Over the years my gardening has evolved, and the single thing I have done to have more abundance in my garden is planting for the pollinators. The pollinators are bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beneficial insects, and any creature that will transfer pollen from one plant to another. There is a saying, "If you build it, they will come." That was the result of my gardening, and it is now a joy to watch the ecosystem that has developed.
This picture is of rudbeckia and anise hyssop. They both self-seeded in this location and were a huge attraction to goldfinches and bees.
Here are petunias and geraniums, which the hummingbirds love.
The red trailing verbena and petunias were also a huge hit with the hummingbirds. The bees love the lavender.
The echinacea and the daisies are a favorite of the butterflies.
There are many flowers in this photo; the impatiens in the foreground pot are frequented by the hummingbirds.
This row of cosmos is attractive to butterflies and bees.
The bees can't leave basil alone. This is a variety of purple basil; I am not sure which one.
Marigolds repel some insects, but some butterflies will be attracted to them.
This bramble hedge may look unruly, but I created it this way on purpose. The blackberries grow in the wild with native grasses and daylilies just like this in our area, and the beneficial insects love this spot in my yard. Each year I find several praying mantis casings here, and also the fireflies will emerge from this area of my yard too. I absolutely love fireflies!
Here I am trying to establish poppies in my yard; the butterflies will be attracted to them.
Dianthus will attract butterflies and bees; I always edge my garden with these.
These petunias are the single greatest attractor of hummingbirds to the garden. I have tried many times to catch them with my camera, but they are too fast. Last year I grew two different petunias, and these also attracted the hummingbirds.
Lavender is always covered in bees! I grew these myself from seed. It will be the second year you will get a good bloom from them.
Yarrow attracts butterflies and beneficial insects. The beneficial insects will eat the not-so-beneficial insects.
Herbs are a must in the garden; I use some in cooking, but I also love to see the butterflies and bees attracted to them. The parsley will be a host plant for the black swallowtail.
Stargazer lilies and tiger lilies both attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
You can always find bees buzzing around the sunflowers. When the seeds dry out, the birds also love them.
Begonias will attract hummingbirds. I have used them in pots for many years.
In this photo I mixed up dusty miller and impatiens. The yarrow grew beside the pot.
The result of all this planting are captures like this! This is the giant swallowtail. It is the largest North American swallowtail, with a wingspan of 6-7 inches across. This was in my yard a few years ago, enjoying my zinnias. I had never seen one and was most excited to catch it visiting.
While many butterflies visit my garden, this black swallowtail is by far one of the most common. I see them every year. Here it is on the echinea.
This was a self-seeded row of rudbeckia and anise hyssop, which much to my surprise, was very popular with goldfinches. I think there are five of the goldfinches in this picture.
Another benefit of all these flowers are bouquets!
For some reason some of the neighborhood cats have even made a home here. A mother cat left four kittens in my yard years ago, and this is one of the offspring. He has been a wonderful garden companion and now in his older years has become my mother's housecat.
The flowers are blooming with abundance due to the pollinators.
The fruit is also very productive; just look at the amount of gooseberries that are being pollinated each spring.
It is also amazing to see frogs, all sorts of them, and this last year we noticed native lizards, each animal doing its part to contribute to my garden.
So whether I grow flowers in pots, raised beds, or the ground, the results are stunning in that when I added them, the whole habitat of my garden thrived. So when I built a pollinator garden, much by trial and error, the beneficial habitat grew from that.Happy gardening!
In Victory,
Sherry
