Community Spotlight: GM on Main Street Grant Recipient Holly, Michigan
Holly, Mich. received funding from the GM on Main Streett grant for their Beautify Holly Battle Alley Social District and Ganshaw Park projects.
After
Pollinator gardens are fantastic ways to increase green space, promote sustainability, and educate your community on the local environment. We have collected some key considerations for designing and populating your pollinator garden to help you get started attracting bees, bugs, and butterflies to your Main Street.
Choosing a Site
The first step to creating a pollinator garden in your community is to find your growing zone so that you can be sure to choose plants that will be hardy in your area. You will want to use primarily native perennial plants in a variety of colors, shapes, and foliage textures for best results. It’s ok to use a few non-natives or annuals, but some studies suggest pollinators prefer native plants from their area. You will need to site the garden in a spot with at least 6 hours of full sun, as that is the average requirement for most plants that attract butterflies, bees, or hummingbirds.
You will also need to know how well your soil drains, as this will affect the plant choice. Most plants are happy in moist, well-drained soil, but you may need to select plants that can tolerate much drier conditions in very hot areas, or even rain garden plants if there may be periodic standing water. Very poor conditions may be improved by building a raised bed. Remember that most native plants do not require rich, fertile soil—in fact, too much fertilizer may promote foliage at the expense of flowers. To conserve water and deter weeds, the ground between plants should be covered with 1-2 inches of “mulch.” This might be aged bark, pine fines, or small stones, depending on the style of your garden.
No space to plant?
If you do not have an unpaved area for planting you might consider very large planters, either trough-shaped or round. The larger the planter the less it will need to be watered; self-watering containers are an excellent option. A depth of at least 18” is recommended, as most native perennials have deep root systems to ensure their survival.
Choosing plants
Once your site has been readied, you’ll want to consult a native plant list appropriate for your location. Most state agencies and major universities will provide such a list online that includes pollinator information. Choose plants that match your site. Even though red cardinal flower may be native to your area, if your soil is very dry it would be a poor choice. Look for plants that flower at different times so something will always be in bloom.
To keep maintenance low and the planting attractive, avoid plants that tend to have known issues--beebalm or phlox with powdery mildew, for instance. Even something that seems perfect such as the monarch butterfly attracting common milkweed may end up being undesired if caterpillars heavily disfigure the foliage. It all depends on the look you are allowed to create when it comes to how “natural” you can get.
Design Tips
Plant in groups of at least three for smaller gardens, five for more expansive sites. Don’t cheat on the recommended spacing between plants (usually 18-24”). The garden might fill in faster but will result in extra work down the road. Repeating groupings throughout will tie the look together. Place taller plants toward the back or center. Mixing plants with different foliage textures, colors and habits will make a more attractive display.
For example, in a zone 7 garden, the upright, blue-green linear foliage of switchgrass plays well with swaths of daisy-shaped pink coneflower and golden black-eyed Susan with their rounded spiky seedheads. Punctuate with fluffy cylindrical pink liatris blooms and edge with low mounds of bright orange asclepias (A. tuberosa).
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