Pollinator Gardens

Local Pollinator Habitat to Visit

March 31, 2016

In 2010 the Southeastern Research Station (SRS) of the US Forest Service contacted the Buncombe County Master Gardener office for help in creating a landscape project to comply with a new US Secretary of Agriculture mandate and be part of the People’s Gardens initiative. At the time, there was no budget of dollars or hours, and a tour of the property revealed several extremely challenging sites. Thanks to the dedication and passion of a hard-working crew of Master Gardeners and employees of the SRS, the garden took shape. Individuals, nurseries and the Botanical Gardens of Asheville (just across the street) donated plants which went into the ground in June.

During that record-breaking hot, dry summer it was a struggle just to keep the plants alive, and we wondered if we had attempted the impossible. When a small work crew gathered one blistering hot day, we could not believe our eyes: a monarch caterpillar had eaten the foliage on the five small butterfly weeds (asclepias tuberosa) we had planted. How had the mother butterfly found this minuscule patch of host plants for her eggs!? Fast forward five years to a thriving habitat teeming with life and sporting signage donated and installed by a local scout troop. The garden is a reflection of what a small, dedicated team can accomplish, especially when they plant the right plants in the right place. Remember the adage about perennials and many wood shrubs. First year they sleep, second year they creep and third year they leap. Most plants, even tough natives best suited to the area, do best with some TLC the first year. The biggest problem with new plants is drying them out. The second is drowning them, especially if they were planted too deeply. The return on the investment of time, energy, and resources during that first year establishing the pollinator garden continues to boom. A dead zone that supported no wildlife now buzzes with activity almost year round.

Please visit the People’s Garden Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 to 5, for a self-guided tour. While you’re in the area, be sure to visit the Pollinator Habitat established throughout the UNCA campus, details of which can be found at https://facilities.unca.edu/pollinator-gardens-unc-asheville .

Master Gardeners also work with many area school gardens. Several of these are pollinator specific or pollinator-friendly including the expansion of the Vance Peace Garden. Even though the ideal pollinator habitat is round rather than linear, the L-shaped border of the garden works beautifully. Once again, success is due in large part to a hardworking, dedicated team. In the case of Vance Peace Garden that team included an active parent group, teachers, Master Gardeners, Bee City USA and even the funding and hard work of local hummus producer, ROOTS.

In June 2012, Asheville became the first certified Bee City USA. Since then nearly 20 other cities from Wilmington, North Carolina to Seattle, Washington have joined the movement, and a sister organization, Bee Campus USA was launched. For plenty of good information and stories, along with excellent resources, be sure to visit http://www.beecityusa.org .

USDA Bee Lab Leader, Jeff Pettis & Diane Almond — Dr. Jeff Pettis, Research Leader of the USDA Research Lab with Diane Almond

This is the final post in our pollinator series written by Diane Almond, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer and Master Beekeper.

Pollinator-Friendly Planting

March 21, 2016

Good news – the list of pollinator-friendly plants for WNC is a very long one. Many are sun-loving, but some thrive in partial and even full shade. By adhering to the overarching principle of ‘right plant, right place’ and to the basic principles described in the previous blog post you can count on thriving plants that attract plenty of pollinators all year long. Here are just a few suggestions.

Coneflowers (echinacea) are now available in so many different sizes, colors and shapes. Pollinators like these sweat bees favor those that are most similar to the original species. In particular, beware the double many-petaled bloomers which do not produce pollen or nectar. — Coneflowers (*Echinacea*) are now available in many different sizes, colors and shapes. Pollinators like these sweat bees favor those that are most similar to the original species. In particular, beware of the double many-petaled bloomers which do not produce pollen or nectar.

Fall is the most critical time of the year for bees, a time when nature offers little (beekeepers call it a ‘dearth’) yet pollinator needs are great. Bumble bees are raising queen, and the new queens, sole survivors of their nests, are looking for food and safe hibernation spots. Honeybees are often desperate for food to keep the colony alive during the winter. A large expanse of goldenrod (Solidago) and aster (Sympyotrichum) will be teeming with life from late summer until late October.

Goldenrod, Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' Goldenrod does NOT cause hay fever or trigger allergic reaction. Wind-pollinated ragweed, no relation to goldenrod, is the culprit. — Goldenrod, *Solidago rugosa* ‘Fireworks’
Goldenrod does NOT cause hay fever or trigger allergic reaction. Wind-pollinated ragweed, no relation to goldenrod, is the culprit.

