Make Your Own Pollinator Garden!

If you want to fill some space in a yard, see more pollinators and birds, and make an impact on your local ecosystem -- or even just a tiny traveler, a pollinator garden might just be the thing for you!

So, how can I make one?

Step 1: Identify what needs your garden’s help

What pollinators live in your area that need the garden?

Chemical and nutritional make up in nectar, fruit, and seeds, varies from plant to plant. Each plant is unique and serves a specialized purpose in an ecosystem. And insects and animals around the world rely on different things. The nectar of a flower native Europe might be great for the bees there but might be totally useless to bees in Delaware. So, make sure you are getting plants that will be the most beneficial for the pollinators in your area.

Step 2: Assess your site

The conditions of your site will affect which plants are the best to grow there. Look at:

o Soil. Is it sandy? rocky? muddy?

o Sun. Will the plants be in full sun, or will have have some shade?

o Weather. Does your site get a lot of rain? Is the summer very hot and the winter very cold, or is it mild your round?

o Size. How much room do you have to work with. The size and shape of your site will influence how many different plants you can host. If you have a smaller site, just be sure that with your smaller list of plants that you still maintain a good level of diversity.

o Proximity to other natural and unnatural spaces. Are you in an urban area that is landscaped? Are you out in the countryside by a lot of farms? This will likely affect what plants spread where.

Step 3: Curate your plants

When putting together you list of plants, have a well thought out plan of what plants you will plant and why.

Most importantly, what is native to your site?

What plants would grow on your site naturally if it weren't for human intervention. Often native plants have gotten pushed out, so this is a great opportunity to bring them back!

Make sure you get a diverse group of plants.

Having biodiversity in your garden is important for the pollinators and other wildlife that you are aiming to help. If you can, have some for-bumble bees, some for honey bees, some for butterflies, some for birds, some for ants, etc.

Consider the size of the blooms. Make sure to have a variety. Some little pollinators need smaller flowers, and some bigger ones can use bigger plants.

Don’t forget to plant more than just flowers. Also consider adding native grasses to your garden!

Consider all seasons!

Not every flowering plant flowers at once, or for the same amount of time. Think about early season plants and late season plants.

Some plant recommendations from the BCSP garden

Purple Coneflower

Great for bees, moths, and butterflies.

Flowers Late May-August

Wild Bergamot

Great for bumble bees, other bees, and hummingbird moths.

Flowers Mid June- Late July

New England Aster

Wonderful late bloom, late summer into fall. Bees love it.

Flowers August- Sept

Hoary Mountain Mint

Fantastic for all sorts of bees. Honeybees, bumble bees, little bees, big bees, and everything in between!

Flowers Mid June - August or September

Milkweed

Host plant of the monarch butterfly! Other pollinators like bees, beetles, and ants also enjoy.

Flowers June - August (varies)

Butterfly Weed

Very popular among all sorts of butterflies, caterpillars, and bees!

Flowers June -July

Anise Hyssop

Great for bees, beetles, and some butterflies.

Flowers June - August or September

*Caution this plant seems to be popular for Spotted Lanternflies*

Goldenrod

Important late season source of pollen and nectar. Monarchs visit for a last charge before heading south for the winter.

Flowers Late July- Sept

Golden Alexander

Good early season bloom. Great for small pollinators like ants.

Flowers April-June

Step 4: Plan the layout

Once you have your list of plants, start planning the layout of your garden. How specifically organized your garden is, is completely up to you. Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan.

Make sure every plant has the room it needs to grow!
Sorting plants into large patches of color will help pollinators navigate the garden.
Consider having an area free seeded. This is how nature creates spaces like this in the wild, and the pollinators will appreciate the organic assortment of plants. The center of the BCSP garden was done in this way, while the outer edges were planted in a specific planned pattern.
Think about how you want humans to interact with the garden. What sort of pathways do you want, will you put any benches? Think about signage, how, if you will, will you label your plants?
Think about accessibility. Are the paths going to be wide enough and flat enough anyone to traverse them on foot? With a mobility aid?

Step 5: Gather your supplies and your gardeners

Seeds, shovels, gloves, and sunscreen are all at the top of the list!

Step 6: Plant the garden!

Make a day of it, bring snacks and take pictures, have fun!!

Step 7: Maintain and Monitor

Once the garden has been planted it is important to maintain and monitor the garden. With most native plants being perennials, and them being adapted to the environment they are in, they won’t need a lot of specialized care. Just a little help now and then to clear the paths, remove invasives, and provide any support plants might need.

Keep an eye out for invasive plants. Invasive plants are non-native plants that the native ecosystem cannot use or be in balance with. These plants can often cause serious damage to ecosystems and need to be removed as soon as possible.

Bradford Pear

Wineberry

Autumn Olive

Canada Thistle

(Noxious Weed in DE)

Weeds aren't a real scientific classification. Consider what plants are actually a concern (Invasives or Noxious Weeds) vs. what plants are welcome, if unexpected, visitors.

Good plants that may show up without you planting them include:

Philadelphia Fleabane

(native!)

Red or White Clovers

(non-native naturalized)

Birdeye Speedwell

(non-native naturalized)

Dandelions

(non-native naturalized)

Keep an eye out for damage, like weather damage, or deer. But don't worry if the leaves of your plants get holes bitten in them. That just means the insects like them and are using them for food!

Leave the dead plants be through the winter. They are a helpful resource for wildlife, even after they are done flowering. The hollow stems and ground cover provide a safe place for insects and other pollinators to spend the cold winter months. Then in the early spring, trim them to allow the new one to grow. Cut the dead plants about 8 inches above the ground, leave the roots.

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