Pollinator gardens can enhance your property and well-being.
Kiawah River / Dylan Schmitz Photographer
Who doesn’t delight in the image of butterflies alighting on flowers outside your window? There has been an explosion of interest in pollinator gardens to make this a regular feature of natural beauty at home. Developers are adding them to their communities and homeowners are digging into the topic too. “I am seeing an increase in demand every year!” declares Shaun Booth, co-author of The Gardeners Guide To Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region and owner of In Our Nature garden design firm in Ontario, Canada.
If you’re wondering if this is possible at your address – be it a single-family suburban home, an urban condo or rural acreage – Booth has good news: “Almost any property is suitable for a pollinator garden, no matter the size, shape, growing conditions or location. In fact, it’s not so much about determining whether your property is suitable for a pollinator garden, but rather, determining which plants and design techniques are suitable for your specific site. With the right approach, a pollinator garden can be grown in the toughest of conditions including clay soil, dry shade and tough urban sites.” Even city dwellers without yards can create pollinator gardens on their balconies, he says.
Wellness Benefits of Pollinator Gardens
“It is well established that spending time in nature is good for mental and physical health,” Booth observes, adding that many urban areas are disconnected from it, and that suburban lawns do little to nourish that need. “In stark contrast, pollinator gardens are designed to invite pollinators and nature back into our lives and gardens,” he adds.
Jeff Snyder, chief environmental officer for luxury waterfront development Kiawah River near Charleston, South Carolina, agrees. “I encourage homeowners to move away from turf grass and instead plant native flowers and grasses.” His luxury waterfront development and agrihood has a 100 acre working farm, goat dairy, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. “In addition to their ecological benefits, these meadows offer natural beauty with their flowers and grasses, and they also play a crucial role in water management. They act as natural filtration systems, buffering and filtering runoff from paved surfaces.” This can provide safety benefits to residents during stormy weather.
For owners, residents and guests of the Montage Residences Healdsburg in Northern California’s wine country, the focus is on honeybees and the benefits they bring to the community. “They pollinate 80% of all flowering plants, including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables,” comments Seth Cotter, the site’s sales manager. This is invaluable to the local ecosystem, he points out. It’s also good for local residents’ nutrition and health. “The bees help our landscaping flourish, and while our prospective buyers don’t comment on The Apiary directly, they are always complimenting the beauty of the property and how well preserved our natural landscape looks.” Montage’s honeybees also produce locally harvested honey, which is believed to have health benefits. The property has four hives, honey tastings and a professional apiarist.
Owners and residents at The Strand community in the Caribbean Turks and Caicos’ Provenciales created a butterfly pavilion to create habitat for the local flora and fauna, shares developer and managing director John Fair. Residents have been embracing the concept, he says. “They are mostly curious about what it means to be a designated pollinator sanctuary but love it once they realize what value it brings to the grounds.” The very first homeowner had a hummingbird nest and babies six feet from their door within three months of moving in, he shares. “The neighbor up the hill said they hadn’t seen a hummingbird in the area for years prior, so this speaks volumes. Everyone appreciates the abundance of flowers, birds, bees, and butterflies found at The Strand.” Those contacts with nature can improve your mental and physical well-being, according to numerous health professionals.
Pollinator Garden Must-Haves
“Native plants are the number one must-have for your pollinator garden because they will provide the most value to pollinators and nature in general,” Booth explains. These varieties will be more attractive to pollinators than non-native plants; many butterflies will only lay their eggs on native species, he notes. “Your garden doesn’t have to be 100% native but aim for more native plants than non-native plants to get the most bang-for-your-buck in your pollinator garden,” he suggests.
Cotter adds, “Ask the experts! Getting the right seeds, plants, and proper garden planning are all essential to attracting pollinators, and an expert can help you get started the right way and provide insight throughout the process.” For Montage, that’s the Sonoma County Bee Company. For the Strand, it’s Denver’s Butterfly Pavilion. Your expert could be as close as your nearest university, botanical garden or a natural gardening firm.
If your only outdoor space is a balcony, Booth notes that many pollinator-friendly plants will grow in containers and even survive cold winters outside. “Choose plants that are highly drought tolerant (container gardens dry out faster than in-ground gardens), have relatively shallow roots (no taproots) and grow to a height that is relevant to the size of the container.”
Depending on where you live, having a mosquito mitigation plan could be important. “We can’t allow ‘fogging’ or automatic spraying systems for mosquitos as they decimate the pollinators,” Fair comments. The Strand employs a comprehensive effort to eliminate standing water, he explains.
“We also deliberately place open water in certain places to attract mosquitoes so we can kill their larvae. We also work on increasing the bird, dragonfly, and bat populations as they do a great job of mosquito control.”
Last Words
“It makes so much sense and there isn’t a crazy cost associated with it,” declares Fair. After all, he adds, “Who wouldn’t enjoy having more butterflies, bees, and birds in their yard?” If someone in your household is allergic to bee stings, be sure to mention that to the experts you consult, as well as checking with your healthcare provider before getting started.
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Author’s Note: All sources were interviewed by email between August 9 and 12, 2024.
