Planting a pollinator-friendly space doesn’t have to be complicated! There are a few simple changes you can implement in your garden that will make your space more inviting to pollinators. To help you attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and more, we discuss below how to make a pollinator-friendly space.
Put Away the Pesticides
While pesticides kill the weeds and bugs that negatively impact your garden, they also kill the plants pollinators use as a food source. Additionally, pesticides that kill mosquitos and other bugs can also kill your pollinators. Even if you feel like you only use pesticides in one specific area of your garden, the effect can be detrimental and widespread due to runoff. So, the next time you’re considering using pesticides, prioritize the pollinators you’re trying to attract instead!
Mow Your Lawn Less Frequently
You don’t have to commit to having a wild and unruly lawn to help pollinators!
Even committing to limiting your mowing to bi-weekly instead of weekly can immensely help the pollinators in your yard. Just making this simple change will help create ground cover for pollinators (particularly sweat bees!), and it won’t make your grass too long or unsightly. In addition to helping the pollinators thrive, you’ll also use less resources, time, and energy by mowing your lawn less frequently. Everybody wins!
Prioritize Native Plants
To attract pollinators that are native to your area, consider using native plants!
Native pollinators are already attracted to what naturally occurs in the area, so providing more of what they already like is a great way to make a pollinator-friendly space. Some pollinators are picky eaters, so providing them with more of the natural plants that they already prefer will help them thrive.
Plant a Variety of Pollinator-Attracting Plants
Choosing a wide variety of plants is one of the best ways you can help attract pollinators to your garden. Different pollinators are naturally attracted to different types of plants, and having a wide variety is a great way to make sure your space is pollinator friendly.
This diversity should cover plants in different colors, sizes, bloom shapes, and bloom time. It’s particularly important to have plants that bloom at different times of the season so that there are continual blooms for pollinators to choose from. If everything blooms at the start of the season, there won’t be any blooms left mid-summer or toward the end of the season. Pollinators will have to look elsewhere for a consistent food source.
Part of this variety of plants should also include trees and shrubs. Woody plants are particularly helpful to pollinators because they provide additional nutrients for pollinators that not all perennial and annual flowers do not. They also typically bloom in early spring, which provides a great early resource for pollinators while they wait for other later-blooming plants to bloom. Trees and shrubs also provide shelter for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and more.
Pollinator Plants at Urban Roots Garden Market
Whether you’re able to implement all these tips or just a few, any action that you take will help make your garden a more pollinator-friendly space! To get started improving your space today, find the pollinator-friendly plants you’re looking for at your local Urban Roots Garden Market location. Our friendly gardening experts are here to provide you with locally grown plants and gardening advice. Find the location in your neighbourhood here.
