Our gardens can cumulatively affect the survival of pollinators. Loss of habitat and climate change have resulted in a decline in plant and animal species.
If enough gardeners embrace the ethos of attracting, feeding and protecting pollinators, we can make a real difference. The Penn State Extension Master Gardener Program tracks gardens that have been certified as pollinator friendly as one measure to gauge the impact of preservation efforts across Pennsylvania.
A well-cared for garden should employ best methods to protect pollinators vital to the food chain, while optimizing the health of plants going into the winter. For years the notion of “putting the garden to bed” meant to carefully cut down and clean flower and vegetable beds, leaving a pristine outdoor space free of plant debris or leaves. This practice destroys habitat, impacting the survival of insects that pollinate plants and caterpillars, which are the primary food source for birds.
Create a haven for overwintering pollinators in the home garden by:
• Leaving herbaceous plants standing in ornamental and vegetable beds.
• Allowing areas of exposed soil, whether in a lawn or garden bed, to give burrowing insects a place to call home. Many moths and bees remain undisturbed under the soil in various forms of development until spring.
• Providing brush and woodpiles for pollinators to take refuge.
• Creating mason bee houses for nesting bees. They provide another type of insurance policy for effective pollinator protection. For more information including a link on how to construct your own mason bee house, go to extension.psu.edu.
Perhaps the biggest paradigm shift is changing our perception of what constitutes a beautiful garden. Rather than an austere backdrop free from dead or declining foliage, find beauty in snow coating the dried flower heads of classic hydrangeas and sedums. Embrace the interest of swaying plumes of grasses including feather reed grass (Calamagrostis spp.) or big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi).
Be wowed looking out your window by the bright berries of winterberry (Ilex verticillata) cultivars such as the Berry Heavy series, with their bright red or gold berries dotting our typically gray November days. Seedheads on ornamental grasses and perennials such as rudbeckia, helianthus and echinacea species provide food for birds during the winter months.
Consider the architectural and textural effects of the winter season when planning your garden. River birch (Betula nigra) and its exfoliating bark is a perfect habitat for pollinators all year long and thickets of chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) provide food and cover in every season.
Penn State’s Pollinator Certification guidelines provide a four-season strategy for pollinator health and preservation. From the earliest part of spring, starting with plants such as delicate foamflowers (Tiarella cordifloria) to the last bud on a leggy aromatic aster (Symphotrichum oblongifolium), you’ll find exciting plant choices for every season at ento.psu.edu.
Advocating for the pollinators which stay in our region throughout the long months of winter will bring endless benefits for the environment. It may take a readjustment of old gardening habits and our purview of winter aesthetics but, in the end, we all stand to gain. Clipping a branch or plume from plants in the winter garden and enjoying them in a simple vase can broaden our sensibilities of what beauty is when the garden is dormant. When we consider the benefit of our choices for pollinators, the effort is made perfect.
Michelle Keane Domeisen is a Penn State Master Gardener, a volunteer program that supports the outreach mission of Penn State Extension. Extension provides research-based information on best practices in sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship. For more information, contact the Penn State Extension of Allegheny County at alleghenymg@psu.edu or 412-482-3476.
First Published: October 14, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
