June has officially arrived, and as we head toward the Summer Solstice it means gardeners have some extra daylight for frivolities in the garden. More importantly, we celebrate Pollinator Month (with National Pollinator Week June 17th-23rd as a highlight), a campaign created by the Pollinator Partnership to create harmony between us humans and nature. We all need to pause and give thanks to all the little creatures in our area that pollinate our flowers in the garden. To take this to another level, yes it is about our gardens, but more importantly this celebration encompasses our local native habitats as well. Simply put, if there is no pollination, there are no seeds, plants, and the vast majority of our food sources are gone. I am hoping that you will ask yourself “What can I do in my own landscape to help?”, the very same question I asked myself years ago in my own garden.
There are many ways pollination occurs with plants, and a number of creatures are essential in making this process happen. We all focus on bees, butterflies and hummingbirds for good reason, but keep in mind that many bats, birds, flies, other insects, and even the wind itself all play pollinating roles in a healthy garden ecosystem. This topic of pollinator health has been on the forefront of research for a number of years, and as we discover both safer products and practices for the garden we continue to unlock the essential relationships between our pollinators and all plants. For me, these are some of the benefits of having a naturally healthy, thriving garden – I get to see the busy bees buzzing about flowers every day, the hummingbird darting in to grab some nectar, and the butterfly floating gracefully down to investigate a flower that caught it’s eye.
I will be talking about this topic in some form or another a number of times over the coming summer months, highlighting some excellent long blooming perennials along the way that will not only bring you months of flower power, but also provide valuable resources to our pollinating friends. To kick off Pollinator Month, let’s start with some good general practices and emphasize the importance of the choices we often make in our landscapes, hopefully gently persuading you to consider actively supporting pollinators in your own garden.
Plant a pollinator friendly garden: Do some shopping, ask some questions and explore your options so that you include a diverse array of flowering plants for multiple seasons of bloom. Ideally, flowers should vary in color, size, and shape and can include valuable natives, but honestly many other non-natives are just as beneficial. There are so many cool plants available to us for this purpose, in both sun and shade, and certainly some that will catch any gardener’s fancy.
Providing a shallow water source and nesting sites: Having water in your garden will help quench pollinator thirst and boost overall health. This can be a simple bird bath, like I utilize in a few locations in my own gardens, or even a shallow pond. Keep in mind that the deeper it is, the more rocks or floating objects you need so that our little friends can land, relax, and access the moisture safely. For bee nesting sites, leave some ground clear here and there for native ground bees to find, or consider adding bee houses or fun insect hotels for solitary bees to nest in. My younger son and I have a blast with our insect hotels and are continuously surprised with the number of beneficial insects that find shelter in them.
Avoid harmful pesticides of any kind: This one is personal with me, as it really comes down to choice. I am not trying to offend anyone (instead hopefully causing us all to pause and examine our choices), so please don’t take this personally… there is a safe, non-toxic, natural or organic solution available for almost any problem that arises in the home garden. Gardeners need to be more proactive and stay ahead of the game with safe preventatives. When a plant becomes infected with a harmful pest or disease, look at safe options for treatment instead of going straight to the old-fashioned bottles of “murder, death, kill”, as I call them. Natural products sometimes take a little longer to apply, or have to be done more frequently for best results, but I can attest to the fact that they absolutely are effective when used properly.
Timing is everything in the garden: After you have made the right decision and purchased a natural or organic product to use, the application timing is just as important. In my own yard and here at Sunnyside we only use safe products, including lots of Neem Oil, Spinosad, and Insecticidal Soap. But, for example, if I go out and spray these on my plants in full bloom on a sunny day at noon, I am still damaging pollinators. Get up early to apply, when pollinators are not active, or later in the evening for the same reason. A bee sprayed with Neem Oil is the same as one that has fed on a plant treated with systemics or neonics – a bee that will no longer be pollinating anything.
You can always seek advice from a Certified Professional Horticulturist on topics such as these or take advantage of the vast information out there on reputable websites; including the Washington Department of Agriculture, Washington State University, and even Oregon State University. Personally, I am honored to be currently serving as President of the WSNLA (Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association), a non-profit dedicated to research on topics such as this and an organization whose main purpose is to pass on valuable knowledge. The WSNLA created WWW.POWERUPYOURPOLLINATORS.COM, a site full of pertinent information which will not only help with some specific plant ideas, but also help educate all of us on safe garden products and practices.
The simple truth is simply this, without our pollinating friends all of our lives would be drastically different. Creatures like bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies perform an invaluable service to us all and they should absolutely be celebrated for all that they do in our world. Please honor them by making the right choices in your landscape and helping to keep them as safe as possible, month after month throughout the entire year. It is up to all of us to act as stewards for our beautiful ecosystem and to help ensure continued pollinator health for the next generation of gardeners to come.
