“On Monday, August 1st, Merrill Kruger offered the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association a ‘Bee Friendly Gardening’ seminar where Ms. Kruger illustrated a variety of natural bee habitat options. The slide show included a myriad of styles of water destinations as well as planning for continuous nectar sources throughout the year by using a combination of edibles, ornamentals, and natives. Bee-loved plants were highlighted along with their maintenance considerations. Drought issues were addressed with sustainable gardening techniques including pruning to increase flower yields, cultivating healthy soils, weed and disease prevention, passive water harvesting, and water conservation. Charts and graphs explaining the added nutritional value of organic produce and illustrated the correlation between pesticide use, human health, and hive decline; making a strong case for the inherent risks associated with purchasing chemical pesticides and foods that were produced using chemical pesticides. A myriad of methods for managing pests and weeds in mechanical, and otherwise non-toxic, ways were mentioned as well.
To continue the effort of growing more bee friendly gardens in Southern California, there is a plan in the works for Ms. Kruger to curate two plant sales / workshops, hosted by The Valley Hive, during the 2016-2017 planting season; the first for ‘Native Plants + Care’ in the Winter, and the second for ‘Edible Plants + Care’ in the early Spring. If you’re interested, please sing out to let The Valley Hive or Design By Nature know that you’d enjoy either, or both, of these special events. You can visit www.DesignByNatureStudio.com, LIKE Design By Nature on Facebook as ‘Design By Nature Landscape Studio’ and/or follow Ms. Kruger on Instagram as @merrill_mel to stay in touch.”
(NOTE: The members of the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association would like to thank Ms. Kruger for her informative and inspiring presentation on Bee-Friendly Gardening.)
