Spring 2001 Table of Contents

Bring on the pollinators with a nectar garden
by Flora Johnson Skelly (condensed from original “Northwest Garden News” article)

As gardeners, we think of flowers as objects that are pretty to look at and sometimes lovely to smell. But for Mother Nature, flowers serve a more serious purpose. Their role is to promote the exchange of genetic material (pollen) between plants. Each flower contains a gift of sugar water (nectar) that is eaten by flying creatures such as hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, moths, and even bats. As these creatures visit successive flowers, they pick up pollen from one plant and transfer it to another. That’s why they are referred to as “pollinators.”

Because of the connection between flowers and pollinators, we can have beautiful flower gardens that also attract a wide variety of creatures that are beautiful and fun to watch. What’s more, a flower garden of this type is not likely to produce allergic reactions. When pollen is so heavy that it has to be carried from plant to plant, it’s not likely to end up blowing on the breeze - and into your nose.

In creating a nectar garden remember that different pollinators need different plants.

Butterflies, for example, prefer flowers that offer them a sturdy “landing platform” on which they can perch without injuring their wings. This explains their preference for flat, daisy-like blooms like those of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and other flowers that provide broad, sturdy landing surfaces, such as Sedum spectabilis “Autumn Joy.” Many authorities also believe that butterflies, which have scent receptors on their feet, are attracted to fragrant blooms.

Being cold-blooded, butterflies require heat from the sun in order to warm their muscles enough so that they can fly. They also have difficulty flying in windy spots. Hence, your butterfly-attracting plants should be planted in your garden’s sunniest, most wind-sheltered spot.

Unlike butterflies, hummingbirds do not need to land in order to take nectar from flowers. As a result, their favorite plants often sport hanging, tube-shaped blooms. Our native columbine, Aquilegia formosa, is one such hummer favorite. Crocosmia “Lucifer” is another.

Typical of birds, hummers do not have a well-developed sense of smell, so hummingbird plants need not be fragrant. Some authorities believe that they are attracted to the color red. (Some recent research suggests this is not true, however, and that hummers are likely to check out any brightly colored bloom.)

Gentle, comical bumblebees are perhaps the most faithful visitors to a well-designed nectar garden. On any given day, from early in the morning until late in the afternoon, any garden with flowers is likely to be visited by many of these fat bees with their black and amber “fur coats.” Fortunately, because most bumblebees are not very aggressive, the chances of being stung are slight.

“Bumbles” are willing to visit almost any bloom that offers the possibility of nectar. Although they are insects, bumblebees are able to warm their muscles by shivering; as a result they can fly when many other insects cannot. This makes them especially valuable as pollinators.

Because of their size and relative cleverness, bumblebees are able to get nectar from some flowers that frustrate all other pollinators. The striking blue flowers of monkshood (Aconitum spp.), for example, are so deep and complicated in structure that, according to at least one authority, only mature bumblebees are able to figure them out.

Other things to consider in designing a nectar garden:

• Avoid using hybrid species of plants, especially recent introductions. Unfortunately, plant breeders usually focus on characteristics that they think will be attractive to humans, not pollinators. As a result, a newly developed hybrid may lack qualities a pollinator needs, such as an adequate supply of nectar. Some fancy flowers, such as “double” blooms, may be so complicated that pollinators cannot get into them in order to get nectar. When designing your garden, plan on using species varieties, wildflowers, and “old-fashioned” varieties.

• Try to have something blooming throughout the growing season. Hummingbirds eat insects and can use feeders if there is nothing in bloom, but butterflies must be able to find flowers. Because different butterflies appear at different times of year, it’s particularly important to have butterfly plants that bloom at different times, from early spring (forget-me-nots) to late fall (asters).

• Keep your nectar garden PESTICIDE FREE and friendly to insects. Many of our most common pollinators - butterflies, bees, moths - are insects. Other pollinators, such as hummingbirds, rely heavily on insects as sources of food. Either way, gardeners who enjoy pollinators learn to appreciate insect guests.

• Provide more than nectar. Athough pollinators may visit your flower garden in search of food, they also need places to raise their young and find shelter. Parts of the garden that many of us regard as “messy” are often the very places where our small visitors are trying to bring up babies or keep themselves safe from predators and cold. These include rock and brush piles, dead or dying trees, soft earth, muddy spots, natural areas of all types, and, yes, even “weedy” spots. You’ll do yourself and your little friends a big favor if you learn to enjoy a certain amount of garden “mess”!

Flora Johnson Skelly is a garden designer specializing in wildlife habitat and native plant gardens. If you would like to be on her mailing list, contact her at 425-868-8324 or wildflora@wildwords.com. For more information on wildlife-friendly gardening visit her website at http://www.wildwords.com.

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