Planting for Many Pollinators
Avid gardeners are usually nature lovers and nurturing souls. We attempt to bring back damaged and forgotten plants and we feed birds. Gardeners were among the first to call for "saving the pollinators" and gardening specifically to save the beautiful Monarch butterfly. Focus on the plight of the Monarch can cause us to overlook the fact that many other less glamorous and less well known species of bees and flies are being disturbed and displaced as well. We should take steps to make the home garden a more inclusive oasis. Native plants have become recognized as important plants to foster pollinators in these gardens, but many other plants are worth trying, too.
Most people view pollinators as being synonymous with bees, usually thinking of the honey bee. However, bees don’t pollinate everything, and many native insects from bees to wasps and flies are also needed. There is growing awareness of the Colony Collapse Disorder striking down so many honey bee hives, but much less is known about what has happened to wild bees. Many gardeners feel they are seeing less of all bees in the last decade and would like to reverse the trend.
What is included in this diverse group called pollinators? Honey bees are actually not native to our area but have naturalized. Native bumble bees are also helpful to home garden crops (tomatoes , peppers, squash and strawberries for example). There are many different native bees, most of which are don't live in hives. Native bees evolved with our native plants and some need specific flower types to survive while others are generalists. Quite a few flies, specifically Hoverflies and Beeflies, are pollinators that evolved along with the native plants. Many of these flies look just like a bee. Butterflies and several moths are pollinators. The most familiar moth pollinator is the Hummingbird Moth. Night time pollinators include moths and bats. Among birds the hummingbird is the best known, especially here in Tennessee. In other areas there are other bird species who visit flowers and carry pollen. Surprisingly, some beetles are pollinators. So before you get out the (organic) bug spray, diatomaceous earth and insecticidal soap you may want to learn to recognize a few good beetles and be happy to see them on your plants.
Planting to save pollinators can take various forms and be adapted to your garden’s style. You can still have a neat garden - it doesn't have to look wild to support insects and birds. Some try to attract a diverse group of bees, flies and beetles. Others seek to save a single species, for instance by planting several species of milkweed for Monarch Butterflies.
When looking for better plants, begin by looking for versions of plants that grow well in your garden and still can be grown from seed. You may already have some plants like Echinacea but they are sterile and don't attract bees (PomPom, anyone?). By picking those that are native to the state, like the Tennessee Coneflower or older varieties that can be purchased as seed you will automatically attract native bees and flies. Check out seed companies and garden centers that specialize in native plants to find the right ones. Remember to look for compact forms of wild flowers like Agastache (Anise Hyssop). More compact forms will be a little more neat and showy than the leggy native and usually attract bees and butterflies in droves!
Fruit trees, plants and shrubs, including cherry, apple, blueberry and strawberries, draw in many bees. The earliest cherries sometimes can be the only nectar source for bees in early spring. Avoid sterile types that don't produce nectar and pollen.
Familiar garden plants that can attract a diverse group of pollinators include Phlox, Black Eyed Susan, and Coneflowers. Phlox are natives with varieties that grow in sun or shade, are short or are tall, and each has a different bloom time. I find something is always buzzing on them.
Less well known native plants include ones with descriptive common names such as the False Sunflower and Sneezeweed, which both bloom from early summer through to the first frosts. Not every flower can attract all pollinators, so variety is key. Penstemon and foxglove are examples of flowers pollinated more by hummingbirds and butterflies than by bees. If you want to try fly-pollinated gardening, many flies are attracted to the same plants as mentioned for native bees. Dogbane, skunk cabbage, Jack in the Pulpit, and Dutchman's pipe are examples of smelly varieties that attract flies. They are not for every gardener!
If you would like more information on what pollinator friendly native and native cultivars have grown well in Blount County Master Gardener gardens, make sure you get a copy of the book Right Now! Attracting Pollinators to East Tennessee Gardens. Click on the book title for more information and to find out where you can obtain a copy. |