Listen to the music of the garden

You hear them before you see them, but when you walk through the Shaggy Acres garden gate there is no mistaking the source of the sound--hundreds of indefatigable bees are cloaking the purple blossoms of the sage. A low drone in the background signals clusters of humming birds feasting on the blooming honeysuckle.

This winter was a difficult one for bees and colony collapse is a serious agricultural problem. Dr. Eric Mussen, an apiculturist who is considered to be a guru of the bee world, says that 2012 could prove to be one of the worst years for bee nutrition and honey production in this nation's history.

Texas Bee Watchers is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting bee health by encouraging people
to plant bee gardens. Shaggy Acres is proud to have the eighteenth recognized Bee Watcher garden in Texas. The Texas Bee Watcher website contains an enormous amount of useful information about bees and the plants that bees are most attracted to as well as stunning videos and photos.

To promote bee health, gardeners should avoid the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides on their plants. Bees polinate about one-third of our food supply and gardeners can promote bee health by growing flowering plants all year long.