Growing a Garden to Bring in the Pollinators

A thriving ecosystem starts with the health of your garden. Want to invite more pollinators in? I know you do! It’s time to learn how to successfully grow a pollinator habitat in ANY space – whether you have in-ground garden beds or container plants – without using toxic chemicals. But before that, let’s dig into the pollination process and the beneficial insects that contribute to it.

Pollination (and Pollinators) Explained

Pollination is accidental reproduction. A pollinator, like a bee, visits a flower to sip nectar or gather pollen. When they fly away, the pollen grains transfer and disperse among other plants. This allows them to seed, reproduce, and create more plants.

The most familiar pollinators are bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Lesser known garden allies also include:

Why Pollinators Matter For Your Garden

You might consider some of these pollinators or the insects they eat to be pests in your garden. However, they are all vital to our food supply and ecosystems. 

Pollinators are responsible for 75% of all food crops and 90% of all flowering plants in the world. “Essential for food production” doesn’t even scratch the surface… they bring us an estimated 1 out of every 3 bites of food. They’re also important for biodiversity because they sustain our ecosystems by helping plants reproduce.

As you can see, pollinators matter. Now let’s dig into how to attract them.

How to Create a Garden Environment to Attract and Protect Pollinators

There are a few easy things you can do to attract pollinators. Any effort toward sustainable, organic gardening is a step in the right direction toward a thriving ecosystem within your garden and beyond. However, the first question to ask yourself is what do pollinators need? 

Every living creature needs 3 things:

  1. Food

  2. Water

  3. Shelter

But if you want to create a garden environment for pollinators to truly thrive in, there are a few more things to consider. Let’s dig in!

Plant flowers for bees, butterflies, and other beneficials

There are a variety of nectar and pollen-rich flowers you can plant in your garden or on your patio to support pollinators throughout the seasons. My recommendation is to favor native plants and opt for variety – the aim is to have pollinator-friendly trees, shrubs, and perennials in bloom year-round. 

Plus, don’t forget about the littles! Many of the tiny pollinators you commonly see in your garden require pollen and nectar as a vital part of their diet. I recommend you grow a variety of flowers that look like daisies or sunflowers as well as plants that grow in clusters of tiny flowers.

If you’re local to Sonoma County, here are my favorite flowers and herbs (for bees and butterflies especially):

  • Asters

  • Gaillardia

  • Coreopsis 

  • Cosmos

  • Yarrow

  • Ceanothus

  • California-native buckwheat

  • Lavender

  • Catmint/Nepeta

  • Thyme

  • Oregano

  • Parsley

  • Cilantro

And when the flowers complete their lifestyle, let some of them go to seed for the birds to enjoy rather than dig them up. This is a great way to support your garden’s pollinators. 

Offer a water source

The pollinators and birds are working hard! Provide a water source for them to keep them around. 

A shallow glazed saucer filled with pebbles or small stones works well. Just be sure to avoid salty beach stones. Only fill it halfway with water to allow the small bees to drink without drowning. Rinse and refresh daily to prevent mosquitos from breeding.

Provide a safe habitat

Create an oasis for these beneficial insects by intentionally leaving space in your garden that’s undisturbed by pets, children, or adults.

You can use branches from trees and shrubs to line walkways or garden paths, use chunky arbor wood mulch to provide shelter for pollinators, or leave an area of your garden raw and natural for the ground-nesting bees. In the fall, leave the leaves! This provides refuge for beetles, lizards, birds, and other wildlife.

Habitat gardens provide connectivity and help restore biodiversity. It is also a place for pollinators and insects to stop and refuel as they travel through urban, suburban, and wildland areas. Think of your garden as a resting stop. Ecologists refer to this as “habitat connectivity” or “extending wildlife corridors” and it’s incredibly important.

Apply sustainable gardening practices

Maintain your garden naturally to ensure soil, air, and water stay healthy, clean, and free from poisons. Here’s how:

  • Use organic methods for maintaining your garden

  • Nurture your soil with compost and other organic materials rather than synthetic fertilizer

  • Keep some areas of your garden uncultivated/mulch-free

Say no to chemicals

It’s best to avoid pesticides and other chemicals in the garden. They don’t offer a long-lasting solution to the problem if the root cause isn’t addressed. Even organic pesticides are harmful, as they’re designed to kill – that includes important pollinators and beneficial insect populations.

Plus, chemical pesticides have residuals that linger and move quickly with any run-off. When you consider that our gardens are like a watershed, this becomes an issue. Any water not absorbed into the soil runs off into a stream, creek, river, estuary, and then the ocean. It’s grabbing debris, chemicals, waste, and oils along the way. 

This type of pollution negatively affects our environment and everything living within it. This is why it’s important to say no to chemicals! Pesticides are overkill. If necessary, use eco-friendly pest solutions. They’re healthier for you, don’t harm the pollinators, and help support a thriving garden.

Follow integrated pest management principles

This sustainable, eco-friendly approach to gardening offers alternative pest management solutions that keep your garden’s pollinators alive. 

When it comes to pests in the garden, don't react to every insect you see. Here’s why:

  • Less than 2% of the insects in the garden are pests, according to the Xerces society

  • Bugs in the garden are seasonal and expected

  • Pests are food for beneficial predators like ladybugs, soldier beetles, spiders, birds, lizards, snakes, frogs, and bats, which help keep a healthy balance

  • An infestation of a pest can be a clue that something isn’t working or that the plant is stressed (and addressing the root cause instead of treating the symptoms will increase the health of the plant and your garden)

This approach requires you to reevaluate your threshold of tolerance and build your resilience as a gardener. In return, you can enjoy a thriving garden and surrounding ecosystem.

Ways We Can Grow Together

Plant health and harmony comes back to our resilience as gardeners and an understanding of how one element can impact our entire ecosystem. In the case of pollinators, how can we create the most nurturing environment for these allies so they can then help our garden grow.

I love to talk about this concept during my virtual webinars and in-person tabling events. A recent event attendee said it best:

“I was assuming I’d learn about a few plants to include in my garden that would attract bees and butterflies. What Suzanne shared, however, was a plethora of information that opened my eyes to see how insects, birds, plants, and earthen elements are intertwined in all their forms and phases of life to maintain harmony and health among one another. Supporting pollinators is an artful dance with nature set to the tune of buzzing bees and chirping birds.” –Holly T. in Marin Co., CA

Join me and other garden enthusiasts at the next event or invite me to speak with your club or organization about being water-wise, pollution prevention, weeds management, soil health, IPM, and more!

Suzanne Bontempo