Vegetable gardens deeply matter to our health, our well-being and our community and can be a welcoming and nourishing space for pollinators.
By Karen Galloway, Neighborhood House Garden Volunteer
As you begin to plan your garden for this season, consider adding or increasing native and non-native pollinator-friendly flowers in your plan.
Pollinators are nearly as important as sun, soil and water in both flowering plant production and in production of 75% of the fruits and vegetables that feed us. A showy blend of flowers will surely charm bees. Butterflies add glorious color and fragrance and truly foster a healthy ecosystem. These tips and recommendations may be useful.
Right plant, right place, diversity and clusters. Select appropriate plants for your garden, sun location and soil. Think diversity of flowering plants and cluster plants so it is easier for the pollinators to spot and feed.
Match plants to appropriate season. It’s important to provide food throughout the entire growing season with plants that bloom from spring to fall.
Consider a pesticides free space. Many gardeners may be surprised to learn that herbicides (chemical designed to kill plants) can pose a risk to pollinators and the beneficial insects that are necessary in vegetable gardens. Education is available on this environmentally beneficial strategy.
So many beautiful flowers to choose! There is an abundance of native and non-native pollinators flowers to choose from. A trusted and accurate resource, Oregon State University Extension/Native and non-Native plants for Oregon pollinators can be a great guide. Your local nursery is always a solid choice.
Here are a few Oregon Native plants to consider:
- Salvia (Sage) an aromatic tubular flower of blue, purple, pink or reds. Salvia is not only a magnet for pollinators but is drought tolerant and deer resistant.
- Penstemon stems are adorned with striking tubular flowers in hues of soft pink, lavender or fiery red. A perennial wildflower, it attracts hummingbirds and a variety of native bees. An early summer colorful bloomer.
- Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) a perennial with distinctive daisy-like flowers. The petals are rich in color and attract bumblebees and butterflies
- Milkweed show in clusters of unique star shaped flowers of pink, orange or white and offer nectar for a range of pollinators. Milkweed is a perennial and the primary host for monarch butterfly and caterpillars making it crucial for monarch conservation.
- Lupine, glorious Lupine – all 250+ worldwide species. A short-lived nitrogen-fixer perennial with towers of glorious color of blue, purple, pink or white. A favorite of bumbles, hummingbirds and some butterfly species.
Pollinators in general are attracted to flower color and shape. Be mindful when considering non-native flowering plants that they are not invasive species. Your local nursery will guide you as well as The Nature Conservancy’s – Garden Smart Oregon guide to non-invasive plants.
Here is a sampling of non-native flowering plants:
- Zinnias – saturated in rich color, zinnias offer nectar to a wide variety of pollinators. Zinnias are annuals.
- Sunflower – iconic and annual, they are a sweet haven for a variety of native and bumblebees.
- Asters – pollinators adore asters. They offer a lot of food in one place. Douglas’ aster’s blue or violet ray florets bloom from late summer through mid-autumn. Fast-growing if given soils with high organic matter and full or partial sun, this perennial spreads vigorously.
- Common herbs like Lavender, Thyme, and Oregano are also great choices.
Vegetable gardens deeply matter to our health, our well-being and our community and can be a welcoming and nourishing space for pollinators. Add a few beautiful flowering plants to your garden and enjoy what happens.
Here’s to a great gardening season. May your harvest be bountiful.
