A landscape design for residential yards that includes a mix of turfgrass and low growing chemical free flowering plants with the intention of supporting bees while maintaining the neat and functional aesthetic of a traditional lawn.
Bee lawns are primarily intended for homeowners and their lawns but can also be implemented in city parks and on land owned by businesses.
Resources
Flowering Bee Lawns- A Toolkit for Land Managers
University of Minnesota Bee Lab, UMN Turfgrass Science, and Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
Are you a land manager with questions about the science behind a flowering bee lawn? Check out the Flowering Bee Lawns toolkit to learn about why planting a bee lawn is a good idea and how to connect with others about the importance of bee lawns.
Bee Lawn Turf Grass with Flowering Plants
University of Minnesota Extension
What's the deal with flowering bee lawns? Check out Bee Lawn Turf Grass with Flowering Plants for all of your bee lawns basics - from benefits, to plant species, to necessary maintenance requirements.
If you build it, who will come?
University of Minnesota Turfgrass Science
Learn about research that expanded on the ways land managers can progress their lawn sustainability practices. If you build it, who will come? provides additional practices that will help expand bee lawns, increase bee diversity, and provide an overall better environment.
Exploring park visitor perceptions of ‘flowering bee lawns’ in neighborhood parks in Minneapolis
Hannah Ramer, et al.
Interested in research about public perceptions on bee lawns in public spaces? Check out the Exploring park visitor perceptions research paper that discovered public opinions in regard to flowering lawns and the bees they support.
Turfgrass Species Affect the Establishment and Bloom of Kura Clover (Trifolium ambiguum) in Lawns
Ian Lane, et al.
Curious about how slower-growing grasses can affect your bee lawn? Read the Turfgrass Species research paper which offers insight into which turf species are most compatible with flowering‑lawn plantings.
Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn
University of Minnesota Extension
The Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn is an all-inclusive guide for bee lawns, including practical establishment steps, suitable flower species, ongoing maintenance practices, and the pollinator species your lawn may support.
