National Pollinator Week

Happy National Pollinator Week! 🐝 🪲 Join us this week in celebrating the vital role pollinators play in our ecosystem and raise awareness for their improved health and protection. This years theme, from Pollinator Partnership, "Pollinators Weave Connections" highlights our dependency on pollinators and the ways in which our actions impact them, big and small. The work of pollinators like bees, butterflies, beetles, and bats is crucial for the beauty in our gardens and the food on our tables! ⁠

People thrive when pollinators thrive! There are many factors that contribute to pollinator food and habitat lose including; land development, pesticide use, and invasive species. It's important that people take action on an individual level to help create a sustainable future for generations of people and pollinators. Help us support them this week (and every week) by planting a pollinator garden! 🌻

Planning a Pollinator Garden:

The first step in creating a successful pollinator garden is choosing the right location! Many pollinator friendly plants need full sun (6+ hours a day) to thrive and bloom. Plus, some pollinators, like butterflies, like to bask in the sun! Once you have a sunny location, prep your space by pulling weeds and amending the soil if necessary. Finally, add material like rocks to block wind and give pollinators a place to perch. Now your space is ready for planting!

Here comes the hard part... choosing your plants! We have a few tips to help you pick the perfect plants for your new pollinator garden.

1. Think about diversity! Some pollinators are picky about the plants the frequent, so a garden with a large diversity colors, heights, and growth habits is more attractive to a larger number of pollinators.

2. Plant in multiples! Those picky pollinators that like certain flowers need more than just one to feed on! Buying three - five of the same plant makes foraging easier as they don't have to travel far to find more food.

3. Ensure you're selecting plants that have different bloom seasons! If all of your plants are done blooming by May, you're missing out on months of pollinator activity. In Charleston, that means selecting plants like lantana and salvia that continue blooming through our hot summer days.

4. Include native plants! Native plants often offer the largest selection of pollen and nectar and are generally low maintenance options for your garden. Plus, native bee populations have uniquely evolved to feed when native flowers are blooming!

Maintaining a Pollinator Garden

You have a beautiful pollinator garden... now what?

New plants need consistent watering to establish strong root systems and even mature gardens need deep watering during hot and dry periods. Garden maintenance can be as involved as you want it to be, but at a minimum, make sure you're pruning dead leaves and deadheading periodically. This gives your plants some room to breath and allows for new growth!

One last tip, skip the pesticides! If you've created a diverse and abundant garden, various beneficial insects will act as a pest control. Pesticides are dangerous and harmful to pollinators! If you still need to use them, read labels carefully and only spray at night when bees and other pollinators are not active.

Celebrate Pollinator Week with us and tune into OHM 96.3 FM this Thursday at 3pm as we chat with Amy Dabbs from Clemson about The Great Southeast Pollinator Census and pollinator gardens. Plus, keep in touch on Instagram to learn more about the pollinator plants we have in stock throughout the week and shop the BOGO 50% off sale this weekend (June 21st - 22nd)!