What Is A Pollinator Garden? 🌼🐝🦋

You've heard of pollinators and pollinator gardens, but maybe you haven't had time to look into what it is yet.
So, what is everyone talking about? Below is a simple breakdown of what it means to plant for pollinators.

What is a pollinator/pollination?

A pollinator is any agent that helps to pollinate plants. Pollinators include insects like bees, wasps, beetles, and butterflies, birds like hummingbirds that drink nectar, and even some mammals and reptiles. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from one flower to another with the outcome of fertilization. When we talk about pollinator gardens we usually focus on plants that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Why plant for pollinators? 

Simply put, because we need them. Pollinators assist us in the production of crops that we use and consume on a daily basis, including: food, fibers, medicine, and more. Without the pollination of flowers we would not have the fruits and seeds that they produce. On a larger scale, by helping to produce the next generation of plants, pollinators impact our air quality, erosion of soil, and overall biodiversity and ecosystems. By planting pollinator plants and shrubs, we support their life-cycles and ours by keeping them around for future generations.

How do I get started?

We make it easy to tell if a plant will help support pollinators with the label "attracts pollinators" on our product pages. The following list of plants is just a few that pollinators are attracted to as a nectar source. Consider these for a dedicated pollinator garden or work them into your current landscape:

Annuals:
Lantana
Supertunias® (Petunia)
Superbells® (Calibrachoa)
Salvia
Vermillionaire® (Cuphea)

Perennials:
Lavender (Lavandula)

Daisies (Leucanthemum)

Shrubs:
Butterfly Bushes
Hibiscus
Hydrangeas

Consider also:

Other nectar plants: bee balm, echinacea, hostas, coreopsis, and yarrow
Host plants (for butterfly caterpillars): dill, parsley, and milkweed

This post just scratches the surface on gardening for pollinators. If you'd like to learn more about pollinator gardens or you would like us to cover another topic, please email us at helpdesk@provenwinnersdirect.com.

Happy gardening! 🌿

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