Creating Pollinator Friendly Gardens and Landscapes Sandra L. Mason University of Illinois Extension Educator Horticulture
Pollinator Landscapes Wild Landscapes
We All Need the Same Things Food, water, shelter and nice place to raise the kids Educate ourselves on what pollinator families need Native solitary bee life cycle www.xerces.org
Move Beyond Vending Machine Landscape
Food - Nectar and Pollen
Require Accessible Food
Feeding mechanism (proboscis) Silver Spotted Skipper on Annual Blue Salvia
Host Plants for Caterpillars Spicebush Swallowtail Black Swallowtail
Multi-use Plants Native Butterflyweed
Opt for Native Plants Support wider diversity of pollinators Support different stages of life cycle Hover Fly on White Snakeroot
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) Fireworks Many native species variable sizes Full sun to partial shade Summer Fall bloom depending on species Durable plants
Elm-leafed Goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia 1-3 ft. tall Flowers Aug.-Sept. Does well even in dry open shade
Asters Many native species and cultivars Summer fall bloom Sun to partial shade
Beebalm Monarda fistulosa native Monarda didyma Height 3-4 feet Blooms June- August Many cultivars Look for powdery mildew resistance
White Profusion Butterfly Bush
Sedum Many species, cultivars and sizes Bloom in late summer and fall Well behaved non-native Full sun and dry soil no problem
Catmint Nepeta x faassenii Height: 12-36 inches Blooms lavender blue May til frost Shear after flowering for continued bloom Blue Wonder Six Hills Giant Walker s Low
When it Comes to Cultivars Pick single petal over double petaled
Plant Variety of Flowers Variety of flower shapes and colors
Flowers throughout the Season
Masses of Flowers
Pollinator Pockets http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ cfiv/pollinators/ Basic designs for variety of sites Small manageable way to start Perennial plants selected for easy care, availability, seasonal bloom Check back as we develop more designs
Pollinator Pocket Designs Native Woodland Plants Partial Shade Medium Moisture 4 x 6 Oval Sedum ternatum Whorled Stonecrop Cranesbill Geranium maculatum Sedum ternatum Whorled Aquilegia Stonecrop canadensis Wild Columbine Cranesbill Geranium maculatum Common Blue Wood Aster Aster cordifolius Cranesbill Geranium maculatum Solidago caesia Blue-stemmed Goldenrod Solidago caesia Blue-stemmed Goldenrod Solidago caesia Blue-stemmed Goldenrod 217-333-7672 http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/pollinators/ Sedum ternatum Whorled Stonecrop Aquilegia canadensis Wild Columbine Sedum ternatum Whorled Stonecrop Cranesbill Geranium maculatum Cranesbill Geranium maculatum Cranesbill Geranium maculatum Options: 1. Replace Goldenrod with Penstemon hirsutus (Hairy Beardtoungue) or Solidago ulmifolia (Elm-leaved Goldenrod) 2. Replace Stonecrop with Polygonatum Odoratum (Variegated Solomon s Seal) for more height 3. Plant Claytonia virginica (Spring Beauty) in front of Goldenrod or Geraniums
Mixed Native and Non-Native
Overall Design Think Layers Ground cover Herbaceous plants Shrubs Small understory trees Canopy trees 25
Combination of Natives and Well-behaved Non-natives
Eliminate/Reduce Pesticide Use Leaf Cutter Bee Damage on Hosta
Accessible Water Honey bees use bird baths, ponds, puddles and pools For butterflies - moisten areas throughout season Shallow bird baths filled with soil Rocky areas sprinkled with sea salt
Leave Stems during Winter for Shelter and Nesting
Allow Flowers in Lawn Dandelion, white clover, violets
Provide Nesting Areas Bare soil areas for ground nesting bees Bee boxes
Think Spring and Prime your Passion for Pollinators Sandra L. Mason University of Illinois Extension slmason@illinois.edu 217.333.7672