Bee-friendly beauty tips for your yard

While May 20th is officially designated as World Bee Day, every day is made possible by these little creatures. Our ecosystems rely on their hard work as pollinators. While we may not like it when they show up at our picnics, they’re fundamentally the founders of the feast. Without a robust population of bees, our lives would change dramatically, and not for the better. As more people become aware of the importance of environmental stewardship, bee-friendly yards are gaining popularity. These spaces are not just healthy for the planet, but provide beauty and fragrance to us humans. 

By the Yard believes in building sustainable and joyful relationships with the great outdoors. In addition to creating eco-friendly outdoor furniture, we want to help you find more ways to practice your love for nature. So for the benefit of our human readers as well as the bees, here are our tips for making a beautiful bee-friendly yard. 

Plant native bee-friendly flowers

While modern hybrid plants can be breathtaking, they are bred to produce minimal pollen and nectar and are more susceptible to disease. Growing native plants, however, is an eco-friendly and gorgeous way to add color to your yard while helping your local bee population thrive. Like our furniture, native plants are low-maintenance and stay healthy without the use of fertilizers and pesticides, which can harm other plant, insect and animal life. They’re resistant to common plant diseases, and under normal conditions, don’t require supplemental watering. The Xerces Society provides a helpful state-by-state search so you can easily find native plants to support the pollinators in your area. Remember, bees are particularly fond of blue and yellow flowers, tube-shaped and spiky flowers, and enjoy having an easy place to land. When building your native bee garden, make sure to throw in some of their favorites as a treat. 

Create a bee bath

Just like people, bees need water to survive. Unfortunately, bees don’t always have access to safe, natural water sources near their nests. Creating a bee-friendly yard is a great opportunity to incorporate a water feature into your landscape design. It’s important to remember that bees are terrible swimmers, so you’ll want to make sure to create a safe, shallow water source for them. Consider adding a few pebbles, flower tops or glass beads to a shallow stone bird bath. This will attract the birds as well as the bees throughout the season. You could also add shelving to the outside of your shed, and place shallow pottery plates among flower pots for a lovely, rustic watering station for your bees. Make existing water features more bee-friendly by creating shallow spaces for them. If you have a natural or constructed pond, invert an old flower pot and place a heavy stone shelf on it. You may also want to add a solar fountain to keep the mosquitos at bay while reviving your bees. 

Build bee homes

Not all bees live in the types of hives we imagine they do. Bumblebees nest in the ground or in boxes while mason bees and other native bee varieties like to hang out alone in hollow plant stems. Making mason bee boxes, bumblebee houses and nests is a simple craft that will provide safe shelter for your bees through the flowering season as well as their winter hibernation. Hang your bee box from a wrought iron shepherd’s hook or a garden arbor in the corner of your yard. For added color, you could train a climbing flower, such as hummingbird vine, to grow up around it. For your bee house, choose an old glazed or terracotta flower pot to accentuate your existing design. When clearing out garden debris, consider binding dried stems with natural twine and placing them along your garage or shed. 

Enjoy eco-friendly design with By the Yard

Crafting your yard with bee-friendly plants and features creates sustainable beauty that you, your family and neighbors will adore. Sustainable beauty is what By the Yard is all about. We founded By the Yard because we love nature and wanted people to have a more nature-friendly way to enjoy it. Our outdoor furniture is sustainably made from recycled materials and built strong to last throughout the seasons for years of outdoor memories. Our planters are designed to affirm the growth of your plants, so you can create pollinator-friendly areas throughout your yard. Designed for both style and comfort, By the Yard outdoor furniture helps folks find more opportunities to spend time outside. With a bee-friendly yard, you’ll have even more to enjoy. 

Let By the Yard be part of your eco-friendly outdoor design. Request a free By the Yard catalog or shop online today at www.bytheyard.net. If you’d like more inspiration, we’re happy to help! To ask any question or order by phone, give us a call at 877-220-0448.