Add clumps of the lovely, native bunch grasses such as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepsis). For wetter sites, ironweed (Vernonia) and Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium) are top bee and butterfly magnets. Late summer favorites include coneflower (Echinacea), sneezeweed (Helenium), anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) and all the mountain mints.

Several of the mountain mints (pycnanthemum) are native to the area and attract a large diverse number of pollinators in search of both pollen and nectar. Lovely in the pocket meadow, at the back of a cutting garden or in a patch by itself. — Several of the mountain mints (*Pycnanthemum*) are native to the area and attract a large diverse number of pollinators in search of both pollen and nectar. Lovely in the pocket meadow, at the back of a cutting garden or in a patch by itself.

While native plants are always the best option since they co-evolved with the native pollinators, some non-natives are very welcome in the landscape, particularly almost all the culinary and medicinal herbs. Lavender, rosemary, thyme and mint, garlic and onions, and sage (Salvia) are all well loved by pollinators and easily grown without either fertilizers or pesticides. Some, especially the thymes and mints, can do double duty as living ground covers.

Sneezeweed, helenium, a late summer pollinator favorite — Sneezeweed, a late summer pollinator favorite

Remember that almost three quarters of all bee species nest in the ground and need access to bare or barely covered soil. Three inches of mulch is impenetrable. A little-used native ground cover to consider is green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum). It prefers a bit of shade and spreads easily, making a mat of deep green leaves with charming golden blooms for much of the year. Not native but worth considering are the bugleweeds (Ajuga) and pachysandra. One native species, Allegheny pachysandra, is a taller p. procumbens. Pachysandra likes shade, forms a low, dense maintenance-free ground cover with plenty of attractive, pollinator-friendly flowers and, unlike thick mulch, offers access for ground nesting and hibernating bees.

Abelia, here hosting a swallowtail, is not native to our mountains, but performs beautifully, often in bloom for six months or more. The dwarf varieties such as 'Rose Creek' maintain a neat, compact 2-3 foot wide shape which the bees especially bumble bees favor. — Abelia, here hosting a swallowtail, is not native to our mountains, but performs beautifully, often in bloom for six months or more. The dwarf varieties such as ‘Rose Creek’ maintain a neat, compact 2-3 foot wide shape which the bees, especially bumble bees, favor.

A mixed shrub border provides excellent pollinator habitat. Mixed shrub borders or wildflower borders along agricultural fields are helping to restore native bee populations, increase yields, and reduce dependence on commercially managed, migratory honeybee colonies.

Clethra, called summersweet or sweet pepperbush, is a wonderful, native alternative to the invasive butterfly bush. This Ruby Spice is a taller variety and there is no finer fragrance in my garden. Good dwarf varieties include 'Hummingbird' and '16 Candles'. — Clethra, called summersweet or sweet pepperbush, is a wonderful, native alternative to the invasive butterfly bush. This ‘Ruby Spice’ is a taller variety, and there is no finer fragrance in my garden. Good dwarf varieties include ‘Hummingbird’ and ’16 Candles’.

Some of the shrubs that do best are blueberry, abelia, itea, clethra, hollies (deciduous and bushier ‘blues’), St. John’s wort (Hypericum), witch alder (Fothergilla), Carolina rose, beautyberry (Callicarpa), oakleaf hydrangea, and viburnum.

Bees the blue end of the spectrum to the red and cover the fall-blooming chaste trees (vitex agnus castus). To prevent this not-native from spreading seeds, cut it to the ground each year after the flowers dry up. — Bees the blue end of the spectrum to the red and cover the fall-blooming chaste trees (*Vitex* *agnus castus*). To prevent this non-native from spreading seeds, cut it to the ground each year after the flowers dry up.

Not enough room in your yard for all these wonderful plants? Reduce the size of your lawn. Seriously. Each year, our country’s 63,000 square miles of lawns (about the size of Texas) use 90 million pounds of fertilizer, 78 million pounds of pesticides, consume roughly half our drinking water and is a food desert as far as pollinators are concerned. Factor in the toxic exhaust (11 times more pollution per hour than the average auto) created by 3 billion hours of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment, and you can see how reducing lawn size by any amount is good not just for pollinators, but for all of us.

When it comes to pollinator-friendly plants, there is an overwhelming amount of information available. Some of the most valuable resources are:

http://www.xerces.org (best books plus free brochure, info, plant lists from The Xerces Society)

http://www.pollinator.org (excellent brochures, especially the free Planting Guide customized to your area)

http://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/(a wealth of info on the Pollinator Conservation page of this site by Chatham County Extension Agent, Debbie Roos)

Written by Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Diane Almond.

