Growing a Pollinator Garden

Growing your own pollinator garden is not as challenging as you might think! This page has ideas and resources for growing a pollinator garden here in your own backyard :)

What IS a pollinator garden, and why should I plant one?

To put it simply, a pollinator garden is a group of plants which attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.  When the pollinators visit your plants, they get pollen on their wings, which they then spread to other plants and fertilizer them.  It is estimated 1/3 of our food needs a pollinator to fertilize it in order to grow, including strawberries, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc. Unfortunately, due to an increase in pesticides and smaller wildflower & meadow spaces here in Massachusetts, pollinators are starting to die out. Pollinator gardens bring back their natural habitat and beautify the space. Here are some resources to visit on pollination:

• https://all-americaselections.org/your-vegetable-garden-needs-pollinator-friendly-flowers/

• https://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation

• https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/pa/technical/?cid=nrcs142p2_018171

• https://wildlife.ca.gov/Science-Institute/Pollinators

How do I create a pollinator garden?

Creating a pollinator garden is not as difficult as you might think! There are many native plants growing naturally in Canton you can use to start, or inexpensive plants you can buy as well. Many times these can also be divided in fall or spring, once they are established, to create another garden if you choose. 

1. Choose an area which is currently weeds or grass which you can dedicate to a flower patch. This space should NOT be exposed to pesticides or it will kill the pollinators.

2. Prepare the soil by pulling out weeds and grasses by hand. You can put a tarp or old cardboard boxes on the space to kill the existing plants naturally, making it easier to pull them out.  Again, do NOT, use chemicals to kill the grass and weeds.

3. Research plants which would do well in that space (sun vs. shade, etc.) Also, try to find native plants if possible. Native plants have the best chance of surviving and are a healthier choice for pollinators.  Avoid plants that contain neonics; these plants are grown from seeds that contain pesticides and are toxic to bees.  Here are some questions to ask your nursery.. Here is a link to native plants/bushes/trees in MA.

   • Proven Winners, a plant brand sold at most local nurseries, does not use neonics and you can find these everywhere! I recommend starting with Black Eyed Susan, Cone Flower, Salvia, and Coreopsis but there are so many to choose from! Spring pollinators enjoy flowering trees and fall pollinators like asters and fragrant sedum. 

   • To assist the monarch butterfly population, you can create a waystation.

4. Once you have planted and mulched your flowers with an organic mulch, water them well twice a week.

5. Enjoy! I hope you have many visits from pollinators! In the fall, leave your stalks and then cut them back in March/April.  These flowers are perennial, meaning they will come back in the spring!

Pollinator Garden Resources

• Old Farmer's Almanac Tips for Creating a Pollinator Garden 

• https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/help-pollinators-thrive/plant-a-pollinator-garden

• https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/gardening_for_pollinators_smart_plants_to_support_pollinators

• https://www.xerces.org/pollinator-resource-center/northeast

• TED Talk The Hidden Beauty of Pollinators

• https://www.nofamass.org/mass-pollinator-network/

• https://garden-911.com/

• https://biosurvey.ku.edu/application-free-milkweed-nonprofits-and-schools 

• https://monarchwaystationnetwork.ku.edu/ 

Before and after pictures as well as a photo of a bee on the catmint!