Back-yard gardeners will hear the latest “Buzz on Bees” and choose their favorites from among a colorful array of pollinator-friendly ornamental plants during our annual Spring Open House on Saturday, May 27. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

At 1 p.m., MSU entomologist and bee specialist Abiya (Abi) Saeed will present a free hour-long talk, “The Buzz on Bees,” with tips on why and how gardeners can attract bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects to their flowerbeds and back yards.  Abi, who is an apiarist (beekeeper) and pollinator specialist with the Michigan State University Consumer Horticulture Program, will reveal important differences among lesser-known native bees, common honeybees and wasps, and demonstrate the workings of a Mason bee-nesting box.

She also will offer advice on selecting the best plants for a healthy, diverse back-yard biosystem and identifying other “good guy” insects, such as predators and parasitoids, to help control garden pests throughout the growing season. Abi has received multiple awards for her research, leadership and outreach efforts involving bees.

Be sure to browse through our broad selection of native plants that provide habitat and nectar for many pollinating insects, including several species of milkweed, which are the exclusive food source for Monarch butterfly larvae. We also offer numerous perennials and herbs that produce nectar for butterflies, honeybees, beneficial insects and humming birds. Favorites include butterfly bush, Joe-pye weed, ironweed, turtlehead, cardinal flower, mountain mint and many varieties of beebalm.

Our staff will help you select hardy, long-lasting flowers and plants from among the 1,000 varieties of perennials, herbs, annuals and vegetables in stock.

 

For more information, call 517-546-7742, or contact us at

 info@specialtygrowers.net