There was a time when people would have said, "National What Week?". It's so great to see everyone finally getting on board for pollinators. President Obama has started the push for an initiative to plant millions of milkweed plants along the Monarch migration corridor. And now there's the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge sponsored by the National Gardening Bureau. Things are moving in the right direction.
I hope you'll be doing lots to sustain pollinators not only this week but from now on. For the past year I've been writing a book on this very topic. I've been planting for pollinators for many years now and I've gathered all that wisdom and passion into my first book, Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening For Bees, Butterflies and Other Pollinators. It comes out in February 2016 just in time for planning next year's garden with all sorts of great information and photos for creating a beautiful garden that welcomes and supports these vital creatures. I'll have more info about the book as the time draws near. I'll tell you though, it can't happen soon enough!
If you're busy with summer activities or perhaps overwhelmed with weeds, here's the three most important things to know in a nutshell about creating a garden that supports pollinators.
- Plant more flowers. They are the source of pollen and nectar that pollinators call food.
- Avoid pesticides. They kill more than just the pesky pests, pollinators become collateral victims.
- Support their reproductive cycles with bare dirt and deadfall wood for bee nesting, as well as larval host plants like milkweed for hungry caterpillars.
In the meantime join me on Twitter every Tuesday at 8pm CT for #pollin8rchat when I along with lots of knowledgeable and enthusiastic folks share our passion for pollinators and strive to answer everyone's questions on this urgent issue.
Happy gardening!
