Illinois Master Gardeners will be holding their 20th annual plant sale this Saturday, May 18. Many different types of plants will be on sale, including many pollinator-friendly varieties. But what is a pollinator-friendly garden and why does it matter?
For the answer to that question and many more, the Commercial-News spoke with Master Gardener Ray Knight of Berry’s Nursery & Floral in Danville.
Why plant a pollinator-friendly garden?
We’ve been hearing for years that we needed to save the bees, and for good reason, according to Knight.
Without pollinators like bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, beetles, and others, we would miss out on a third of the food supply we need to survive, since between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on Earth need pollinators to procreate, according to non-profit Pollinator Partnership.
Pollinators keep the food cycle going by traveling from plant to plant carrying pollen on their bodies, inadvertently transferring the anther (male part) of one flower to the stigma (female part) of another flower.
Knight, a longtime landscape designer and gardener, knows all about the importance of protecting pollinators, and it starts, he says, with building and sustaining gardens that supply them with an ample supply of food and shelter.
Building your pollinator garden
When you are ready to plant your pollinator garden, look for a location on your property that gets plenty of sunlight and not too much wind.
“You’ll need a spot that gets at least half a day of sunshine,” Knight said. “Butterflies, for example, like a sunny area where they can bask and lay on rocks, but they also like a little protection from the wind. They’ve got to drink so that would probably be important too, giving them access to some water.”
Another important thing to consider when choosing a location for your pollinator garden is the look and feel of it alongside your other plants and flowers.
Unlike a typical flower garden, which is designed for maximum beauty, pollinator gardens are all about providing nature’s hardest workers with a nice spot to relax, eat, drink, lay their eggs, and power up.
“A lot of people want a well-kept, pristine-looking garden. With a pollinator garden, with it being perennials, it may not always be a showcase,” Knight said.
It’s also important to avoid cutting back or dead-heading flowers in the colder months, as many people do for beautification.
“People like to cut all their perennials back in the fall, but a lot of those perennial plants have the pollinator larvae on them and if you cut it back, they won’t be there to emerge in the spring,” Knight said.
For these reasons, Knight suggests planting your pollinator garden in a back yard, far away from a hot tub or deck or other area you may want to keep pretty year-round.
Choosing your plants
When it comes to pollinators, Knight said, it’s all about supporting the work they naturally do, and that includes planting flowers they love.
“A lot of our pollinators like our native plants. And if you think about it, that’s what they’re used to having,” Knight said. “That’s what’s always been here, what survives and thrives here.”
Attracting bees & hummingbirds
Bees and hummingbirds have similar tastes, Knight said, so what one likes the other will most likely enjoy, too.
Here are some favorite native perennial plants to plant in your pollinator garden, according to the University of Illinois Extension Office’s “Pollinator Pocket” guide:
* red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
* cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
* trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
* Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
* Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya)
* Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis).
Annual flowers for attracting bees and hummingbirds include:
* canna (Canna indica)
* red hot poker (Kniphofia hirsute)
* cigar plant (Cuphea ignea)
* cardinal climber (Ipomoea x multifida)
* Tall, red varieties of zinnia (Zinnia elegans).
There are also other flowers which are not native to the area, but which will still please bees and hummingbirds, including:
* Asters
* Native Roses
* Joe Pye weed
* Purple Coneflower
* Great Blue Lobelia
* White Indigo
* Bellflowers
* Hollyhocks
* Monkshood
* Snapdragons
* Sunflowers
* Mint
* Tomatoes
* Butterfly Weed
* Goldenrod
* Larkspur
* Milkweed
Attracting butterflies
If it’s butterflies you’re hoping to attract, avoid planting red flowers, Knight said, as they tend to avoid these flowers.
Perennial flowers for attracting butterflies include:
* Catmint (nepeta)
* Black-eyed Susan
* Daisy
* Passion Flower
* Sage
* Yarrow
* Tickseed (coreopsis)
* Oregano
* Chives
* Lavender
* Stonecrop (sedum)
Annual flowers include:
* Marigolds, especially Disco or Naughty Marietta varieties
* Lantana
* Scabiosa
* Heliotrope
* Sweet Alyssum
For convenience’s sake, Knight said, you could also order a pre-planned pollinator garden kit. They are easy to grow, perfect for small spaces, and rabbit and deer-resistant.
However, Knight said, it’s important to consider that if native butterflies and hummingbirds like native plants, other native animals will, too. Though some are put off by the smell or texture of a plant, it doesn’t mean they won’t eat it when desperate.
“Just because it says resistant doesn’t mean they won’t eat them,” Knight said, laughing. “If they’re hungry, they’re gonna eat.”
Monarch Butterflies
Unlike other butterflies, Monarch butterflies can only continue their reproductive cycle with one plant in all of nature: milkweed.
Without milkweed, the Monarch butterfly population would die out with the next generation, according to Knight.
While adults can eat nectar from many different plants, their larvae can only eat and survive off of milkweed. So when adults lay their eggs on milkweed leaves, their larvae hatch and begin growing by eating the leaf they were laid on.
“The Monarch larvae need to be able to survive so that they can continue to cycle,” Knight said.
Maintenance
When it comes to maintaining a pollinator garden, less is more, Knight says.
“Plants do need that dormant season, they need that sleep time,” Knight says. “Once you cut the plant back in the spring, maybe add a light layer of mulch once things get going in terms of watering. But other than that, let it go naturally. Let it do what it’s gonna do.”
As far as watering, a pollinator garden is like any other outdoor garden: supplemental watering depends on how much rain the ground has received that season.
To check if the soil needs water, Knight said, sticking one’s finger into the soil will give some idea of how wet the soil is, but he has other methods.
“You could even take a spade and shove it in the ground and open up a little bit of an area that you can look at and see how moist the soil is,” Knight said.
Plant Sale
Beyond the extensive plant selection that will be on sale at the event, Master Gardeners will be on-site to answer questions and provide guidance, offering a unique opportunity for attendees to speak directly with the volunteers who nurtured many of the plants from the beginning.
“This event is a favorite among local gardeners, and we’re excited to offer another great selection this year,” said Jenney Hanrahan, Illinois Extension Educator and event organizer. “It’s not just about the plants. It’s about building connections and sharing knowledge.”
The plant sale will feature a wide variety of annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, houseplants, and pollinator-friendly plants. Many of the plants available are grown by the Master Gardeners, with several starting from seed.
The plant sale will take place from 8 a.m. to noon at First Presbyterian Church, 100 N. Franklin St. in Danville, in the church gymnasium.
Attendees are encouraged to arrive early for the best selection. Volunteers will be available to assist with carrying and loading plants. Admission and parking are free with donations being taken by cash or check for plants. For more information, visit go.illinois.edu/MayPlantSale.