Late last summer, we replaced our deck and patio. This gave us an opportunity to rethink our outdoor space. Over the winter, I’ve done some research into attracting pollinators to our garden. Read on to learn about pollinators and the vital role they play in our ecosystems, and for tips on how you can help them continue their important work.

Why we need pollinators

Almost all flowering plants on Earth need help with pollination. Pollinators move pollen from the male to female part of a flower, marking the important first step of a process that produces seeds, fruits, and the next generation of plants.

Most people immediately think of bees and butterflies when they hear the word pollinator. But there are many other species who help pollinate our plants, including birds, bats, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and hummingbirds.

These tiny creatures we often take for granted play a critical role in our food supply. In fact, they’re responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat, including all fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The plants they pollinate also produce half of the world’s oils, fibres, and raw materials.

Pollinators also support healthy ecosystems. We need the plants they pollinate to help prevent soil erosion and increase carbon sequestration.

(Source: Pollinator.org)

Clearly, we can’t afford to take pollinators for granted, but they need our help.

How you can help pollinators

Like many other creatures in our ecosystems, pollinators are in decline. Their existence is threatened by habitat loss, disease, climate change and the excessive use of pesticides.

The Ontario government provides some tips on how you can help pollinators. Some of the ideas include:

• Choosing native plants to attract native pollinators.
• Selecting a variety of plants that flower throughout the growing season.
• Planting in clusters to improve efficiency of pollination.
• Eliminating or reducing the use of pesticides.
• Considering ways to provide shelter and water sources for pollinators.

(Source: Pollinator health on Ontario.ca)

Plans for my garden

Planting a pollinators patch was one of the things on my 60 before 60 list. As the weather started to warm up this spring, I did some research into plants that would attract pollinators to our garden.

One of the sites I found very informative was pollinator.org. The site has helpful guides for various eco regions across Canada and the United States. The Kitchener-Waterloo area where I live is part of the Manitoulin Lake Simcoe Ecoregion. I found the guide for our region interesting and informative.

Reading the guide and doing some further online research, I learned the large sugar maple trees in our garden are very attractive to pollinators, and the hydrangea and lilac shrubs we planted last fall were a good choice. We also have violets and snowdrops that bloom in spring, and several clumps of sedum that flower in late summer. And the tomatoes and sunflowers we grow every year will also invite pollinators into the garden.

The regional guide suggested several native flower species to attract pollinators. When visiting the garden centre, however, I found that most of the popular annual flowers that grace our gardens aren’t native to Ontario. All is not lost, though. While it’s best to use native plants, many pollinators will also visit non-native plants. Just be careful to avoid invasive non-native plants like the lily of the valley that’s the scourge of my garden. I’ve been trying to dig it out for years.

In the end, I planted a variety of brightly coloured flowers in my planters. Along with the ever-popular geraniums and celosia, I chose a few annuals suggested in the guide. Hopefully the snapdragons, zinnia and verbena will do their job of attracting pollinators to our garden.

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I’ve taken some baby steps in creating a pollinator-friendly space, but I still have more work to do. I’ll keep a close eye on garden activity this summer and do some research over the winter to build on what I learn.

How do you attract pollinators to your garden? Drop me a comment below to let me know.