Sharing the Flowers: How Garden Design Affects Bees and Their Behavior

Not all pollinator gardens support the same bees, and the plants you choose play a big role in determining who visits. Many plants labeled simply as "pollinator-friendly" aren't equally beneficial, and selecting regionally native species can make a big difference in supporting local pollinators. In this talk, we’ll explore how different plants attract different types of bees and how garden design influences their behavior. We’ll discuss how factors like plant diversity and bloom timing shape which pollinators visit your garden, and how strategies such as using "magnet plants" like Lavandula may help reduce competition from social bees.

About the Speaker: Taylor Janecek is a Garden Ecology Lab PhD student in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University, studying pollinator behavior and garden ecology. Their research focuses on how floral diversity, floral resources, and garden management practices influence interactions between native pollinators and social bees. Their work aims to develop…