Create your own bee and butterfly pollinator garden

We all want to have a beautiful garden with lots of variety, colour and abundant flowers, but does your garden serve pollinators?

You can still have a beautiful garden while providing food and shelter for bees and butterflies by choosing native plants instead of ornamental ones. As people have become more aware of the steady decline in bees, birds, and butterfly populations they are being encouraged to plant “pollinator-friendly” and “native plants.” But why are native, plants more important than exotic or ornamental plants?

Firstly, we have to understand that there are many types of flying pollinators which include bees, butterflies, moths, flies, bats and hummingbirds. There are more than 400 types of wild bees in Ontario, but you may not even recognize them because they are so tiny that they can be mistaken for flies.

Get up close to a cherry tree in bloom and you will see hundreds of different species of flying insects on every blossom. They are collecting nectar and pollen to feed themselves and their young. While they are foraging, pollen sticks to the hair on their bodies, so they pollinate the plant as they move from flower to flower. Eighty percent of our food crops rely on insect pollination. That means these seemingly insignificant creatures are doing the most valuable work on the planet! Their pollination activity ensures the production of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and other crops that we depend upon for our survival.

Native wildflowers and the bees depend on each other for survival because they have evolved together over thousands of years. Native plants and flowers are the species that were growing in North America before the settlers arrived. These native plants and trees depend on local bees for pollination.

Not every kind of bee can feed on every flower. Some bees are ‘specialists’ which means they can only suck nectar from flowers that fit their size and the length of their tongue, while some bees are ‘generalists’ and can feed from a wider range of flowers. Generalist bees are able to extract nectar from most open-faced flowers, while a specialist bee, with long tongue, is required to reach deep into trumpet shaped flowers. Consequently, when we plant flowers from other countries, our native bees may not be capable of extracting the nectar or digesting the pollen from these foreign plants, so they starve.

 By planting a pollinator friendly garden, you can provide food and shelter for pollinators to feed and raise their young. Master Gardener Betty Knight takes an integrated approach to creating a pollinator garden. “Most people already have established gardens, so my approach is to introduce a few new native plant species every year, gradually replacing invasive and exotic plants with eco-friendly choices. We have to redefine beauty when it comes to the outdoors. If your garden isn’t being eaten, it isn’t contributing to the ecosystem!”

Start by surveying your yard and determining which plants are non-native. Many imported plants and trees, which were once considered exotic, may now be regarded as invasive species. For example, English ivy is now considered invasive because nothing eats it, so it can eventually take over your entire garden by choking out other plants and trees and even destroying brick siding as it climbs.

A great replacement is Virginia creeper. This native vine is a nice substitute that will provide a luxurious green carpet in summer, and if left to climb will turn brilliant colors in the fall without destroying the brickwork. It acts as a caterpillar host for sphinx moths and attracts fruit feeding birds, such as chickadees, nuthatches, catbirds, finches, flycatchers, woodpeckers, tanagers, swallows, vireos, warblers, mockingbirds, and thrushes. 

“Replacing a few plants and shrubs, and gradually converting more and more lawn to garden each year makes for an easy transition,” says Knight. “I love flowers, so I plant a large variety of unique native species that are aesthetically pleasing, then wait to see who shows up to feed on them. An unchewed garden is not a useful garden — I love watching the leaf cutter bees make burrito blankets out of redbud leaves for their larvae.” 

 Purchasing plant plugs from a nursery is a quick way to get a jumpstart. Native plants are perennial so they will continue to grow every year. It usually takes two to three years for them to become fully established. Native plants are low maintenance and require very little water because they are adapted to Niagara’s climate. Once they are established, you can split them or gather seeds to share with friends.

Suggestions for planting 

Bees are attracted to colour so large groups of the same plants are easier to find. Plant three plugs in a twelve-inch hole and be sure to leave at least a foot of space between holes so they have room to expand as they grow. Most pollinator plants prefer full or semi-sun but shade varieties can also be found. Water for the first six weeks and then only during dry spells — most native plants are very drought-tolerant. 

Round gardens: remove a section of grass where the plants can grow tall and not shade other plants. Plant the tallest varieties in the centre and shorter ones at the perimeter.

Rectangular gardens: plant the tallest plants at the back and shorter ones toward the front. 

Integration: clear spaces between your existing plants and arrange in clumps. Bees are attracted to colour so large groupings of the same plants are easier to find. 

Pollinator Partnership is a wonderful organization that offers a wealth of information about protecting pollinators and planting pollinator gardens. You can also take their course to become a certified Pollinator Steward: https://www.pollinator.org/bfg 

Niagara Bee Group is offering mixed flats of flowers with the perfect combination to start your pollinator project. There are five different varieties in each flat which will provide a variety of colours and blossoms throughout the entire growing season. Included are 38 four-inch plugs with a variety of colours and heights within the mix. Plant each variety in groups so the bees can easily find them. Bees are attracted to large clumps of colour where there are lots of flowers close together, and will often pass over single plants because they prefer to forage where there is lots of food.

Apple Hill Apothecary in Niagara-on-the-Lake will be selling the plants and donating $10 from each flat to Niagara Bee Group for their youth education programs.

Purchase Native Flowers Link