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Pollinator Gardens
The Madison Community Garden has a perennial flower garden for the purpose of attracting pollinating insects. The pollinator garden is made up of three garden beds and is straight ahead as you walk through the garden gates.
There is increasing evidence that pollinating insects are on the decline, which in turn can reduce crop yields. As a result, there has been interest in planting pollinator gardens which can provide a diversity of pollen and nectar for insects. Birds such as hummingbirds and goldfinches also benefit from these gardens.
Pollinator Plants at Madison Community Garden
Common Name Scientific Name |
Bloom Period | Height | Flower Color | Native |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shasta Daisy Leucanthemum x superbum |
July - September | 24" - 36" | White | Native |
Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium purpureum |
August - September | 48" - 84" | Purple | Native |
Bee Balm Monarda |
July - August | 36" - 48" | Red | Native |
Blue Flag Iris Iris versicolor |
May - June | 24" - 36" | Blue Purple | Native |
Yellow Primrose Oenothera fruticose L. |
June | 18" - 24" | Yellow | Native |
Pink Showy Primrose Oenothera speciosa |
June - July | 12" - 24" | Pink | Not Native (Native to SW US/Mexico) |
New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus |
July - August | 24" - 36" | White | Native |
Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca |
June - August | 36" - 60" | Purple | Native |
New England Aster Aster novae-angliae |
September - October | 36" - 60" | Purple | Native |
Blue Baptista Baptisia australis |
May - June | 36" - 48" | Blue | Native |
Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium L. |
June - September | 24" - 36" | White/Red | Native |
Sedum 'Autumn Joy' S. spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ |
July - September | 20" - 24" | Pink/Orange | Not Native (Native to Eurasia) |
Salvia Salvia pratensis |
June - August | 12" - 36" | Purple | Not Native (Native to Europe / W. Asia / N. Africa) |
Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum |
June - August | 24" - 48" | Purple | Native |
Black Eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta |
July - September | 24" - 48" | Purple | Native |
Tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora |
June - September | 18" - 24" | Yellow | Native |
Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis |
July - September | 24" - 48" | Red | Native |
Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea |
June - August | 24" - 60" | Purplish Pink | Native |
Hardy Geranium Geranium maculatum |
May - June | 12" - 18" | Pink | Native |
Tips for Planning a Pollinator Garden
- Include some native plants, which will attract more pollinators, and will successfully thrive in our climate and soil. Many native plants are becoming less common in the wild as invasive plants take over; by planting natives you will be helping the environment.
- Use different flower colors and shapes to attract different species.
- Avoid modern hybrids and plants with “double flowers”. As plant breeders are creating plant varieties with a showier flower, pollen and nectar are often sacrificed.
- Use plants with different bloom times, which will ensure a long season of blooming, to provide pollen and nectar all season. For example, Asters are a native plant that produces flowers in October, when most other plants have stopped blooming.
- Consider including milkweed as it is the sole food source of Monarch Butterfly caterpillars.
- Installing favorable breeding spots for native pollinators will help to keep them in the garden. @(Model.BulletStyle == CivicPlus.Entities.Modules.Layout.Enums.BulletStyle.Decimal ? "ol" : "ul")>
Further Information
>> http://articles.extension.org/pages/19581/conserving-pollinators:-a-primer-for-gardeners
>> http://millionpollinatorgardens.org
>> https://www.fws.gov/pollinators/pollinatorpages/yourhelp.html
>> http://www.monarchwatch.org/garden/plant-list-monarchwatch.pdf
>> http://www.npsnj.org/index.html (Native Plant Society of NJ)