A guide to pollinator gardening
No matter the size of the garden, every gardener can contribute to successful pollination by providing important food sources and habitats for pollinators.
Even if your space is small, you must think of the overall planting plan for an urban pollination haven. Your garden space links to the next, connecting a green network of habitats throughout the region. This puts you, as a gardener, in a unique position to make a big difference.
What are pollinators?
New Zealand has a combination of native and exotic species that contribute to the pollination of plants. While bees may be known as the mainstream pollinator, there is a long list of beneficial bugs and birds that we should be encouraging into our gardens for pollination purposes.
- Bees (Honey bee, Bumble Bee, Native Bee)
- Flies (Drone fly, Hover fly)
- Wasps
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Beetles
- Birds
Why do we need pollinators?
The main function of a flower is reproduction. To reproduce (produce seeds that grow into new plants), a flower must be fertilised, and this occurs through pollination.
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male’s anther to the female stigma. Without pollination, seeds cannot form, and in many species, fruiting won’t occur.
Dahlia garden
How do we attract pollinators into our garden?
When it comes to creating a garden that supports wildlife, there is more to consider than just plant selection. While including flowers that attract pollinators into your garden is a good starting point, there are many other things that you can do to build a flourishing ecosystem within your backyard.
Diverse habitats
Biodiversity within your garden space will be achieved when you create a variety of habitats. Different pollinators require different habitats for nesting, sheltering, and hibernating. Some species will burrow underground while others may use the stem and leaves of plants to lay their eggs. Different species also require different foraging and food sources so planting a range of different plants and allowing some weedy areas is beneficial.
Here are some ideas for the diverse habitats you may include in your garden space:
- Short grass – clipped lawn
- Long grass – meadow, weedy areas
- Bare ground – sunny patches of bare soil or sandy mounds
- Garden border – include a range of flowers including native and exotic plants.
- Water source – pond, bird bath, bee bath, boggy puddles
- Over-wintering places – upside down pots, bug hotel, leaf litter piles
- Shelter – hedging, shrubbery, rock piles
- Deadwood – dead or fallen trees, dead branch piles or old stumps
- Buildings or old sheds with cracks and crevices
Plant selection
When it comes to selecting foraging and food source plants for pollinators there are certain flowers that are better than others. There are many factors to consider when selecting flowers for pollinators including whether the nectar or pollen is easy to access, what the level of nectar and pollen content is, and if the colour is within the spectrum of the pollinator.
Bees see in shades of blue
Borage is considered a super pollinator plant, especially for bees. This is because the high nectar content, long flowering period, and large volume of flowers per plant. Blue is also one of the colours in the bee’s spectrum and therefore is easily visible. A single borage plant within the vegetable garden will provides months of forage for bees.
Cornflowers, scabiosa, bee balm, phacelia and salvia uliginosa are a few more flowers in shades of blue and lilac that are adored by the bees.
Umbellifers
Hoverflies are particularly attracted to umbellifer shaped flowers which act like a little landing pad.
Allow herbs such as parsley, dill and fennel to bolt or plant lacey caps such as orlaya and Ammi majus (Queen Anne’s lace).
Nectar for butterflies & moths
Verbena bonariensis is an irresistible nectar source for many species of butterflies. It contains a cluster of multiple flowers on one flower-head which enables the butterflies to get lots of food without having to expend much energy to do so. Leaving the seed heads of Verbena bonariensis in place during the winter months will also provide food for birds.
Consider including some night scented flowers, like jasmine or evening primrose for moths, and sunflowers for beetles. Many of which are also predatory insects which will help to control pests such as aphid.
Open centres & thistles
Open centre flowers are easier to access, so opt for collarette dahlias and single-flowered roses rather than the blousy doubled cultivars.
Thistle shaped flowers are also hard to beat for pollinators due to the abundant nectar and pollen found within them. Include ornamental thistles such as cardoon and echinops.
