Pollinator Garden
These two areas are planted with an assortment of both native and non-native shrubs, perennials and annuals. Plants chosen are known to be nectar and pollen sources for a diversity of pollinators.
There is a watered Pollinator Garden near the garden entrance and a dry Pollinator Garden near the shed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
External links where can you find additional information?
Washington Native Plant Society
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
XERCES Pollinator Plants: Maritime Northwest Region
King County’s Native Plant Resources for the Pacific Northwest
Pollinator Garden Plant List
| # | Botanical Name | Cultivar | Common Name | Tree | Native | Pollinators | Bloom Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Achillea millefolium | common yarrow | N | bees, beetles | summer-fall | ||
| 2 | Ageratum houstonianum | blue mink | butterflies | summer-fall | |||
| 3 | Allium giganteum | giant allium | bees, butterflies | late spring-summer | |||
| 4 | Anaphalis margaritacea | pearly everlasting | N | butterflies, moths | mid-summer-fall | ||
| 5 | Anemone nemorosa | wood anemone | bees, hoverflies | early spring | |||
| 6 | Aquilegia canadensis | 'Pink Lanterns' | columbine | hummingbirds, butterflies, bees | spring-early summer | ||
| 7 | Aquilegia formosa | columbine | N | hummingbirds, butterflies, bees | spring-early summer | ||
| 8 | Aquilegia vulgaris | columbine | hummingbirds, butterflies | late spring-early summer | |||
| 9 | Asclepias tuberosa | butterfly weed | butterflies, hummingbirds | early summer-fall | |||
| 10 | Astilbe spp. | pink astilbe | bees | summer-fall | |||
| 11 | Borago officinalis | borage | bees, syrphid flies | summer | |||
| 12 | Camassia quamash | camas lily | Y | bees, butterflies | late spring- summer | ||
| 13 | Campenula rotundifolia | harebell | N | bees | summer-fall | ||
| 14 | Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora | 'George Davidson' | montbretia | hummingbirds, butterflies | late summer-fall | ||
| 15 | Crocosmia x curtonus | 'Lucifer' | montbretia | hummingbirds | summer | ||
| 16 | Dianthus caryophyllus | raspberry ripple | butterflies | summer-fall | |||
| 17 | Digitalis purpurea | common foxglove | bees, hummingbirds | spring-early summer | |||
| 18 | Echinops bannaticus | 'Blue Glow' | blue globe thistle | bees, butterflies, hoverflies | summer | ||
| 19 | Fragaria vesca | wood strawberry | N | bees | late spring-summer | ||
| 20 | Fuchsia magellanica var. gracilis | 'Aurea' | golden leaved hardy fuchsia | hummingbirds, bees | summer-fall | ||
| 21 | Geranium x 'Rozanne' | geranium Rozanne | bees | late spring-fall | |||
| 22 | Geum hybrid | 'Fireball' | giant avens | bees, butterflies, beneficial insects | spring-fall | ||
| 23 | Hemerocallis fulva | orange daylily | hummingbirds, bees, butterflies | summer | |||
| 24 | Heuchera micrantha | 'Palace Purple' | coral bells | hummingbirds, bees | late spring-early summer | ||
| 25 | Hylotelephium | 'Autumn Joy' | autumn joy sedum | bees, flies | late summer-fall | ||
| 26 | Lavandula angustifolia | English lavender | bees, butterflies | summer | |||
| 27 | Lobularia maritima | sweet alyssum | N | bees, butterflies, hummingbirds | spring-late fall | ||
| 28 | Mahonia nervosa | dull oregon grape | N | bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths | spring | ||
| 29 | Meconopsis cambrica | yellow Welsh poppy | bees | late spring-fall | |||
| 30 | Monarda fistulosa | bee balm | hummingbirds, bees, butterflies | mid-summer | |||
| 31 | Polemonium carneum | great Jacob's ladder | bees | spring-early summer | |||
| 32 | Polygonatum canaliculatum | giant Solomon's seal | N | bees | spring | ||
| 33 | Potentilla fruiticosa | 'Pink Princess' | potentilla | N | bees | late spring-fall | |
| 34 | Primula | 'Sweetheart' | pink primrose | bees | early spring | ||
| 35 | Primula | 'Corporal Baxter' | double red primrose | bees | early spring | ||
| 36 | Ribes sanguineum | red-flowering currant | N | hummingbirds, bees | early spring | ||
| 37 | Schizostylis coccinea | crimson flag lily | bees, butterflies | late summer-winter | |||
| 38 | Sedum album | white stonecrop | bees | summer | |||
| 39 | Sedum kamtschaticum | orange stonecrop | bees | summer | |||
| 40 | Sedum spathulifolium | broadleaf stonecrop | N | bees, butterflies | spring-summer | ||
| 41 | Solidago rugosa | goldenrod | bees, butterflies | late summer-fall | |||
| 42 | Spiraea japonica | 'Walbuma' | magic carpet spirea | bees, butterflies | late spring-summer | ||
| 43 | Symphyotrichum foliaceum | alpine leafy aster | N | bees, butterflies | summer-fall |
Pollinator Dryscape Garden Plant List
| # | Botanical Name | Cultivar | Common Name | Tree | Native | Pollinators | Bloom Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anaphalis margaritacea | pearly everlasting | N | butterflies, moths | summer-fall | ||
| 2 | Aquilegia canadensis | 'Pink Lanterns' | columbine | hummingbirds, bees, butterflies | spring-early summer | ||
| 3 | Aquilegia formosa | columbine | N | hummingbirds, bees, butterflies | spring-early summer | ||
| 4 | Clematis | 'Zojapur' | clematis | butterflies, hummingbirds | summer | ||
| 5 | Hylotelephium | 'Autumn Joy' | autumn joy sedum | bees, flies | late summer-fall | ||
| 6 | Lavendula angustifolia | English lavender | bees, butterflies | summer | |||
| 7 | Leycestseria formosa | Himalayan honeysuckle | bees, butterflies, hummingbirds | summer-early fall; fruit in fall | |||
| 8 | Meconopsis cambrica | yellow Welsh poppy | bees | late spring-fall | |||
| 9 | Schizostylis coccinea | crimson flag lily | bees, butterflies | late summer-winter | |||
| 10 | Sedum kamtschaticum | orange stonecrop | bees | summer | |||
| 11 | Solidago rugosa | goldenrod | bees, butterflies | late summer-fall | |||
| 12 | Spiraea japonica | 'Walbuma' | magic carpet spirea | butterflies | late spring- summer | ||
| 13 | Symphyatrichum subspicatum | douglas aster | N | native bees, host plant for butterfly larvae | summer |