Getting Started - Resources

Getting Started with a Pollinator Garden

You've seen some native plant gardens - you understand the need - now what?  

Maybe you've volunteered at one of the gardens or restoration projects featured on this website.  The next step is to plant some natives in your own yard in order to begin creating your own bit of pollinator habitat.  

Ready to begin?

Here are some initial questions to ask:  How much space do you have?  What is the soil like?  How about the sunlight - all day, just part of the day?  Full shade?  Is your space dry, wet, or in between?

Next, consider what kind of garden would work in your space (and your energy level) - a rain garden at the base of a downspout?  A terrace on a hillside? If you have the space, maybe a meadow? Or maybe a flower pot on your deck?  

And finally, what garden plants will appeal to you?  What have you seen in Greenfield's pollinator gardens that you'd like to see in your yard?  Or can you create a habitat retreat that includes not just flowering plants, but maybe a few shrubs or even a tree?

You can get guidance answering these questions and making initial choices on Homegrown National Park's Quick Start Guide.   When you're ready to acquire plants, check out the information below to learn Where to buy plants, and What to buy.

Not Sure What Will Grow in Your Garden?

Even an experienced gardener can wonder what plant choices are best for a specific spot, or to attract a particular pollinating insect. The Homegrown National Park Quick Start Guide can give you some guidance.  Help Choosing Plants will give you more guidance specific to our local ecosystem.  Once you have a list of suggested plants, learn more about each one to see if they have particular requirements such as  soil type.  The plant may come with a descriptive tag that gives these details; if not, a website search can get you to sources that will help.

Native Plant Nurseries - Are They Needed?

Many plant nurseries do sell some native plants in addition to non-natives.  However, the person you ask may not be knowledgeable about the differences.  (Some will think 'perennial' is the same as 'native', for example.) And if you see a garden section featuring 'natives', find out whether these are 'straight species' natives - plants as they would have grown in the wild -  or are they 'cultivars' - clones bred for one specific trait. 

Here are some examples.  If you find the native Penstemon digitalis, Foxglove Beardtongue, you've found a native.  But if you find Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red',  you've found a cultivar whose genetic material is limited to that of the ancestor that produced the red-tinged leaves - leaves favored by gardeners, but not necessarily attractive to insects. 

Or maybe you're looking for a shrub.  You learn that Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius, is a native shrub. You are attracted to the dark foliage of Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo'.  But this is a cultivar whose dark foliage has been shown to not appeal to the same insects that favor the foliage of the 'straight species' ninebark.  However, the flowers seem to attract the same pollinators as those of the straight species.  (Can you plant other shrubs that appeal to the caterpillars needed as bird food?)

It is also important to make sure the plants you purchase are free from herbicides and pesticides, especially neonicotinoids.  Learn more about these chemicals and their harm to pollinating insects on the Xerces Society website page, Understanding Neonicotinoids.

Bottom line:  Wherever you shop, ask questions and read labels!  

Fortunately for gardeners (and the birds and insects we love),  more and more nurseries in our area strictly sell native plants that have been carefully propagated from seed to ensure the resilience of genetic diversity and without the use of neonicotinoids or other pesticides.  Native Plant Nurseries will take you to a list of local nurseries that grow and sell plants native to our region.