Looking for a way to add a little buzz to your backyard? Maybe it’s time to consider a pollinator garden. In recent years, there has been an enormous interest in pollinator gardens and different ways to help pollinators. It is this beauty, in association with the eco-friendliness of and support to the local wildlife, that requires more and more of such spaces to be realized under significance. In this guide, we will walk you through all you need to grow your pollinator garden using native plants.
The Rise of Pollinator Gardens
In the recent past, pollinator gardens have been getting all the rage. People are slowly becoming sensitive to the responsibility associated with raising bees, butterflies, and other pollinators within one’s ecosystem. The move was influenced by a rise in awareness regarding the decline of pollinators and individual actions upon the environment. Social media has sent its shockwaves too—beautiful photographs of flowering pollinator gardens inspire homeowners to plant their own miniature havens within backyards.
What is a Pollinator Garden?
A pollinator garden is a specifically designed garden that will attract and support pollinating insects and animals. Such gardens incorporate tremendous variety with flowering plants that produce nectar and pollen during the entire growing season. While the majority of flower gardens are designed with petal color or fragrance in mind, a pollinator garden focuses on plants that are particularly attractive to bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
5 Benefits of a Pollinator Garden
There are many benefits associated with creating a pollinator garden:
- Supports local ecosystems: You help to maintain a diverse level of biodiversity in your area by providing food and habitat for pollinators.
- Increases crop yields: Having more pollinators around can only bring about better crops should you grow fruits or vegetables.
- Beautifies your landscape: The plants used in a pollinator garden are mostly very colorful and bright, therefore a lot more attractive.
- Low maintenance: Most of the plants used in the creation of a pollinator garden are native, which generally require less water and care compared to non-native species.
- Educational opportunities: A pollinator garden can work as a great teaching tool for children about nature and ecology.
The Role of Pollinator Gardens
It plays a very key role in supporting our ecosystem. About 75% of flowering plants in the world, including most fruits and vegetables that we consume, reproduce because of the work of pollinators. With the loss of habitat, use of pesticides, and changes in the climate, most populations of these very important creatures have been on the decline. The creation of a pollinator garden offers a needed haven to these very magnificent creatures.
How to Choose Native Plants for Your Garden
For choosing plants to include in your pollinator garden, select those that are native. Because native plants have coevolved with local pollinators, they are the type of food that pollinators have evolved to use.
Selecting the right plants involves:
- Research your region and learn what plants are native to your region.
- Consider the bloom times of the plants that you are choosing. You will want to plant a mix of plants that bloom at different times to provide food throughout the course of a season.
- Diversification of plants are also important because different shapes and colors of flowers attract different pollinators, try to have some of everything.
- The structure in a plant is also important to consider. Many pollinators need plants not only for food but also for shelter or nesting.
- Avoid hybrid or “double” flowers because these plants often contain less nectar and can be inaccessible to pollinators.
How to Create Your Own Pollinator Garden
Ready to begin your pollinator garden? Here are 7 steps to get your garden started:
- Choosing a Site: Most pollinator-friendly plants need full sun, so look for a spot that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.
- Preparing the Site: If your site is grassy or weedy, peel off the sod or eliminate weeds, and modify the soil, if needed.
- Planning Your Garden: Decide where each plant will go, depending on the size it attains at maturity and when it blooms.
- Plant your natives: Spring and fall are usually the best seasons for planting. Water plants well after planting.
- Provide a water source: Pollinators need water for drinking, too! Any shallow birdbath or small fountain will do.
- Avoid pesticide use: They kill pollinators. If necessary, rely on natural pest control for one’s garden.
- Care for your garden: Water when needed, especially during establishment. Remove dead flowers to produce more blooms.
Government Programs and Resources for Pollinators
Many government agencies offer programs to support pollinator gardens, as follows:
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service: Offers information on pollinators and different initiatives.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Provides information and resources on pollinator conservation
- Local Extension Offices: Often provides workshops on native plants and pollinator gardening
- State Wildlife Agencies: May be involved in programs certifying your yard as a wildlife-friendly habitat
- Municipal Programs: Some cities offer incentives for the placement of pollinator-friendly landscapes.
In Pennsylvania, there are several government initiatives to help pollinators, such as PennDOT’s Pollinator Habitat Plan. This initiative is to plant native plants along state highways. You can get involved, like with PennDOT’s highway cleanup program, to sponsor and volunteer to maintain the different pollinator gardens along the highways.
Be sure to check your state, county, and township to see what pollinator programs and resources are available to you.
A pollinator garden is one of the most rewarding projects that gives back to you as well as to your area’s ecosystem. These tips, plus using native plants, will help you create a beautiful, low-maintenance garden to buzz with life. We at Riverview Tree and Landscaping truly get excited about the opportunity to help you bring more pollinators to your backyard. Yes, every flower counts in supporting our pollinator friends!
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