Pollinators are an important part of the health and life of any landscape, garden or green space.  Pollinators Week is upon us and it’s important to thank the pollinators that keep our gardens lush and vibrant. While it may seem like an easy proposition to entice pollinators to your garden there are a few ways to ensure that pollinators are attracted to your home garden and encourage them to stay and visit as often as possible.

Variety Matters

Keep a wide variety of plants and flowers active in your garden. Many different pollinators are attracted to all sorts of flowering plants. Native plants are also a fantastic way to attract local pollinators. Visit Milberger’s and talk to a garden specialist about flowers that are native species and would be a good fit for your garden.

Pollinators Come in Many Forms

When you think of pollinators the most common one that comes to mind is the humble honeybee. Bees are fantastic pollinators and their hunt to collect nectar is a famous way to ensure plants get pollinated. There are however plenty of other creatures that pull their pollinating weight. There are 18 species of hummingbird in the state of Texas. Hummingbirds are beauty, swift and are fantastic pollinators in their hunt for nectar. Hummingbirds are especially fond of bright flowers and are a delight to watch. Butterflies are other famous pollinators and many numerous species are either native to the state or visit during their migratory flight pattern. Moths can also be fine pollinators and one very special moth: the hummingbird or hawk moth is specially designed to deliver pollen while it looks for nectar. Hummingbird moths look almost like hummingbirds but upon closer inspection are actually fuzzy and very speedy moths that are active in the daylight hours.

Avoid Pesticides

It goes without saying, but pesticides keep away many insect pollinators. Some pesticides can also ward off some bird species. The best way to keep pests out is to use a natural pest control product that won’t scare off other helpful bugs. Also be aware of the larval or infant state for some bugs: Monarch butterflies begin as caterpillars that are considered a pest that voraciously devoir leaves but as adult butterflies they are very beneficial pollinators. In addition to avoiding pesticides there are other measures you can take to keep pollinators happy. A damp salt like will help bees and butterflies replenish needed electrolytes and ensure they visit more than one patch of your home garden.

We owe pollinators a lot. They keep our gardens and green spaces bright and vibrant by mixing up the pollens distributed and make at least 30% of the world’s crops and 90% of the world’s wild life to bloom, blossom and thrive. Pick up a Pollinators Pack at Milberger’s Nursery and keep the pollinators in your garden happy and healthy.

 

Sources:

https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/bees.pdf

Written by milbergers