How to attract pollinators to your garden

1) Get rid of the pesticides and herbicides.

Although they may be effective in eliminating “bad bugs” or undesirable pests, they also kill off the “good bugs” and bees. By creating a habitat where beneficial insects can thrive and increase their populations, the need for pesticides will eventually diminish. Choosing plants that don’t require chemicals (like Flower Carpet® roses) will make this process much easier.

2) Create a bird and butterfly friendly habitat.

A habitat, as we learned in grammar school, is a place that provides everything one needs to survive including shelter, water, food and sunlight.

• Shelter: trees and shrubs, deck overhangs, vines growing along a trellis or fence and bird and butterfly houses all provide shelter for wildlife. You’ll find more about shelter plants below.
• Water: bird baths, ponds and water features are the most common ways to provide water but even a shallow dish filled with water and placed in an accessible area can attract both birds and butterflies. Place a few rocks above the water level to give birds and butterflies a place to land. Placing the birdbath close to plants like these Flower Carpet roses and Volcano™ phlox gives the pollinators multiple escape options from predators if needed.

• Sunlight: Butterflies need the warm sun to prepare their wings for flight and birds need it to determine their sleep, reproductive and molting cycles and ultimately their migration cycles. Fortunately, sunlight is probably the easiest achieved addition to any landscape.
• Food: To start with, birds generally eat insects and seeds, so in Autumn, leaving the seed ponds on plants black-eyed Susans, thistle and echinacea provides winter-long food and will help to keep the birds close by. Caterpillars and larva that ultimately turn into butterflies need plants to feed on too. So rather than having them eat plants you love, this spring plant some “host” plants in an out-of the way place for them. The larva are a bit more choosy than adult butterflies when it comes to food. They  like milkweed, ‘Husker Red’ penstimon, turtlehead, pawpaws, passion vines, passion fruit and even parsley and dill!

3) Choose the right plants.  

This is the critical factor and the key to success. As a starter, choose plants that don’t require chemicals. With their breeding for exceptional disease tolerance, Flower Carpet roses are ideal for any pollinator garden, large or small. They’re particularly good for wildlife habitats because they don’t need any chemicals or pesticides to keep them blooming and performing for months on end. They’re also very easy-care and don’t require any fancy pruning; they just need to be cut back each spring. Honey bees particularly like the Red, Coral and Pink varieties. As a bonus, Flower Carpet roses also provide shelter for small birds and butterflies.

Volcano garden phlox are real butterfly and hummingbird favourites, especially the bright Pink, Red and Purple varieties.

Native plants are essential for attracting native species of butterflies and birds as well, regardless of where you live. Wildlife-attracting plants include hollyhocks, daylilies, thistle, coneflowers, bee-balm, black-eyed Susan, morning glories, hibiscus, salvias, butterflyweed (asclepias) and tickseed (coreopsis). There are a number of lists of bird and butterfly-attracting plants available on the web. All you need do is refer to one of these when you’re selecting plants for your new garden (or hunting down interesting additions to your existing landscape). It’s not hard to do; it’s just one more thing to think about when you’re making your selections.

Plants that provide shelter are also crucial to attracting wildlife in the garden. Depending on the amount of space you have, adding a few trees – particularly fruit-bearing or flowering trees like Fairy Magnolias® (seen below) can be extremely helpful in creating ideal habitats for birds, butterflies and bees. No trees? Just add a few bird houses along the fence line.

Limited space?  Don’t despair – you can still attract birds and butterflies if you provide nectar-filled plants. Both hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to red, yellow, orange, pink and purple blossoms. All 3 varieties of Tropicanna® cannas are great not only because of their bright orange or red blossoms but also because their exotic multi-colored striped foliage is beautiful all season long, even when the plants aren’t blooming. They’re also great in ponds or water features.

These are incredibly simple steps that will make a profound difference to any garden and to those enjoying it. Sharing your outdoor space with other living things adds a dimension that will have you hooked before you realise it!

Want to see more inspirational ideas click here!