One of the most important elements to our success as gardeners are pollinators. Without them, a vegetable garden and a perennial food forest are not possible. In fact, nearly 75% of the flowering plants on Earth rely on pollinators to set seed or fruit. It’s no wonder that attracting them to your garden is such an important task.
Before getting into the nuts and bolts of attracting pollinators, one important perspective to keep in mind is the idea of looking at your property/yard as an integrated whole. After all, this is the way pollinators see it. Consider your yard as its own mini ecosystem.
Too often, we have segregated our veggies and flower garden and segmented elements of our yard so they are neat and tidy. Natural systems and pollinators within natural systems don’t make these distinctions, it’s all an integrated habitat for them. Yet the tidiness of your average suburban lot is not ideal for pollinators.
By understanding this integrated perspective, we can begin to design our gardens so that they mimic natural systems. Why not have flowers in the vegetable garden? Can your children’s playspace be integrated with an edible food forest? Integrated does not have to mean untidy yet be prepared to introduce and accept a little more wildness in your backyard if you’re trying to attract pollinators.
Trust me, both you and the pollinators will appreciate it!
So click on the video to learn more.
Want even more information and detailed species lists of what to plant in our climate? Click here to download my 3 Steps to Attracting Pollinators Guide!