Do you want to help your local environment and build a beautiful and fun backyard? Then what you need is a pollinator-friendly landscape. Here are a few ways to design your landscaping to attract pollinators and grow your plants and flowers.
1. Plant for Local Pollinators. What are the specific types of pollinators in your area? Make a list and find out what native plants they are most attracted to. California gardeners who want to lure native monarch butterflies, for instance, may want to plant milkweed for maximum butterfly appeal. Milkweed may not be as exciting as more exotic flowers, but including it brings more results.
2. Add Moisture. Water is an essential element for pollinators just as it is for you. So include a bit of both standing and moving water into your landscape. This could be anything from preventing all the water from draining out of certain ground areas to adding a small birdbath or water feature.
3. Allow for all Stages of Development. If you want butterflies, you should also encourage the presence of their caterpillars. Planting for caterpillars is less popular than attracting flying pollinators, but it builds a home for their entire life cycle. Design flower beds and shrubs so that you can accept an amount of leaf destruction from caterpillars and leave some plant debris rather than pruning too harshly.
4. Group Flowers and Shrubs. Create a micro-environment for your local pollinators by grouping different plants or flowers together. A small grouping of plants with a variety of food and nesting sources keeps your pollinators local and healthy, as they can find everything they need without traveling too far.
5. Avoid Pesticides. Garden maintenance is more challenging when you avoid the use of pesticides, weed killers, and other harsh chemicals. But it can be more fulfilling, and it's certainly healthier for pollinators and other wildlife. You may be able to replace toxic materials for things like flowers or herbs that repel certain insects, pets, or wildlife. And problems within the ground can often be countered by proper soil care.
Where to Start
It may take extra effort to include elements in your backyard that will make it pollinator-friendly, but the result will be a landscape you can be proud of. Not only will it be colorful and vibrant from all the wildlife activity, but it will help your community and the pollinators that it relies on. Start designing yours today by meeting with an experienced landscape designer in your area.
When you move into a new home, relandscaping the garden is one way to have it reflect your personality. However, before buying any new plants, you need to know which ones suit your location climate the best.
When it is time to learn about landscaping and plants, but you don't know where to start, then you come to this website and start reading. Climate has a big impact on how well your new plants grow, so it is important to learn about soil testing, plant choice, and growth optimization, amongst other things.
The more you learn about plant choice and then their care, the better the odds of successful growing days.