A Seasonal Guide For Pollinator Plants
Pollinators are essential for our ecosystems and natural environment. Insects such as bees and butterflies are not just a jolly sight in the garden, but an indicator that the environment is healthy and supported. However, over the past few years, we have seen a decrease in healthy pollinators, and our gardens are suffering.
As urbanisation is on the rise, the amount of green spaces we encounter daily has dwindled, leaving pollinators with fewer options than ever before. While this can seem like an overwhelming process, homeowners can actively combat these issues by designing a wildlife and pollinator-friendly garden.
Now more than ever, what you plant in your garden matters, and there are various ways you can encourage pollinators, beneficial wildlife and enhanced biodiversity on your doorstep,
In this post, leading landscapers Taming Mother Nature are sharing the best pollinator plants to include in your garden, and when they should be planted to ensure the best support for our local environments.
The Importance Of Pollinator-Friendly Gardens
Pollinators play a crucial role in the ongoing health and beauty of our natural environments, due to their involvement in the reproduction of flowering plants. A large percentage of flowering plants, which make up the majority of our gardens and parks, rely on pollination at some point in their life cycle, and insects such as bees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths support this.
These insects transfer pollen from one plant to another, which supports their growth and development. With these insects and the transference of pollen they provide, a vast majority of our plants would not survive, including fruits and vegetables.
To encourage these pollinators to continue their essential work, as well as support the natural cycles of your own landscape, pollinator plants should be used across your garden. Various kinds of flowers and plants attract pollinators, encouraging the transference of pollen across landscapes and supporting natural environments during their growth and thriving stages.
Due to a combination of climate change, increased pesticide use, and lack of green spaces, pollinator populations are decreasing worldwide, and the evidence is clear in many of the natural environments that remain. To combat this loss, gardens – especially those in suburban areas – have become even more valuable, and homeowners can play an active role in bettering the environment.
With pollinator plants and wildlife-friendly gardening practices, homeowners can create havens for these essential creatures and support the ongoing health of our landscapes.
The Benefits Of Wildlife-Friendly Gardens
Designing a wildlife-friendly garden, complete with pollinator plants, is not only a great action for the environment but can also provide benefits to your home and lifestyle, such as:
- Better Harvests: Pollination is an essential part of plant life cycles and is required to ensure they bloom and thrive. For those who grow fruits, vegetables and herbs in their garden, pollinator plants can help you experience a better harvest. Encouraging pollinators to your garden will improve crop yields and quality, making your efforts more worthwhile.
- Natural Beauty and Interest: Pollinator plants come in a variety of types and colours, ensuring there is something to suit all garden designs. Encouraging a wide range of plants and flowers into your landscape can create a stunning, engaging display that changes with the seasons.
- Low-Maintenance Gardening: To encourage pollinators and wildlife into your garden, you need to reduce the use of fertilisers, pesticides and other chemical treatments. Pollinator plants encourage us to rely on natural gardening methods, and in many cases, can be left to their own devices. This frees up time and effort from your schedule, as your garden requires less maintenance than before.
The Best Pollinator Plants For Your Garden: A Seasonal Planting Guide
To experience a combination of benefits from pollinator plants, it is recommended to use a mixture of species to ensure overlapping blooming times. Pollinators require support throughout the year, and your garden can continue to play a vital role in biodiversity by having blooms in every season, such as:
Spring: Early Support For Pollinators
The natural world begins to wake up in spring, and this is a great time to start pollinator planting. Planting specific flowers at this time of the year gives your garden a head start and allows pollinators to begin their work without delay. Some of the best plants for this season include:
- Crocus: These pollinator plants provide an early nectar source for bees and are therefore vital during the spring months.
- Pulmonaria (Lungwort): Due to climate change, many bumblebees begin their pollination early in the season, and these plants attract them to your garden and give them early pollen sources to support this.
- Hellebores: These pollinator plants are long-blooming and will continue to thrive throughout the spring and summer months. They can be planted in all kinds of outdoor spaces, as they are shade-tolerant.
Summer: Peak Pollinator Activity
Summer is the busiest time for pollinators and, by extension, our landscapes. This is the prime blooming season for most flowers, where they have reached their peak and provide the most vibrancy. Summer is also the best time for homeowners to spend time outdoors, and you can ensure your garden is a hub of activity by planting the following:
- Lavender: A staple of summer gardens across the region, lavender is not just a hardy and fragrant plant that is suitable for all kinds of outdoor spaces, but it is also hugely attractive to bees and butterflies.
- Echinacea (Coneflower): These beautifully vibrant plants are rich in nectar, making them a valuable resource for pollinators and other wildlife creatures. They are also long-lasting, making them a worthwhile investment for your wildlife-friendly garden design.
- Verbena Bonariensis: These tall, airy pollinator plants are ideal for contemporary outdoor spaces as they add structure and texture to even simple planting displays. They are also extremely butterfly-friendly, so you can experience stunning views in your garden this summer.
Autumn: A Late Season Lifeline
While things tend to slow down in the autumn, there may still be some last-minute pollination occurring, and wildlife is still active. To continue supporting these vital creatures and the last weeks of their pollination process, consider late-blooming plants such as:
- Sedum (Autumn Joy): These pollinator plants provide nectar late in the blooming season, delivering essential nutrients and support to our wildlife even as the weather cools down.
- Ivy: This is a late-blooming pollinator plant that can support bees into October and the later months of the season.
- Michaelmas Daisies (Aster): These pollinator plants are a staple of winter gardens due to their late blooms and long-lasting colour, but they are also great for hoverflies and butterflies.
Caring For Wildlife In Winter: Creating Safe Habitats
Pollination is over when winter arrives, and most plants enter their dormant phase during this time. However, this does not mean your gardening work needs to be over, as you can continue supporting wildlife by making your outdoor space a safe habitat during the winter.
Your garden can provide essential habitats to insects, birds, and other wildlife during the winter through:
- Seed Heads: Leave any remaining seed heads from plants and flowers in your garden, as these can provide both shelter and food to insects, birds and wildlife during the winter.
- Leaf Piles And Wood Stacks: Create small piles of leaves or wood stacks from logs and twigs in corners of your landscape, which will be used as shelter for insects.
- Evergreen Shrubs and Late Bloomers: To ensure a continued source of habitation and food, consider using evergreen shrubs and late-blooming flowers across your garden design. This ensures your garden continues to look great in the winter and maintains some structure.
Conclusion
Creating a wildlife-friendly garden can be an extremely rewarding experience that does not just support your own landscape, but the wider environment too. Pollinator plants, such as coneflowers, lavender, and ivy can be planted at different points in the year to provide lasting support to essential insects and continue the pollination process across the area.
As well as using pollinator plants, additional care can be taken to keep your garden healthy and supportive. Working with leading landscapers, like our team, is a great way to create an attractive, thriving garden that supports biodiversity as we provide a range of plants and organic treatments.
Our experts can provide tailored garden maintenance and landscaping to suit your needs and ensure your garden meets your goals.
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