A pollinator garden is any garden specifically designed to benefit native pollinators. This is often a collection of native flowers that produce pollen and sap that the insects can feed on.
Importance
In the past you may have noticed the lack of butterflies and insects in summer. Some studies have found that pollinators have decreased by around 50% since 1979. This can cause climatic disasters as pollination is important for many organisms on the planet, 75% of the world’s seed plants need to be pollinated. These plants provide food, habitat and shelter for billions of organisms including ourselves. One in every three bites of food is made possible by pollination. Keeping our pollinators alive and healthy is crucial for our ecosystems and human health. Pollination gardens combat this decline by providing food and shelter for pollinators to rest, reproduce, and live safely.
Before you start planting it's important to figure out the environment that you're working with:
Make sure the area has no other plants including bulbs from last year and weeds
Identify your soil type
Observe the amount and time of full sun or full shade
Test your soil PH
Identify any amount of rain runoff or flooding in the area if observed consider a rain garden instead
Use these metrics to pick out plants that will thrive, many plants are suited for super wet, super dry, full sun, sull shade. Environmental conditions will not stop you from having a pollinator garden if you pick the species that will thrive in the environment you have.
Plants
Flowers that are brightly colored and produce lots of pollen and sap are perfect for pollinators. This list is a great starting point, but using native plant finders can be a great resource to find plants specific to your environment. Insect pollinators prefer a diverse array of plants, so try to plant as many species as you can!
Milkweed
Bee balm
Butterfly bush
Black eyed susan
Coneflowers
Zinnia
Meadowsweet
Rue
Northern arrowwood (butterflies and nectar from white flowers)
Most native flowers!
Where to buy
Try to find local nurseries that grow their own native stock or seeds. If need be stores like Aubuchon, Lowe's, and Walmart also have a selection of native plants, but their focus is not on regionally native plants. Here are some local options:
Cackleberries
Spiderweb gardens
Maggie D’s Garden Center
McSherry’s Garden Center
Bearcamp gardens
Local county plant sales
Pollinators
Did you know pollination can happen by a bunch of species, not just the honeybee; flies, bats, birds, butterflies, ants, beetles, moths, and even deer can pollinate plants. Learn more about what each species pollinates here.
Additional Best Practices
Making a pollinator garden in your backyard is simple and easy! Increase your positive impact by:
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