Really? Only 3 Steps? Yep!
1. Find 10 square feet in your landscape – either in your lawn or in an existing garden bed.
2.Remove the grass, weeds or other vegetation in that 10 square feet.
3.Plant 10 native plants in the space!
What is pollination?
Pollination is the process of moving pollen from flower to flower, and is necessary for a plant to produce seed or fruit. Many birds and animals rely on seed for food. The plants themselves must set seed to ensure a new generation of plants. We depend on pollination too, because plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices, and medicines need to be pollinated.
Without pollination, we would be without apples, blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, potatoes, pumpkins, vanilla, almonds, and tequila, to name just a few! In the United States, pollination by honey bees, native bees, and other insects produces $40 billion worth of products annually.
What are pollinators and why do they need help?
Birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other animals all spread pollen from one plant to another. This is the essential task of pollination. Pollinators suffer from loss of habitat and over-use of insecticides and chemicals.
A Few Details on What to Plant
Many native plants support pollinators. In fact, the evolved together and need each other. The plants need to be pollinated to set seed and reproduce, and the pollinators need the nectar from the plants to survive.
We often have landscape plugs for an easy and economical start to your pollinator patch. The small plugs are easy to plant and ready to take off in your landscape. They are only $5 each. We’ve selected some of the best plants for pollinators to provide nectar and habitat from Spring through frost.
For an even more robust start to your patch, put in a few gallon perennial plants, chosen from our selection of over 100 species. Stroll through our nursery and locate plants that are good for pollinators by looking for the friendly bee icon on our plant signage.
The following species are good ones to try. Our selection changes weekly, so if you want to make a pollinator patch, let us know and we can steer you to some great choices!
Liatris spicata (Gayfeather) Sun to part sun, 24-48” tall, purple, summer. Bumblebees, digger bees, leaf-cutting bees, butterflies, and skippers
Aster oblongifolius (Aromatic Aster) 18”-24”, mounding, sun to part sun, blue, fall. Butterflies, bees.
Phlox paniculata (Summer Phlox) 36” , sun to part sun, pink to lavender to white flowers, summer. Butterflies, moths, skippers, bees, flies.
Helenium autumnale (Sneezeweed) Moist to wet soil, sun to part shade, 36”-48”, yellow mid to late summer. Long- tongued bees, including honeybees, bumblebees, digger bees, cuckoo bees, leaf-cutting bees, Halictid bees, Sphecid wasps, Vespid wasps, Syrphid flies, butterflies, and beetles.
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ (Fireworks Goldenrod) Sun to part sun, 24”-72” , golden yellow, fall. Honeybees, bumblebees, ants, beetles, moths and butterflies.
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) Moist sun to part sun. 26”-36”, dark rose flowers, summer. Bee flies, Halictid bees, butterflies, skippers, long- tongued bees, honeybees, bumblebees, digger bees, leaf- cutting bees.
Eupatorium dubium (Three Nerved Joe Pye Weed) 2’-5’, mauve flowers summer, sun to part shade. Honey bees, bumblebees, digger bees, leafcutting bees, bee flies, butterflies, skippers, and moths.
