardens

 

Xerces:  Milkweed seed finder

https://xerces.org/milkweed/milkweed-seed-finder

 

 

Local nurseries for native plants:

California Native Plant Nursery, Mill Valley

https://cnlnatives.com/

 

Mostly Natives, Pt Reyes

https://www.mostlynatives.com/

 

O’Donnell’s Fairfax Nursery, Fairfax

http://www.odonnellsnursery.com/ODonnells_Fairfax_Nursery/Welcome.html

 

Watershed Nursery, Richmond

https://www.watershednursery.com/

 

 

And more local nurseries that love bees and pollinators:

Annie’s Annuals

https://www.anniesannuals.com/

 

Bees N Blooms, Santa Rosa

https://beesnblooms.com/

(Buy trees by appointment only.  Totally worth the trip!!!)

 

Chase ACE, San Rafael

https://www.chaseacehardware.com/

 

Marin ACE, San Rafael

https://www.marinace.com/

 

Sloat Garden Center, Mill Valley, Kentfield, Novato & more bay area locations

https://www.sloatgardens.com/

 

 

Books:

Bringing Nature Home

By Doug Tallemy 

Workman Press

 

California Bees & Blooms

By Gordon Frankie, Robbin Thorp, Rollin Coville and Barbara Ertter

Heyday

 

California Foraging

By Judith Larner Lowry

Timber Press

 

Designing California Native Gardens: The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens

By Glenn Keator, Alrie Middlebrook, Phyllis M. Faber (Other primary creator)

  

Reimagining the California Lawn

By Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O’Brien

Cachuma Press

 

The Bee-Friendly Garden

By Kate Frey and Gretchn LeBuhn

Ten Speed Press

 

The Bees in Your Backyard

By Joseph S. Wilson & Olivia Messinger Carrill

Princeton University Press

 

The California Native Landscape: The Homeowner's Design Guide to Restoring Its Beauty and Balance

by Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren

Timber Press

 

The California Wildlife Habitat Garden

By Nancy Bauer

University of California Press

 

The Xerces Society Guide to Attracting Native Pollinators,

By Eric Mader, Matthew Shepherdm Mace Vaughn, Scott Hoffman Black, and Gretchen LeBuhn

Storey Publishing

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*Pay attention to bloom time, soil requirements, and which pollinators the flowers attract. We always recommend planting a diverse variety of flowers with a range of bloom periods! 

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