Planting for Pollinators
Last Updated: Mar 19, 2025Rachel Carson sounded the alarm in 1962 with the release of her book, Silent Spring. The American marine biologist, author, and conservationist detailed how the pesticide DDT had destroyed or was damaging wildlife, birds and bees, farm animals, domestic pets, and even human health. The book elicited outrage and inspired the modern environmental movement.
In recent years, the decline of the honey bee has made headlines. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) has decimated the honeybee population. Why is that important? Over 75 percent of the world's flowering plants and just over one-third of every type of food crop worldwide depend on pollinators (insects and birds) to reproduce.
Recent statistics show that beekeepers in the United States have seen declines from an estimated six million hives to 2.4 million hives between 1947 and 2008. This 60 percent reduction in beehives is due to several human-caused factors. The reasons include extensive pesticide use, prolonged droughts caused by climate change, loss of bee habitat due to urban sprawl, and air pollution. From a purely statistical analysis, if honeybee populations continue to fall at current rates, managed honeybees will completely disappear by 2035. What would Carson think of the world's rapid decline of pollinators, especially bees?
The loss of managed honey bees is undoubtedly problematic. After all, who doesn't like a bit of fresh honey on their morning pancakes? Here at Rise, we have written about creating a "bee garden" and thus transform our sterile lawns into thriving bee oases. But focusing on the decline of honeybee populations is only one part of the pollinator equation. Homeowners can renovate their backyards to attract and protect bee populations and support all different types of pollinators—not just the honeybee.
Table of Contents
- Why Are All the Pollinators Important?
- What Are Some Home and Lawn Issues For Pollinators?
- How Can You Choose the Best Place for Your Pollinator Garden?
- How Can You Find and Plant Flower Species for Your Region?
- What Are Some Resources for Finding Native Plants?
- What Are More Tips for Planting a Pollinator Garden?
- Attracting Pollinators in Other Ways
Not Just Honeybees
Bees are indeed the primary pollinators of the majority of our food crops. But what few people realize is that the honeybee is only one of 4,000 types of native bee species in North America. Most people associate bees with giant hives and the fascinating social orders of honeybees. However, many of the thousands of native bee species make their nest in the ground. According to Cornell University, almost three-fourths of the bee species build their nests in burrows underneath the soil.
All bee species are considered to be important pollinators. They spend the majority of their lifetimes collecting pollen. The minuscule hairs that cover bees' bodies act as a magnet to gather pollen, which is then deposited on other plants as the bees go about their day. Pollen is a crucial protein source to feed their larva to ensure future populations continue to thrive.
How Can You Choose the Best Place for Your Pollinator Garden?
Find as large a space as possible in your yard for your native plant or pollinator garden. (Better yet, replace your entire lawn with these plants, as you will save time, money, and water from not having to mow it or irrigate it) Make sure the site and the plants you select have similar sun, shade, and water considerations. For example, don't plant full-sun native perennial flowers or grasses that like dry soil in a shady wet spot. Read gestation and bloom times carefully (on the seed packet or in your catalog) to plan the garden so that something is continually in bloom throughout the growing season. Continuous bloom, from spring through fall, will provide ongoing nectar, shelter, and habitat for pollinators.
What Are Some Resources for Finding Native Plants?
- Here is a guide to finding native plants in your region.
- Audubon has a handy database for finding native plants suitable to your location.
- Your local botanical garden or conservatory, native plant society, Wild One's chapter, and state Department of Natural Resources can help.
- The Xerces Society offers helpful region-specific guides to find the most important pollinator species for your specific state and bio-region.
- Heather Holm's book and website are useful resources for identifying which native plants work best for different types of soil and varying sunlight.
What Are More Tips for Planting a Pollinator Garden?
- Find and plant vegetation that blooms throughout the growing seasons so that different types of pollinators will be able to thrive from early spring to the final days of autumn.
- Mix up flowers in all shapes, sizes, and colors with some grasses, shrubs, and fruit trees. Bees love blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow.
- Avoid hybrids or cultivators, modern iterations of native plants, especially those with exceptionally large or double flowers, as they may not be beneficial: In order to create bigger flashier plants, breeders often eliminate a plant's nectar, smell, or pollen—aspects of native plants essential for pollinators.
- Plant flowers in color blocks to help pollinators find their food sources. (Hummingbirds love red!)
Bare Soil to Encourage Burrowing Bees
Bare soil is usually associated with erosion and the loss of soil fertility. However, small patches of bare soil in your yard can encourage burrowing bees and insects to take up residence in your yard. Purposefully leaving small areas of bare soil near flowering vegetation is a welcome sign for some bee species to begin burrowing into the ground.
Homes for Pollinators
Create homes for pollinators. You can make nesting sites and homes for bees by drilling holes in a block of wood. Consider building a bee condo, suggests the USDA Forest Service. You can do this by drilling holes of different sizes about 3 to 5 inches deep in pieces of scrap lumber. The lumber can then be mounted to a post or under eaves. Or purchase pre-made bee houses.
Native Grasses
Include tall native grasses in the pollinator garden as a protective habitat for pollinators. Leave dead tree limbs or shrubs—in a quiet corner of the yard, in a spot where no one will trip on them—as a habitat for bees. The USDA site suggests including a small salt lick, as well as orange slices, in the garden for pollinators to enjoy.
Nectar for Hummingbirds
Boost your garden's potential to attract hummingbirds by providing them with homemade nectar. Make nectar by combining four parts of water to one part table sugar. Do not use commercial hummingbird nectar mix (it contains chemicals), honey, artificial sweeteners, or fruit juice. Clean the feeder twice a week with hot, soapy water.
Combine With Your Veggie Garden
Do you have a fruit or veggie garden? Circle the area with a border of native flowers to improve pollination and serve as a food source for pollinators once your garden crops stop blooming. This sound practice attracts and supports beneficial insects that help control crop pests.
Winter Practices
Homeowners in northern climates are advised to leave their autumn leaves on the ground or pile them onto gardens to create a nursery for butterflies. For more tips, visit the Pollinator Partnership, an organization and website devoted to the health of pollinators through conservation, education, and research.
A myriad of other pollinators experiences stress, not just honeybees and not just birds and butterflies. Bats, flies, and native bees are equally in peril. By eliminating pesticide and herbicide use in your yard and creating habitat and food sources for pollinators, not only do you create a sustainable yard safe for you and your family to enjoy, but a sustainable landscape in which pollinators can find refuge as well. So as you are planning your garden, remember the pollinators!
Camille LeFevre
Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.
