Vital Bee Buds Plant Nursery | Gardnerville, Northern Nevada, USA

Dream it.

It all begins with an idea or a function.

Observe where humans and animals mat the ground …those can be new pathways (their desire lines). Go with the flow!

See it.

Or a vision in your mind.

Think of the purpose and function of a garden space that will also complement a pollinator habitat. Always soil first and no need to amend soil for indigenous perennials!

Grow it.

And perennials make everything better for the pollinators.

Although we can always include must-have plants, know native plants can live on less water/lean soil and their visitors are the most efficient 2/3 thirds of what pollinates our harvests.

Need more fruit?

Need more vegetables?

Need more color?

Stachys Byzantina | Lemon Balm

We worry about the Earth, and our environment, and how we can help. We also want a rockin’ garden that lifts our spirits.

Bees and pollinators are critical, and having them around the garden increases the output of fruit and vegetables…which is a great thing.

Vital Bee Buds put the decades of growing experience in the high desert climate to use, and searched high and low for the best plants for pollinators that are easy to grow, lovely to look at, and powerful friends for your yard that rid unwanted pests by extending the ecosystem’s food chain.

We built an autonomous solar-powered greenhouse, with a climate battery built in to increase our ability to grow through the winter and get good strong spring starts entirely off-the-grid. Ecofriendly, we mix our own soil, compost, and the containers are multiple use collected, upcycled, and clean. Plants are potted up after seed, cutting, or division propagation.

Home

Bumble Bees, finches, and many other native species love sunflowers. An annual that removes toxins from the soil is also rated the best pollinator plant there is for its many florets and long bloom period. A VERY drought tolerant favorite here and invigorated after a regenerative trim.

Current Plant List

Plant list updated March 28, 2025

Plants are identified most accurately with the corresponding Latin or Botanical reference alongside common name(s) in parenthesis. Multiple varieties are separated here by a “|”

Know your plants! Always search the botanical name and follow care instructions to avoid heartache, loss of funds and time! To get started visit the care page here for how to grow drought tolerant plants.

Currently, more native forbs have been winter sowed [some sprouting and as natives do, others are taking their sweet time…please inquire]: Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Globemallows, Mule’s Ear, Native grasses (Blue Grama, Indian Ricegrass, Sandberg and Great Basin Wildrye), Nettleleaf Giant Hyssop, Penstemon: Rydberg’s | Pseudospectabilis, Pennyroyal, Salvia Dorii and Sulfur Buckwheat.

Please reach out to reserve your favorites on the waitlist via email or DM.

Herbs | Medicinal

Roman Chamomile (Perennial), Chives (common) or (garlic), Comfrey, Hyssop Officinalis, Lavendula Augustafolia or Intermedia 'Grosso' | 'Vera',  Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm), Peppermint, Mentha arvensis (wild mint), Monarda: (Wild Bergamot-pink) | 'Gardenview Scarlet', Nepeta Racemosa (Catmint - pink, purple), Oregano, Rosemary 'Arp', Sage (Common), Thymus x citriodorus (Lemon Thyme), Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle)

Annuals | Biennials

Borago officinalis (Borage), Calendula officinalis (Calendula), Eschscholzia California (California Poppy), Oenothera elata (Evening Primrose - yellow), Rudbeckia hirta (Brown-eyed Susan-yellow), Sunflowers

Hardy Perennials

Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip', Agastache ‘Golden Jubilee' | 'Globetrotter' | 'Tango',  Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow' (Milkweed), Aster 'New York' (purple), Echinacea Coneflower (pink, white), Hollyhocks (varied colors: dark purple, magenta, light pink), Lamium 'Jenny' (white) | 'Purple Dragon', Nepeta Racemosa (Catmint) 'Walker's Low' | 'Whisper Pink', Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue' (Pincushion Flower), Sedum (pink), Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' (Goldenrod), Stachys byzantina (Lambs ear), Veronica (pink, purple)

Native Forbs (Perennials)

Achillea millefolium (Yarrow -white), Artemisia tridentata 'Big Sagebrush', Asclepias speciosa 'Showy Milkweed', Symphyotrichum chilense (California, Pacific or Western Aster), Columbine (orange, red,), Oenothera speciosa (Common Evening Primrose-pink), Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulfur Buckwheat),  Eriophyllum lanthanum (Oregon sunshine, Wooly Sunflower), Gaillardia (Indian Blanket, Blanket Flower), Helianthus Maximiliana (Maximilian Sunflower), Hyssop officinalis (purple), Sphaeralcea ambigua (Desert Globemallow (orange), Linum Lewisii (Blue Flax), Oenethera speciosa (Evening Primrose -pink), Penstemons: 'Confertus' (yellow) | Digitalis ("Husker Red', "Dark Towers" - white) | 'Palmerii' (light pink) | 'Pseudospectabilis' (fuschia) |  'Strictus' (Rocky Mountain -purple) | Eatonii (Firecracker -red), Leucanthemum vulgare (Oxeye Daisy), Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat- yellow or red), Solidago canadensis (Canada Goldenrod)

Natives Grasses

Blue Grama, Festuca idahoensis 'Siskiyou Blue', Great Basin Wildrye, Indian Ricegrass, Sandberg Bluegrass

Shrubs | Sub-shrubs

Amorpha fruticosa (Indigo Bush), Artemisia tridentata (Big Sagebrush), Ericameria nauseosa (Rubber Rabbitbrush), Ribes aureum (Golden Currant), Rosa woodsii (Western Wood's Rose), Spirea ‘Dark Knight’ or ‘Blue Mist’

Plant Shop

Pollinator plot projects are bulk discounted

15% when 5 or more Medium or Large plants are purchased.

Immediately above is a hyperlink to Xerces (an invertebrate non-profit). A wonderful resource to help to plan your site. Alternatively, I consult for a very reasonable fee and would be honored to  place plants into your space. Email when ready to ask questions or to schedule a pollinator project. See easy drought tolerant perennial care tips on the Care page.