How to Create a Pollinator Friendly Landscape

Creating a pollinator friendly landscape

Tammy Sons, the CEO at TN Nursery, a native plant and pollinator enthusiast says that there are some things to consider when deciding to plant a pollinator garden. Start here if you want to create a pollinator friendly landscape.

Who will come

The species that will visit the pollinator garden depends on the region where you live and the plants you grow. You will likely invite native bees including bumblebees, sweat bees, and mason bees, there are over 4,000 native bees in the United states! Other visitors will be honeybees, which are not native to the US but have been naturalized because of their usefulness in agriculture for pollinating crops. Wasps may visit your pollinator garden. Butterflies and moths will visit your garden. You may see hummingbirds and bats as well.

What they need

Pollinators travel from plant to plant to drink nectar or collect pollen. As they travel, pollen spreads from plant to plant and the flowers are fertilized. Once the flowers are fertilized, they will develop seeds for the next generation of plants.

If you want to attract a diverse range of pollinators, choose plants in a variety of colors and shapes, and with varying bloom times. Some pollinators have preferences for the shape of flowers they visit. Butterflies prefer to feed on flowers with a large landing pad, like golden alexander (Zizia aurea), while hummingbirds prefer a tubular flower, like cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) so they can sip nectar with their long tongue. Bats and moths prefer flowers that open at night because this is when they are most active. Ideally, a pollinator garden will contain a variety of plants that bloom all season long from early spring to late fall! By doing this, there is a food source in your yard for different pollinators all season. This provides flowers all season for your enjoyment too!

Native and near native plants

Native plants are best suited to attract pollinators. Native plants have co-evolved in specific habitats with other native species, over time. The National Wildlife Federation has a native plant finder tool to identify suitable native plants for your region. Native plants are adapted to local environmental conditions so they usually require less maintenance once established. The rule of “right plant, right place” still applies though. Just because a plant is native to your state does not mean it is suited to the specific conditions in your yard. Keep your yard's environmental conditions, like sun exposure and soil type, in mind when choosing your plants.

There are some differences in opinions about what makes a plant native. Does this mean native to the United States, native to your state, or county? Near-native plants are those that may occur in neighboring regions, while maybe not technically native to your state, they can serve as beneficial plants to include in a pollinator garden. Plants and pollinators aren’t aware of state lines! 

Some butterflies and moths only lay their eggs on specific plant species. The caterpillars will only eat the leaves of their host plant, like the monarch and milkweed. To provide food for the entire lifecycle of butterflies and moths plant their larval host plants. Some plants are considered keystone species because they act as host to many different pollinator species, use the National Wildlife Federation native plant finder to identify keystone species in your region.

Exotic pollinator plants

Some beneficial pollinator plants are not even native to the United States. Many common horticultural plants are native to Europe or Asia. These can be included in a pollinator garden if they are not invasive in your area. The benefit of exotic pollinator plants is that they can extend the flowering season in your yard. According to the National Wildlife Federation the plants in your garden should be at least 70% native and no more than 30% exotic if you want your garden to be beneficial to wildlife.

Creating habitat

Beyond the plants you choose, there are other considerations to provide habitat for pollinators.

Having a water source nearby is beneficial. This can be in the form of a shallow saucer or bird bath. You can place pebbles or rocks at the bottom of the dish to serve as stairs for insects. Change the water daily or you may invite mosquitoes.  

Save the garden cleanout for the spring instead of in the fall. Some insects use the hollow stems of perennial plants to overwinter. Keeping last season's plant debris in place allows overwintering insects the habitat they need to make it through the winter. Consider adding a bee hotel to your yard! Leaving some leaf litter in your garden beds is beneficial for overwintering insects, too.

Lastly, avoid using pesticides in and around your yard. Skip the lawn treatment, skip the mosquito spray, and encourage your neighbors to do the same!

Best Plants to Create With (easiest to grow for any skilled or non skilled homeowner)

Milkweed Plant

Trumpet Vine

Red Cardinal Flower

Black Eyed Susan

#pollinatorplants #butterflies #bees #perennials #flowers