Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand July/August 2020 | Page 30

The Best Plants for
by Monica Mansfield
Pollinators are on the decline, but by planting
the right plants and providing shelter and water,
you can help them make a comeback while
adding a little colour and purpose to your garden.
Our pollinators are in trouble and we, as gardeners, have
an opportunity to save them. Researchers say if everyone
planted just one pot of nectar-rich flowers, it would restore
healthy pollinator communities. This patchwork of pollinator-friendly
spaces would be enough to rebuild their numbers
by offering them plenty of food and shelter.
As nature is taken over by concrete, lack of food and shelter
are two of the main reasons pollinators are at risk. Pollution,
disease, and the misuse of pesticides are other major contributors
to their dwindling populations.
If we don’t do our part to save them, we will see the effects
on our harvests and on our ecosystem as a whole. Bees,
butterflies, and hummingbirds are essential to our commercial
farms and home gardens. In fact, 75-95 percent of plants
(more than 180,000 different species) rely on them for pollination.
Without our helpful friends, we don’t eat. And with such a
simple solution available to us, we have no excuse not to act.
Besides, who doesn’t love flowers in their garden?
Choosing Pollinator-Friendly Flowers
With so many beautiful flowers out there,
it’s important to choose the ones that
will have the greatest impact. By
following a few guidelines, we
can be sure we are making a
significant difference in our quest
to save the pollinators.
First, be sure to choose plants
native to your region. Your local
pollinators have evolved with your
local plants, and their life cycles are in
sync with one another. Native plants will also thrive in your
environment without the use of pesticides, which you should
avoid using as much as possible if your goal is to help
pollinator communities.
Second, choose plants that bloom at different times of
year so there is a constant buffet of nectar laid out for them
from spring through fall. If they know there is always food
available in your garden, they will be sure to stick around
and call your place home.
Speaking of which, be sure to provide shelter and water
for them in your garden so they don’t feel the need to
go anywhere else. Hollow logs, tree stumps, and
bee houses are ideal habitats. A simple bird
bath with rocks in it for them to rest on will
provide them all the water they need.
Next, be sure to plant groups of flowers in a variety
of sizes and colours. This will attract more pollinators than
individual flowers planted throughout the garden.
By including many different colours,
you will surely to attract a
variety of species. For
example, butterflies are
attracted to red, yellow,
orange, purple, and pink
flowers. Bees are drawn to
blue, white, yellow, and purple.
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Maximum Yield