Pollinator Garden Guide
How to design and maintain garden spaces that support bees, butterflies, and other essential pollinators.
Why Pollinators Matter
Roughly one out of every three bites of food we eat depends on animal pollination. Bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and beetles all play vital roles in fruit and vegetable production. Yet pollinator populations are in decline due to habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate disruption.
As community gardeners, we are uniquely positioned to help. Even a small pollinator border alongside a vegetable plot provides forage and shelter for these essential creatures.
Designing a Pollinator Border
Principles
Bloom Succession
Choose plants that flower in sequence from early spring through late fall so pollinators always have something to visit.
Cluster Planting
Group at least 3–5 plants of the same species together. Pollinators are more efficient when they can work a patch.
Diverse Flower Shapes
Include tubular flowers (hummingbirds), flat composites (butterflies), and open cups (beetles and flies).
Native Plants First
Locally native species are co-evolved with local pollinators and require less water, fertilizer, and pest management.
Recommended Plants (Zone 6b)
Early Spring
Crocus, Virginia bluebells, redbud, pussy willow
Late Spring
Wild columbine, bee balm, foxglove beardtongue, black raspberry
Summer
Purple coneflower, wild bergamot, butterfly weed, Joe-Pye weed, mountain mint
Fall
Goldenrod, New England aster, aromatic aster, late-blooming sedum
Supporting Specific Pollinators
Honeybees & Native Bees
- Provide bare soil patches or bee blocks (drilled wood) for ground- and cavity-nesting bees.
- Avoid double-flowered cultivars — they look pretty but often lack pollen and nectar.
- Leave some stems standing over winter — many native bees overwinter in hollow stalks.
Butterflies
- Include host plants for caterpillars, not just nectar plants for adults. Monarch caterpillars need milkweed. Black swallowtail larvae feed on dill, parsley, and fennel.
- Place flat stones in sunny spots for basking.
- Provide a shallow dish of wet sand for puddling (mineral intake).
Hummingbirds
- Favor red and orange tubular flowers: cardinal flower, trumpet vine, bee balm.
- Avoid pesticides — hummingbirds also eat small insects and spiders.
Maintenance
- No pesticides: This is non-negotiable in pollinator areas. Use physical barriers (row cover, hand-picking) rather than sprays that could drift.
- Leave the leaves: In fall, leave leaf litter in pollinator borders. Many beneficial insects overwinter in leaf debris.
- Cut back selectively: In spring, wait until daytime temperatures are consistently above 50°F before cutting back dead stems.
- Water: Most native pollinator plants are drought-tolerant once established, but new plantings need regular water for the first season.
GMGA Pollinator Pledge
Plant it and they will come.
