How to Make Your Garden Pollinator-Insect Friendly

Spring is heating up and summer's almost here. Odds are you've already been planning your get-togethers in your backyard. BBQs, morning cocktails, backyard camping -- the possibilities are endless. But your human guests aren't the only ones you'll need to prep your yard for. Butterflies and bees play a key role in maintaining our ecosystem as well as the life of your garden. Here's how you can make your landscaping pollinator-friendly.

Plan Your Pollination Party From The Start 

To boost your garden's pollination game, it's best to start from the beginning. Talk to your landscaper about flowers that bloom between early spring into fall. This is because bees and butterflies pollinate in more than spring and summer. Where there are flowers, there's bound to be busy bees and butterflies. It's also a good idea to plant your flowers en masse. This works in your favor when you use a landscaping service. Your landscaper will most likely plant your flowers in groups when the time comes. More flowers mean more available plants to pollinate. If you have one flower bush, bees and butterflies will most likely polish off the nectar pretty quickly. Finally, avoid planting hybrid flowers. Some hybrid flowers are grown for their beauty and not their nectar or pollen, this can make them useless to pollinators.

You Don't Need To Be A Bee Keeper To Keep Your Bees 

Up to 90% of Americans with yards think it's important to keep their yards well-maintained. Yet many homeowners opt to treat their yards with pesticides to keep pests away. Pesticides can be harmful to good bugs and to your blooms. Many types of pesticides kill bees, which can keep pollinators away from your garden. If you can, choose natural pesticides that won't harm the good bugs your blooms rely on. But if you do need to use artificial pesticides, be sure to read the label. Spray at night when pollinators aren't present. This keeps them from coming into contact with the chemicals.

If you're looking for landscape architects in Spokane or Bellevue, Alderwood Landscaping is the landscaping service for you. The landscape designers at Alderwood Landscaping can offer you fire pits, outdoor kitchens, patios, and water features. For more information on our landscaping services and landscape architects in Spokane, contact Alderwood Landscaping today.