Every year, one week in June is designated as National Pollinator Week. In an effort to perpetuate a great cause, the National Garden Bureau is following up that event with some specific tips on how to plant a pollinator-friendly garden.
Pollinators can include bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, bats, and beetles. Since the first three are the most popular pollinators when it comes to gardening, we will focus on flowers and plants for those three.
The non-profit group, Pollinator Partnership, has a very informative, easy-to-use tool on their website that allows you to enter your zip code to generate an area-specific planting guide that will help you create a pollinator-friendly garden.
In addition to simply creating a pollinator-friendly garden, anyone can take it one step further and create a Certified Wildlife habitat by following these simple steps as per the National Wildlife Federation.
Applewood Seed, an NGB member, provides lots of good information on pollinators.
NGB member Botanical Interests has this article that talks about attracting bees to your garden.
For hummingbirds, this article from About.com lists flowers, perennials, bushes and vines that will attract the hummers in your area.
Another NGB member, Gardeners Supply, has this all-around article featuring Five Techniques to Attract Hummingbirds, Butterflies and other Pollinators.
Ready to start planting? Check out the shop our NGB members for specific plants, seeds and/or plant collections, and products.