Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees! Sadly, there has been a decline in the health of our pollinators, and it’s important for gardeners to create a pollinator-friendly garden. You will need to provide blooming plants, which is their food source; shelter in the form of large-leaved shrubs, trees and tall grasses; and water to encourage their survival. Do not use pesticides of any kind!
Here is a list of pollinator-friendly plants:
Shrubs:
Serviceberry
Currants
Weigela
Wild lilac
Ocean spray
Edibles and herbs:
Chive flower
Borage
Edible beans and peas
Lavender
Pineapple sage
Rosemary
Squash flowers
Parsley flowers
Perennials:
Columbine
Yarrow
Hollyhock
Foxglove
Coneflower
Delphinium
Hellebores
Bee balm
Black-eyed Susans
Fuchsia
Salvia
Scabiosa
Annuals:
Snapdragons
Cosmos
Lobelia
Petunias
Sweet peas
Verbena
Sunflowers
It’s wonderful to stroll in your own garden and see the birds, bees and butterflies enjoying a wildlife buffet as they gather and flutter about.
Teri Cole is a 63-year resident of Bainbridge Island. She is a landscape designer known for her containers, arbors and floral decorations. She loves butterflies, birds, dogs, birdhouses and paintings.
More by Teri Cole, (in memoriam)
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