Pollinator Habitat: The Principles

March 12, 2016

Pollinator habitat supports and protects life. Like habitat for any living creatures, it provides food and water, safe nesting sites to raise young plus materials for building nests, and undisturbed areas for overwintering. Before heading to the local nursery for new plants, take stock of your landscape and figure out how you’ll apply a few basic principles.

Bigger is Better: At least eight patches (twenty is the gold standard) three feet across or wider of different species that bloom in succession over the longest possible time are needed. One large garden with eight patches is far more attractive to pollinators than a patch here, another patch over there.

Natives, naturally: Native plants co-evolved alongside native bees and other pollinators, so they should be your first choice. Purchase from a trusted source where you know the plants have been raised without pesticides, especially the systemic ones, that are toxic to bees and butterflies.

Diversity: Your selected plant species, whether eight or eighty, should be diverse, not just in bloom time but also in color, size and shape of flower and plant size. Butterflies and hummingbirds prefer red and orange flowers with longer tubular openings. Bees like blue, violet, yellow and white flowers–since red looks like black to them–and strongly prefer the Aster family such as Golden Alexander, Cone Flowers, Brown Eyed Susans, Sunflowers, Asters, Goldenrod and any of the hundreds of species in this largest of flower families.

"Butterfly weed, asclepias tuberosa, not only provides food for monarch larvae, but also supplies pollen and nectar for many varieties of bees including these honey bees. — “Butterfly weed, asclepias tuberosa, not only provides food for monarch larvae, but also supplies pollen and nectar for many varieties of bees including these honey bees.

Think Outside the (Perennial) Box: While a sunny meadow covered with wildflowers is a near-perfect pollinator playground, a wide mixed shrub border or bed is a close second. Over time the woody shrubs can become the biggest bang for your plant-buying bucks. A single deciduous holly, blueberry, fothergilla or clethra bush equates to one of your eight 3-foot wide patches. Some vines, ground covers, herbs and annuals also delight the bees.

Honey bees enjoy shallow, rough watering spots such as this old bird bath with warm, even dirty (mineral-rich) water year round.

Butterfly Babies: Bees make nests and provision them with food to raise their young. Butterflies and moths search out just the right host plant with foliage that will feed the newly hatched eggs. You probably know that Monarch babies (larva) must have leaves of Milkweed (asclepias) to make it to the pupa stage. But there are many butterflies with unique larval host needs.

Milkweed plants (genus, asclepias) are the only plants on which the monarch butterfly can lay her eggs: larval host plants.

Beware: The fancy cultivars of native plants such as the super short, double bloom Coneflowers do not function nearly as well in the pollinator garden as the original species. Stay as close to the species as possible, and when you try a cultivar, watch to see how it functions in the landscape. A special warning about sunflowers–many have been bred to be pollen-less, because as cut flowers, the pollen stains clothes and tablecloths. Be sure your sunflowers are the natural pollen-producing ones. In fact, consider planting the Lemon Queen variety and taking part in the largest citizen science effort: The Great Sunflower Project http://www.greatsunflower.org

Leaves that need to be raked and bagged? Or a good insulating blanket for wintering pollinators?

Nests and Winter Retreats: As you plan the design of your flowering patches keep in mind that almost 3/4 of native bees nest in the ground. They need access to soil for tunneling. Bumble bees especially love hiding under clumps of bunch grass and these grasses can be lovely year round features in the landscape. Leave a fallen log or a stump to be developed, first by beetles and then the mason bees.

Snags and fallen logs provide beetle food and housing. Solitary bees including mason bees will use the beetle-made tunnels for nests in subsequent seasons.

Leave the edge of your lawn long, or mow it high from late fall until you see the bees emerge after the weather warms. And that leaf or brush pile? Locate it in an out-of-sight corner of your yard and hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign to remind you it is supporting the lives of vitally important species.

Pollinators do not appreciate an impeccably kept landscape. If possible, find a corner or spot in your yard that can remain undisturbed. The songbirds will also thank you.

Next we’ll get to the topic you’ve been waiting for: Pollinator Friendly Plants. Yes, you have your favorite foods, and so do bees!

Written by Diane Almond, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

Pollinator Gardens

Local Pollinator Habitat to Visit

Pollinator-Friendly Planting

Pollinator Habitat: The Principles

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