Pollinator Garden

What is pollination?

Pollination is the means by which plants produce seeds. It occurs when pollen grains from a flower’s male parts (anthers) are transported to the female part (stigma) of the same species. Most plants cannot set seed without being pollinated. While wind and water can also move pollen, most plants depend on pollinators to transport pollen.

Plants produce scents and/or nectar to attract pollinators. As pollinators collect nectar from one flower, some of the pollen grains attach to their legs, abdomen, and/or other body parts. When the pollinator moves to the next flower, the pollen grains are likewise transported, some of which are then deposited in that flower.

Who are our pollinators?

Pollinators are more than bees, butterflies and birds. They are all of the animals that move pollen between flowers, including moths, wasps, flies, beetles, and some bats.

What Can you Do for Pollinators?

- Provide a wildflower-rich habitat in a sunny spot
- Use native plants which are often the best sources of nectar and pollen for native pollinators and can serve also as larval host plants

Choose a variety of colors and shapes to attract a range of pollinators
Choose plants with bloom times from early spring to late fall
Plant in clumps rather than singly
Combine annuals and perennials

- Create habitat for nesting, resting, egg-laying and larval food

Keep some fallen branches and brush in places in your garden
Provide small patches of bare ground

- Avoid pesticides and herbicides. Herbicides, while normally not directly lethal to insects, can reduce plant diversity and thus essential pollen and nectar for pollinators.
- Provide a water source. Butterflies often congregate on wet sand or mud to drink water and extract minerals from the damp puddles. Many people are familiar with birdbaths, but remember to give birds, as well as bees and other insects, a landing pad so that they can drink the water from the bath.

Overview

The Pollinator Garden is planted with an assortment of both native and non-native shrubs and perennials. Plants chosen are known to be nectar and pollen sources for diversity of pollinators.

Why are pollinators important?

Pollinators are almost as important as sunlight, soil and water to the reproductive success of more than 75% of the world’s flowering plants. They play a key role in our ecosystem and are an essential link in agriculture. They also provide nutrition in the form of seeds and fruits for many wild animals, both large and small.

Where can you find additional information?

WSU's Creating a Hummingbird Garden

WNPS Birds, Bees and Wildlife

WNPS Chart on Pacific Northwest Plants and the Birds that Use Them

NWF Attracting Butterflies

Butterfly Identification in Washington State

OSU Encouraging Beneficial Insects in Your Garden (PNW Pub 550)

WSU Beneficial Insects, Spiders, and Other Mini-Creatures in Your Garden: Who They Are and How to Get Them to Stay (EM067E)

XERCES Pollinator Plants: Maritime Northwest Region

Seattle Audubon Society Native Plants for the Lively Garden in Puget Sound Country

XERCES Farming for Pollinators

USDA Pollinator Activity Book for Children

USDA Native Pollinators

North American Pollinator Protection Campaign What is Pollinator and What is a Pollinator?

USDA Why is Pollination Important?

USFWS Plant a Pollinator Garden

USFWS Pollinators Home Page

Pollinator Garden Plant List

#	Botanical Name	Cultivar	Common Name	Pollinators	Bloom Time
1	Achillea millefolium		Common Yarrow	beneficial insects	summer-early fall
2	Allium sphaerocephalon	Drumsticks	Purple Allium	bees, butterflies	summer
3	Alyssum wulfenianum		Golden Spring Alyssum	butterflies	early spring
4	Antirrhinum majus	Sonnet Mix	Snapdragon	bees	late spring-fall
5	Aquilegia skinneri	Tequila Sunrise	Columbine	hummingbirds, butterflies	spring-early summer
6	Arbutus unedo compacta		Dwarf Strawberry tree	hummingbirds	fall-winter
7	Astilbe chinensis	Maggie Daley	Maggie Daley False Spirea	bees, butterflies, moths, flies	summer
8	Borago officinalis		Borage	bees, syrphidflies	summer-fall
9	Calendula officinalis		Calendula or Pot Marigold	butterflies	spring-fall
10	Carex buchananii		Leatherleaf sedge	butterflies	spring-fall
11	Crocosmia	crocosmiiflora	Monbretia	hummingbirds	late spring-early summer
12	Crocosmia	crocosmiiflora	Emily McKenzie	hummingbirds,butterfiles	late summer-fall
13	Digitalis purpurea		Foxglove	hummingbirds, bees	spsring-summer
14	Fagus sylvatica	Purpurea	European Beech tree		spring
15	Fuchsia magellanica var. gracilis	Aurea	Golden leaved Hardy Fuchsia	hummingbirds, bees	early summer-fall
16	Geranium sanguineum		Cranesbill geranium	bees	late spring-fall
17	Gerbera jamesonii		Daisy	butterflies, bees	summer-fall
18	Geum hybrid	Fireball	Giant avens	butterflies	summer-fall
19	Hakonechloa macra Sunflare	Blades of Glory	Japanese forest grass		spring
20	Helleborus orientalis		Lenten Rose	bees, flies, hummingbirds	winter-early spring
21	Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus		Daylily, yellow	hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, flies	summer
22	Hemerocallis fulva		Daylily, orange	hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, flies	summer
23	Hemerocallis	Frosty Beauty	Daylily, apricot	hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, flies	summer
24	Heuchera micrantha	Palace Purple	Coral bells	hummingbirds	late spring-early summer
25	Hylotelephium telephium	Dazzleberry	Stonecrop	hummingbirds	late summer-fall
26	Hylotelephium spectabile	Autumn Joy	Stonecrop	butterflies	late summer-fall
27	Iris		Blue iris	hummingbirds	late spring- early summer
28	Kniphofia uvaria		Torch lily,yellow orange	hummingbirds, beetles	late spring-early summer
29	Lavendula angustifolia		English Lavender	bees, butterflies	summer
30	Lithodora diffusa	Gold 'N Sapphires	Sapphires Rock Seed	butterflies	spring-summer
31	Lobularia maritima		Sweet alyssum	bees, butterflies, hummingbirds	spring-late fall
32	Meconopsis cambrica		Welsh poppy, yellow	bees	late spring-fall
33	Narcissus pseudonarcissus		Daffodils	bees	early spring
34	Nigella damascena		Love in the Mist	bees	spring
35	Origanum vulgare	Aureum	Golden oregano	butterflies, bees	summer-fall
36	Papaver orientale		Oriental poppy		late spring- early summer
37	Petrosedum rupestre	Angelina	Jenny's stonecrop	bees	spring-summer
38	Perovskia atriplicafolia		Russian sage	bees, butterflies	late spring-summer
39	Phlomis fruticosa		Shrubby Jerusalem sage	hummingbirds, bees	spring-summer
40	Physocarpus opulifolius	Seward	Summer Wine Ninebark	butterflies, bees	late spring-early summer
41	Polygonatum		Solomon's Seal	bees	spring
42	Primula	Sweetheart	Primrose, pink	bees	spring
43	Primula	Corporal Baxter	Primrose, double red	bees	spring
44	Salvia microphylla		Hot Lips	hummingbirds, bees, butterflies	late spring-summer
45	Schizostylis coccinea		Crimson Flag Lily	bees	late summer-fall
46	Sedum kamtschaticum		Stonecrop	bees	summer
47	Sedum reflexum	Blue Stonecrop	Jenny's Stonecrop	bees	summer
48	Solidago rugosa		Goldenrod	bees	late summer-fall
49	Spirea Japonica	Walbuma	Magic Carpet Spirea	butterflies	mid-late summer
50	Tulipa		Tulips	hummingbirds, bees, butterflies	spring