Pollinator gardens provide a safe and inviting habitat for pollinators, and many are designed to provide food, shelter, and nesting sites for busy bugs. The best thing about these gardens is they are highly customizable and can include a variety of native plants to attract various bugs to your greens.
This article will supply you with six helpful tips to assist you in starting a pollinator garden this spring. By selecting the right plants and not using any of the wrong chemicals, you can have your garden crawling with helpful bugs.
Six Tips for Planting a Pollinator Garden This Spring
1. Pick the Right Plants
Making sure you pick the right plants is half the battle when it comes to building a successful pollinator garden. The best plants for a pollinator garden are those that provide nectar and pollen for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. These plants should be chosen based on the type of pollinators you want to attract, the climate you live in, and the amount of sunlight and water available.
When you are choosing plants for your pollinator garden, it is critical that you consider the climate you live in and the amount of sunlight and water available for plants in this space. Some plant life may require more water or sunlight than others, so it is important to choose plants that will thrive in your particular climate.
2. Attract Bees
For bees, some of the best plants to include in a pollinator garden are flowering herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and thyme. These herbs provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinators. Other great bee-friendly plants include sunflowers, cosmos, and asters.
3. Attract Butterflies
Butterflies are attracted to a variety of flowering plants, including milkweed, coneflowers, and lantana. These plants provide nectar and pollen for butterflies and other pollinators. Other great butterfly-friendly plants include zinnias, cosmos, and verbena.
Ironically, stay away from Butterfly Bushes! Butterflies need host plants on which to lay eggs and on which their caterpillars feed. Not even one native caterpillar eats Butterfly Bush leaves.
4. Attract Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are attracted to a variety of flowering plants, including columbine, bee balm, and trumpet vine. These plants provide nectar and pollen for hummingbirds and other pollinators. Other great hummingbird-friendly plants include salvia, fuchsia, and honeysuckle.
5. Don’t Forget the Birds!
They might not jump to mind right away, but birds are a great addition to any pollinator garden. Attracting birds to a pollinator garden is a great way to increase the biodiversity of your garden and to help support the local bird population.
Two many ways to attract birds are with bird feeders and native plants. Bird feeders are a great way to attract birds to your pollinator garden. Make sure to use bird feeders that are designed for the type of birds you want to attract. Meanwhile, native plants provide food and shelter for birds, and they are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions.
Another way to attract birds is with water. Birds need water to drink and bathe in, so make sure to provide a source of water in your pollinator garden. A birdbath or shallow dish filled with water is a great way to attract birds.
6. Try Compost
By incorporating compost into your pollinator garden, you can be one step ahead. Compost helps to improve the soil structure, increase the nutrient content, and provide a habitat for beneficial organisms. By using compost in a variety of ways, you can create a healthy and productive pollinator garden.
If using compost as a soil amendment does not work for you, mulch, and fertilizer, can also be used to create a habitat for beneficial organisms. Compost piles can provide a home for earthworms, beetles, and other beneficial insects. Compost piles can also provide a food source for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies.
The soil improvements caused by compost and the emergence of beneficial organisms are known to attract pollinators and sustain plant growth at the same, which is why compost is not just helpful for pollinators, but is helpful for your plants as well. Terrain theory at its best!
Say Hello to Pollinators
These tips showcase why pollinator gardens are such an important part of our environment and how they can help to support the health of our pollinators. By providing food, shelter, and nesting sites, pollinator gardens can help to ensure that our pollinators have the resources they need to thrive.
If you want to learn more about which bugs are classified as pollinators, this article will tell you exactly how to distinguish pollinators from non-pollinators. With these tips, you are ready to head outside and start becoming bugs left and right; in no time, you will have pollinators on every plant! Reach out to us for more information about keeping pests away this spring!