Increasing visiting pollinators

    Most gardeners already have a number of pollinators visiting their gardens. Here are some tips to increase the pollinators to your garden and to help diminish the impact of habitat loss.
    One thing to keep in mind when creating a garden for pollinators is to have a balance of blooming plants from spring to late fall. Remember, your garden is the “fast food restaurant” for the pollinators. If there is nothing on the menu, naturally no one will stop by. This is an opportunity to liven up your garden and attract some early butterflies, moths and other pollinators. Having something in bloom, even though it might be one type of plant through the season, still provides interest to your garden.
    Another key factor to remember is that not every plant in your garden needs to be a native. In the Welcome Center Pollinator Garden, we planted a sunflower called Helianthus Lemon Queen. This Helianthus is a perennial plant. It is a cultivated variety. When you have a cultivated variety, this means a plant was crossed with the genetics of another plant and the two parent plants created a new cultivated variety of some original plant found in nature. There are many cultivated varieties that will attract high numbers and varieties of pollinators. Helianthus Lemon Queen is one of them. The blossoms reach 2 inches and make a nice cut flower. The plant will grow to 6 to 8 feet in maturity.
    Other late flowering plants that can complement Helianthus are listed below:
    — Solidago spp. Goldenrod is a native found mostly in prairies and meadows. It starts flowering in late summer and goes through the fall.
    — Agastache foeniculum Blue Giant Hyssop starts blooming in July through August with a blue and/or purplish flower color. This is also called Anise or Blue Lavender Hyssop. Using the Latin name will get you the correct plant. If you were to crush the leaves of this Hyssop, it would smell like licorice. Some of the other Hyssop plants have a similar scent. Hence, Agastache can be referred to as the Licorice plant.
    — Cleome serrulata Rocky Mountain Bee plant named because they produce a great deal of nectar and attract bees. They are also commonly called the Spider Flower. This plant seeds prolifically. Once you have it, you might always have it reappear in the garden. This is a native annual. There are many cultivated varieties in seed catalogues.

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