Texas Bee Oasis

Dallas-based artist Jen Rose crafts tiny sculpture that is not only beautiful, it helps equally tiny pollinators as they go about their work of supporting plants and our ecosystems. These sculptures, called bee cups, are eco-friendly watering stations made from tiny hollow porcelain cones that resemble colorful flowers. Each one collects a few drops of water from the sprinkler or rain and provides a bee-friendly resting station for active pollinators. Placing the bee cups together in groupings, called an “Oasis,” the installations range from a colorful whimsical arrangement of a dozen or so, to a stunning ombre gradiant of over 500.

Rose began experimenting with the bee cup concept in 2019, curious about questions like “do bees have toes?” and “how long is a bee tongue?” “Pollinating insects are so vital to our ecosystem that I wanted to design something truly helpful, and not cause unintentional harm,” Rose said, explaining the motivation for her research and creative process. The final design holds a maximum of 1 cc of liquid, allowing for evaporation by the evening hours, eliminating the risk of mosquito breeding. The interior of each cup is embossed with ridges. “This gives the bees something to grip onto as they are drinking, much like a shower mat, to prevents falls,” Rose explains.

The Garden’s original installation, Texas Bee Oasis, is made of over 2,000 bee cups. Its location in the Fuller Garden gives respite and water to our Garden pollinators, as well as beauty and joy to our visitors.

Bee cups will be sold in the Trellis Shop and BRIT gift shops – they make beautiful additions to your own garden while supporting ecological health and diversity.