How to create a pollinator garden: Tips from a Cape Cod expert

Spring comes to Cape Cod with all the speed of an arthritic turtle. But when it finally arrives, a great green passion spreads across the land — it’s time to crank up the garden!

This is especially exciting if you have the chance to create something new, like an artist approaching a fresh canvas. It’s also a grand opportunity to use this spiffy new garden as a way to help pollinators, our wonderful animal pals who do the vital job of fertilizing plants.

And we have an easy guide to help you cultivate a pollinator garden that the bees will cheer for.

Helping pollinators at the Cold Brook Preserve

Here at Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT), we’re big fans of pollinator gardens. Native plants help support native wildlife, a critical part of a healthy ecosystem. Last year, HCT volunteers led by Karen and Gerry Beetham planted a fantastic pollinator garden at the trailhead of the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve.

Approximately 200 plants hit the dirt, including butterfly weed, little bluestem, swamp milkweed, cardinal flower and white turtlehead. “They’re all native plants for native butterflies,” said Karen Beetham as the work was progressing. “They’re adapted to the region and they are low maintenance. Native pollinators need native plants, so if you don’t have the right plants, you’re not going to get the butterflies.”

Advice from plant expert Kristin Andres

With a little care and planning, you can enjoy beautiful flowers and the flutter of native butterflies right outside your door. “Planting for pollinators is a great act of stewardship for the natural world,” said Kristin Andres, Director of Education & Outreach for the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC).

Andres, a noted native plant expert, didn’t stop there. She cooked up a fabulous and easy primer to help you jump into the exciting world of pollinator gardens! Along with a big thanks to Kristin Andres, HCT is proud to present what she called “Pollinator Garden 101.”

How to create a pollinator garden

Choosing a location: In deciding where to plant the natives to support pollinators, find an area suitable in full sun or more sun than shade — preferably it has some protection from the wind. You can create an entire garden (there are designs online), or just start with 3 kinds of plants—whatever your budget and space allow.

Site your plants for pollinators a safe distance from any chemically-treated lawn area – like the neighbor’s lawn. And please don’t use any pesticides yourself—pesticides don’t discriminate on what insect they kill.

What to plant?

The goal is to have flowering perennials with blooms spring through fall. No one plant does that—it requires different kinds of plants—they all have their own bloom times. If that seems like a lot of plants for the budget, make a phased plan. Here are some plants and their bloom time:

Spring: wild geranium, golden Alexanders, wild red columbine, beardtongue, violets, King Solomon seal.

Summer: butterfly milkweed, rose milkweed, mountain mint, sneezeweed, spotted bee balm, wild bergamot, sundrops.

Late summer into fall: asters, goldenrods.

For ideas of the different kinds of native plants and descriptions suitable for Cape Cod, go to CapeCodNativePlants.org.

Do your homework before you purchase

Just like the advice to have a grocery list before you go food shopping, make a list. Be aware that common names can vary, but the scientific name is true. Make a list of what you want and write down the scientific name so that you purchase the right plants. Avoid cultivars with double blooms, unnatural bloom colors or red foliage—it’s likely they won’t benefit pollinators.

Plant in threes or fives of the same plant and plant abundantly. Plant them near each other so they create a broad brush of the same flower. Pollinators tend to stick with one kind of flower, which is why they do such a good job of helping to pollinate!

Where to purchase plants

Most nurseries on the Cape carry native plants, so do your homework and be an educated consumer. Ask for pesticide-free plants. Cape Abilities Farm carries a diversity of native perennials.

APCC’s online-only annual native perennial plant sale goes live on June 3^rd, with later pickup times at APCC’s headquarters in Dennis. The sale features natives grown from seed for best genetic diversity, peat-free potting soil, and no plastic pots. To learn more about the native plant sale, click here.

Additional tips

Remember, pollinator gardens are more than just pretty flowers. They also serve as host plants for the caterpillars of moths and butterflies, so don’t be alarmed if some leaves get munched. A pollinator garden feeds the pollinators in all stages of their life cycles. Leave the stems over the winter. Cut to 10-18 inches in the spring and leave for nesting sites.

Native plants don’t need soil amendments, but you will need to water the first year to establish them, and then they should be good to go the next year without irrigation. Best to use plant labels so that you know what you can expect to come up during the next year. (Most of our native plants don’t show themselves until mid-May to June, and if you’re antsy to work in the garden you might disturb them while they are still slumbering.)

Thanks to APCC’s Kristin Andres, we are ready to hit the dirt and start the pollinator party – happy gardening!

—Sign up for HCT eNews, a great way to stay in the loop about exciting HCT events, guided walks and other interesting news.

—Your tax-deductible contributions help fulfill the mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust to preserve land that protects woods, water, wildlife and our shared quality of life. And your land-saving financial support helps us preserve beautiful properties that can become stellar trail destinations. Find out how to donate by clicking here.