Celebrating National Urban Beekeeping Day: Why Bees Matter in Your Container Garden

Every year, National Urban Beekeeping Day (July 19th) shines a spotlight on the tiny pollinators that play a huge role in our gardening success. While most of us in The Potted Garden Society aren’t keeping backyard hives, we’re still deeply connected to the buzzing, beautiful world of bees.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

Bees are responsible for pollinating a massive percentage of the fruits, vegetables, and herbs we grow in our containers. Without them, crops like tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and cucumbers would suffer—not to mention many of our favorite flowers.

Even in urban and small-space environments, bees are busy at work. And we container gardeners can do our part to support them.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐬

🪴 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫-𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬

* Grow blooms bees love—like lavender, calendula, borage, and cosmos.

* Use a mix of colors and shapes to appeal to a variety of pollinators.

🚫 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬

* Avoid using chemical sprays that can harm bees and other beneficial insects.

* Opt for organic pest control methods and invite helpful bugs into your garden.

💧 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩

* Place a shallow dish of water with pebbles or marbles so bees can land safely and hydrate.

🐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬

* Try to have something blooming from spring through fall to give bees a steady source of nectar.

🌼 𝐆𝐨 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞

* Native flowering plants are especially attractive and beneficial to local bee species.

𝐅𝐮𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲

* Share a photo of your most bee-visited container plant!

* Start a "bee count" and see how many you spot in your garden this weekend.

* Try planting one new pollinator-friendly plant in honor of the bees.

𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐬 + 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 = 𝐀 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

You may not be harvesting honey, but you’re part of the buzz-worthy movement to make urban and small-space gardens more pollinator-friendly. A few well-chosen blooms can make a big difference.

So let’s tip our hats (or garden gloves) to the bees this weekend. They’re small but mighty—and your container garden wouldn’t be the same without them. 🐝💚🌼

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