Pollinators
It’s National Pollinator Week: Thank a Bee, and a Fly, and Even A Beetle
In 2006 the United States Senate designated the first National Pollinator Week as a way to recognize the importance of pollinators to agriculture and ecosystem health. Sure, beekeepers and avid gardeners celebrate this week, but the average American is hard pressed to name even a single pollinator beyond a honey bee. As we have become increasingly disconnected from our food…
Read MoreThe American Gardener: Book Review of The Pollinator Victory Garden
Book Review from The American Gardener: The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening Kim Eierman, Quarry Books, Beverly, MA. 160 pages. Publisher’s price, paperback: $26.99 Having worked as a garden designer for 15 years, I’m aware of the importance of native plants, but communicating this to my clients is not always easy. Kim Eierman’s…
Read MoreBee Hotels or Natural Habitat?
There is a huge wave of enthusiasm for bee hotels and that’s totally understandable – we all want to help native bees that are facing incredible challenges. A landscape with lots of pollinator-friendly flowers is an important forage buffet, but a landscape that also provide areas for pollinators to nest, shelter and overwinter – now that is a pollinator garden.…
Read MorePlanting for Specialist Native Bees
Our estimated 4,000 native bee species in the United States and Canada fall into one of two categories – pollen generalists and pollen specialists. Generalist bees are the majority, accounting for approximately 75% of all bee species. It is their good fortune to be able to forage on many different native plant species, and often on a number of non-native…
Read MoreNative Bogs with Ron Determann of Atlanta Botanical Garden
If you haven’t seen a native bog in full bloom, then make sure to put that on your bucket list. A recent trip south this fall provided me with the excuse I needed to see the splendid bog gardens at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Both ornamental and endangered, native bogs are some of our most threatened ecosystems. Wanting to learn…
Read MoreGoing Pesticide-Free for Pollinators at The Farm Between
This past August, I took a road trip to one of my favorite states, Vermont, where lots of good things are happening with organic and pesticide-free landscapes and nursery production. One of my stops was “The Farm Between” in pastoral Jeffersonville, Vermont. This is one of the oldest farms in the area, dating back to the early 1800s; it used…
Read MorePollinators of Native Plants With Heather Holm
EcoBeneficial! is delighted to be back online after a medical emergency and a long recovery period. I return with an interview with Heather Holm, author of Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects With Native Plants. Click to watch the slideshow Click to listen to the podcast Holm is a landscape designer and consultant specializing…
Read MoreTasty Natives: Pawpaw (Asimina trioloba)
As fall planting winds down, consider whether you might have one more spot for a tasty native plant. It’s a great way to add an ecological boost to your landscape, while growing something unusual that you can eat. Edible native plantings help connect us with the ecosystems around us, and are a powerful way to engage kids with the landscape.…
Read MoreFall Checklist for the EcoBeneficial Landscape
Now that fall is here, is your landscape in good order? Following some simple steps can prevent or lessen the impacts of a harsh winter, and lay the groundwork for best results in the spring. Fall Checklist – 15 Steps to Ecological Health 1) If you have plants to be planted, it may be too late. Newly-planted plants should be…
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