Pollinator Victory Garden 2.0 (2024)

FAQs

When should you plant a pollinator garden? ›

If you're using seeds, plan on dispersing them the fall or late winter ahead of your summer growing season. This gives the seeds time to germinate. Nursery-started plants cost more, but will generally give you a quick return on your investment and bring pollinators into your yard during the same growing season.

To reduce harm to insects, we advise mowing in the fall or winter when flowers are not in bloom. Mowing a mosaic of patches over several years, which no single area mowed more than once a year, also is helpful. We also recommend the use of a flushing bar and low mower speeds to protect wildlife.

Pollinator Garden Size

The Natural Resources Conservation Service suggests an area of at least half an acre up to 2 acres for beneficial insectaries and habitat, but not many urbanites have that kind of space. They also suggest that we plant a single species in clusters of 25 square feet.

Pollinator habitat can beautify your space, increase native biodiversity, increase pollination services and biological control of “pest” insects, and provide community engagement and learning opportunities.

The fastest site preparation method is to remove the sod and till the soil. If needed, mow grass or existing vegetation. Remove sod using a sod cutter. A sod cutter removes 2”-3” of soil.

Mulch, but give plants some breathing room around their base. A generous layer of chipped bark, leaves and wood can suppress weeds and retain water in the soil (but remember to leave some bare soil for your local ground-nesting bees!)

If you plant a couple (or all) of the plants I recommend below alongside some native plants, you'll have yourself a beautiful, low-maintenance pollinator garden.

It's much better to water them only when they need it (or 1" rain every 2-4 days), instead of watering them every other day and making them too wet for too long. If they get too much water the roots don't grow outwards to find water, or worse, they start to rot.

Existing flowering trees, shrubs and shade-tolerant herbaceous plants in shaded landscapes are beneficial resources for pollinators, and they can easily be added to a landscape to provide “trees for the bees.”

While not good for ground-nesting pollinators, mulch does help retain soil moisture, stave off weeds, and prevent soil erosion, so no need to forgo it entirely. Instead, utilize pollinator-friendly mulching practices! Wait to mulch until the start of summer to give ground-nesting pollinators time to emerge.

Why should I plant a pollinator garden? ›

Support Honey Bees

Perhaps the best benefit of building a pollinator garden is the support you'll offer to nearby honey bees. As one of the most significant pollinators globally, honey bees need abundant plants and wildlife to survive and thrive off of.

Creating a pollinator garden that includes the necessary elements for attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees will ensure that they can continue to perform their essential work. Here's how to help pollinators thrive: Native plants are the way to go!

Habitat that pollinators need in order to survive are shrinking. As native vegetation is replaced by roadways, manicured lawns, crops and non-native gardens, pollinators lose the food and nesting sites that are necessary for their survival.

Bees are the most efficient pollinator; a single bee colony can pollinate 3 million flowers a day. Plants, just like every other living organism, need to reproduce.

Most pollinators are active from early spring to late fall, so have plants that bloom throughout your growing season.

These bees usually become active in the spring with the warm weather and flowering of plants. They remain active throughout the summer and into the fall.