Give bees, butterflies plants they can’t resist
About a third of our grown food is pollinated by — you guessed it — pollinators. So it makes good, common sense to protect them and help their population grow.
Many are either at risk, like the monarch butterfly, or endangered, like the rusty-patched bumble bee that has not been seen since 2010.
Canadian gardeners have taken a serious interest in the crisis and have responded by planting species that support native pollinating insects and birds.
We each have the opportunity, in our backyard or on our balcony, to attract pollinators and help build the pollinator corridor that connects the neighbourhoods of the GTA to green spaces
— and beyond. Think of this corridor like a chain of rest-and-refuelling stops for travelling pollinators. Every gardener can form a link in this important chain.
The City of Toronto is behind a local effort to draw attention to the problem and provide homegrown solutions. The city’s community-based Live Green Toronto program provides grants of up to $5,000 to support projects that create pollinator gardens or projects that support pollinator-friendly native plants. You can find details at toronto.ca and then search Live Green.
We have a list of top pollinating plants. There’s no better time to get these plants in the soil than right now. ANNUALS Lantana ( Lantana camara). A butterfly and bee magnet. One of the most colourful plants you can grow in a full-sun garden. Loves to be hot and on the dry side; too much water is the enemy. Brilliant colours that illuminate any container or garden.
Salvia (Salvia splendens). Blue, white, orange or red. A sturdy annual that attracts hummingbirds. Sun loving. Lobelia ( Lobelia erinus). Another hummingbird plant that looks great hanging over the edge of a basket or window box. Likes half-day to full-on sun. Blue or white. Hibiscus ( Hibiscus rosa-sinensis). Known as Chinese or Hawaiian hibiscus, the tropical, woody plant features slightly ruffled, trumpet-shaped flowers approaching 12 centimetres wide and 20 centimetres deep. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. The flowers are pink, red and orange. If you are thinking of the winter-hardy type, Rose of Sharon ( Hibiscus syriacus) works well, too, but blooms later in the season.
PERENNIALS Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). This is our No. 1 pick; it’s also called perennial lobelia. There are native species and hybrids to choose from. Both works well as pollinator magnets. Milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata). It’s the primary source of nutrients for monarch butterflies. While in flower, it also attracts hummingbirds, flies (yes, they’re pollinators, too) and other types of butterflies. Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum). This hardy perennial blooms from mid-summer to late fall. At its peak, late August/September, it draws a crowd of pollinators gobbling nectar and pollen. Fun to watch! Agastache. Native yellow hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) and purple giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia) work well, as do the introduced varieties that bloom their heads off for weeks at a time beginning in early summer. Showy plants that need some space, best at the back or the middle of a flower bed. Stonecrop (Sedum). Profuse bloomer from August through October. Mark grows about 50 of these in his 10-acre garden. On a sunny day, you cannot miss the bees and butterflies that flock to them. Magenta, purple, red and rose-coloured. This plant loves the hot sun and dry soil. SHRUBS Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina). We recommend this shrub only if you have a method, and the energy, to control it — it spreads aggressively by root.
However, it attracts a host of pollinators when it flowers late in spring, and its seeds in late fall attract songbirds. Brilliant red fall colour. Elderberry ( Sambucus canadensis). Late in spring and in early summer, the creamy white flowers of the native common elderberry attract many native bees. When the plants produce fruit, later in the summer, songbirds enjoy a quick meal. If you want to pick elderberries, you’d better be quick!
There are many other flowering plants that attract pollinators. Do some foraging of your own through the colourful inventory at your local garden retailer.