Creating habitat for wild pollinators in your garden

Gathering flowering branches for my Easter table last weekend, turned my mind towards supporting wild pollinators in our gardens. I’m looking for ways to support the wild pollinators that are hard at work in our communities. Bees, butterflies, moths and even beetles, flies and wasps are doing important jobs. Wild pollinators are responsible for the production of one third of all the food we eat. Your garden can provide essential habitat for wild pollinators. Planting a variety of flowering plants that are rich in pollen and nectar will attract a number of species to your garden. Providing water and nesting sites in your flower beds and building bee hotels that create nooks and cavities for nests will also attract more pollinators by creating pollinator friendly habitat. Even mowing the lawn less and embracing fast growing weedy plants like dandelions and Clover provide rich sources of pollen and nectar. You might consider ditching the weed killer to let wildflowers grow amongst the lawn. Supporting your local growers and supporting wild pollinators goes hand in hand. We’re so fortunate to have so many local farmers to buy fruits and vegetables and honey from in the Hood River Valley. If you can, check out your local farmer’s markets and farm stands or join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

Visit Apple Green’s Yard + Garden Shop for the tools, garden gear and seeds you need to create a pollinator garden. We’d love to see your progress! Share your home and garden projects with us on Instagram by tagging your snapshots with #aginstagrams. See you there!

If you’ve already binge watched every episode of Queer Eye on Netflix, infuse some fun into your day and listen to Jonathan Van Ness’s podcast on bees:

How Can We Be Less Rude To Bees? with Prof. James Nieh