By: Pam Bennett, AAS Judge
Ohio State University CES
Almost every gardening resource today has something to share about pollinators. We have all heard about the plight of the pollinators and about what gardeners can do to help increase their numbers. My mantra is JUST PLANT SOMETHING! Something, that is, for pollinators.
All-America Selections is the perfect resource for pollinator-friendly plants.
Pollinators = Necessity
Keep in mind that pollinatorsare animals and include insects, birds, and mammals. We tend to focus on plants for insects when thinking about a pollinator garden but keep these others in mind. Pollinators are necessary not only for fertilizing a flower, thus producing fruits and nuts, but are also needed to ensure species survival.
Different pollinators like different flower shapes
Pollinators, in general, are attracted to flower color, fragrance (or odor!) and shape. They also prefer flowers with lots of pollen and nectar. For instance, butterflies and moths are attracted to flowers that are corymbs (flat-topped) and hummingbirds are attracted to those that are tubular in nature.
Many vegetablesneed pollinators
Several vegetables require pollinators in order to produce fruit. Squashes, cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplant, okra, watermelons, and muskmelons must be pollinated by insects transferring pollen. Incomplete pollination of vegetables may result in misshaped or undersized fruits. Planting flowers near or in the vegetable garden is one way to assist the pollinators in your vegetables.
AAS Flower Winners pollinators love
All-America Selections flower winners are outstanding to add to or plant near the vegetable garden to encourage pollinators. Following are some of the AAS Winners you can plant to attract insect and hummingbird pollinators to your vegetable garden. The first three are a few of my all-time favorites. The others listed have proven themselves in my research plots and are outstanding for attracting pollinators.
