White wood asters, Eurybia divaricata, are native perennials in the Asteraceae family, which also includes chrysanthemums, coneflowers, and sunflowers.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If
06.06.2023 - 15:55 / gardenerspath.com / Nan Schiller
Promoting Pollination by Design: How to Attract PollinatorsCreating a lush garden brings an outdoor living space to life, and the best plants for the job are native varieties that teem with beneficial pollinators like bees, butterflies, and moths.
While both native and non-native fragrant flowers may be a feast for the human senses, only plants endemic to a region supply viable habitat for the pollinators that evolved with them.
Sadly, these native varieties are dwindling, as meadows and woodlands succumb to suburban sprawl.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
In my area, flipping houses is all the rage, and creating curb appeal is the icing on the home-reno cake.
Instant gardens appear just in time for open house, usually consisting of what I call “builder grade” non-natives.
They may look pretty, but they don’t make the grade when it comes to the environment.
Short of inhibiting erosion and supporting the occasional bird nest, they earn a big zero when it comes to attracting pollinators.
Ready to make your garden a haven for pollinating insects? Attracting them to your yard can result in higher yields from your fruit trees and the vegetable garden, too.
Here’s what’s to come in this article:
Making Pollinators a PriorityAccording to the Xerces Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of invertebrate populations, “The United States alone grows more than 100 crops that either need or benefit from pollinators, and the economic value of these native pollinators is estimated at $3 billion per year in the US.”
Home gardeners can make a difference, one backyard at a time.
I’ve had good luck with the following nectar-rich species. They
White wood asters, Eurybia divaricata, are native perennials in the Asteraceae family, which also includes chrysanthemums, coneflowers, and sunflowers.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If
Borago officinalis, commonly known as borage or starflower, is one of a host of herbs with origins in the Mediterranean region.It’s a member of the Boraginaceae family of plants, wh
Balloon flower, Platycodon grandiflorus, is a native of the Russian Far East, China, Japan, and Korea that has become a garden sensation in the United States.A member of the Campanulaceae family that includes bellflower
Eggplant, Solanum melongena, is suited to cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 10.It prefers full sun and organically-ric
The aster is a sturdy-stemmed flowering perennial known for its masses of small daisy-like blossoms.There are numerous aster species in several genera within the Asteraceae family that contains chrysanthemums, daisie
Calico aster, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum, formerly Aster lateriflorus, is a native perennial flower that blooms from midsummer to mid-fall.It rejuvenates fall gardens with masses of tiny white blossoms, with striking reddish-purple to
Bachelor’s button, Centaurea cyanus, is a European wildflower that has naturalized across the United States. It is a member of the Asteraceae family that includes asters, chicory, daisies, mums, sunflowers, and yarrow.It’s a vigorous plant commonly found growing among the grain crops in farmer
The New York aster, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, is a showstopper in the late season garden, taking center stage as summer flowers fade to memories.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our l
Tropical Christmas cactus is an easy-care houseplant with blossoms in shades of pink, red, white, and yellow that open during the fall to winter holiday season.The name is a catch-all term that inc
The peony, Paeonia spp., is a flowering perennial for USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8 that thrives in full sun. It blooms in springtime, and sometimes early summer.The blossoms are big and flouncy, and are a
For an ornamental highlight in late spring to early summer, fill your garden beds and borders with the luscious blossoms of perennial peony (Paeonia spp.).The Paeonia genus is the only one in the Paeoniaceae family
For large, showy spring flowers in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11, you can’t beat the hand-sized, lily-like blooms of amaryllis, Hippeastrum x hybridum.These tropical beauties can also be forced to bloom indoors