How to create a garden that supports pollinators

 

June is Pollinator Month in Colorado, a time to bring focus on the importance of supporting pollinators in our gardens and landscapes and a time to discover best practices for creating a beneficial insect friendly garden. This includes planting and maintaining a variety of perennials, annuals and flowering shrubs, as well as providing water, shelter and nesting sites. 

It’s important to realize that in addition to honeybees, bumblebees, native bees, butterflies, moths, flies and more also fill a role as pollinators in our landscapes and gardens. To attract the greatest diversity of pollinators, we need to supply a source of food and water and shelter.    

Food for the pollinator community means nectar and pollen. The ideal plants and shrubs will produce flowers with high nectar and pollen content. Flowers with good sources of nectar and pollen include Asters, Black-eyed Susan, Columbine, Coneflower, Digitalis, Gaillardia, Joe Pye Weed, Mums, Penstemon, Sage and Sedum.  Pollinator-friendly shrubs in your garden should include Blue Mist Spirea, Lilac and Butterfly Bushes.    

Beyond perennials and shrubs, think about incorporating annuals, bulbs and herbs into your pollinator garden. 

Because of their ability to dislodge pollen by grasping a flower in their jaws and vibrating their wing muscles, bumble bees are important pollinators of crops such as tomatoes and peppers.  Plant the herb comfrey near your tomato and pepper plants to improve the fruit set.    

The herbs borage, mint and lavender will attract pollinators to your garden, as well. Blooming cover crops such as Crimson Clover will attract bees and can be worked into your garden to improve the soil once it stops flowering.   

To better attract and support pollinators, plant in clusters, with a variety of colors. This will bring a focus to your garden and landscape and save the pollinator’s energy searching for food.    

Gardening with pollinators in mind should include a source of water. A shallow pot saucer filled with pebbles will do fine. Keep the water refreshed so the pollinators know they can return to the same spot every day.  Garden fountains and birdbaths will provide needed water, if you place some flat stones in the birdbath so pollinators will have a place to land and drink safely.    

For non-hive dwelling native bees, consider leaving a patch of the garden uncultivated for native bees that burrow. For wood and stem-nesting bees, place a nesting block near the garden fence or on a bench.    

In the fall, plant spring blooming bulbs such as crocus, hyacinths and tulips to support early foraging pollinators.  

  

If you do not have a traditional garden space where you can plant directly in the ground, plant in containers and place them on your patio or deck. Select a few different kinds of plants of varying heights, colors and textures. Pollinators will find them. 

 

Even a small pollinator garden will help support bees, butterflies and other pollinators. With some thought and planning, you can create a destination that pollinators will be attracted to.   

 

Now's the Time to Celebrate National Rose Month

 

National Rose Month is celebrated every June as a time to honor the beauty, diversity, and rich symbolism of roses. As these beloved flowers burst into full bloom, they capture our imaginations with their wide variety of colors, fragrances, and forms. With over 300 species worldwide, roses have been admired not only for their aesthetic appeal but also for the deep cultural significance they carry—from symbols of romantic love to emblems of national pride. 

The history behind National Rose Month is equally fascinating. The celebration began in 1959 during efforts to have the rose recognized as the national flower of the United States—a goal that finally materialized in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan officially declared the rose the national floral emblem. This milestone, along with earlier traditions like the creation of the White House Rose Garden initiated in 1913 by First Lady Ellen Wilson, underscores how intertwined the rose is with American heritage and cultural identity. 

In Colorado, there is a long history of roses growing, dating back millions of years. Evidence of these remarkable plants was uncovered in 1874 by pioneer and homesteader Charlotte Hill, when she discovered a fossilized rose leaf preserved in the Upper Eocene Florissant Formation some 34 million years ago. Now in the Smithsonian, the fossil rose Rosa hilliae is named for her.  Charlotte Hill's work helped pave the way for the preservation of the Florissant Fossil Beds, which eventually became a National Monument in 1969. 

Colorado has three native wild roses, including Mountain rose (Rosa woodsii), Prairie rose, (Rosa Arkansas) and Prickly rose (Rosa acicularis) which can be viewed from the plains to elevations up to twelve thousand feet.  Wild roses or “species roses” typically have a single, predominately pink flower. 

Modern garden roses are those most familiar to gardeners, in particular hybrid tea roses.  The first hybrid tea rose, known as La France, debuted in 1867, marking the dawn of what would become one of the most influential classes in modern rose gardening. Since that pioneering moment, breeders have introduced thousands of uniquely different hybrid tea varieties. 

In addition to hybrid teas, modern garden rose varieties include climbers, David Austin, shrub roses, miniature roses, grandifloras and floribundas.  

When it comes to growing roses successfully in Colorado, choose a location that receives at least six hours of direct sun every day, away from trees, shrubs and perennials that compete for sunlight, space and nutrients. Provide adequate space between rose bushes. They don’t do well when crowded together. Prepare the planting site by adding locally produced organic materials, such as Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost. Roses need well-amended soils to establish strong root systems and achieve vigorous growth and bloom potential.   

In addition, a consistent supply of nutrients will keep your roses healthy and blooming through the season.

 

Planted in June, roses will establish well and provide color to your garden for many seasons to come.