Photos courtesy Tammye Nash/Dallas Voice)
TAMMYE NASH | Managing Editor
Nash@DallasVoice.com
There are some 20,000 different species of bees here on planet Earth, and of those 20,000 species, one out of every four are at risk of extinction, according to The Bee Conservancy.
Why should that matter to you?
Because, again according to The Bee Conservancy, one out of every three bites of food that each of us takes is pollinated by bees.
“Bees are an essential part of our agriculture,” The Bee Conservancy notes. “Their health directly impacts food security.”
But what can you do to save the bees? How about creating a pollinator garden that will attract and sustain not just bees but butterflies, birds and more. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website is just one of many that offers advice on how to go about creating your own pollinators’ paradise.
Start by planning before you plant. Step one is choosing the best location, and to do that you need to “consider your audience,” notes a Fish and Wildlife Service article written by Mara Koenig. Although some flowering plants grow best in the shade, the bees and the butterflies like to “bask in the sun, and some of their favorite wildflowers grow best in full or partial sun, with some protection from the wind.”
Then figure out what kind of soil you are dealing with and what plants grow best in that soil. If you aren’t sure how to go about that, contact your local office of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension service and ask for help. These offices in each county offer soil testing services and provide resources like the Web Soil Survey.
Once you have figured out what kind of soil you are dealing with, you can move on to choosing your plants, focusing on which ones grow best in your area and will do the best job of attracting — and sustaining — pollinators.
The FWS website notes that it is best to focus on native plants because “they require less maintenance and tend to be healthier.” Your favorite local nursery will know which plants work best for your area.
“It’s essential to choose plants that have not been treated with pesticides, insecticides or neonicotinoids,” the website stresses. “You’ll also want to focus on selecting perennials to ensure your plants come back each year and don’t require a lot of maintenance.”
The FWS website also reminds gardeners to “think about more than just the summer growing season. Pollinators need nectar early in the spring, throughout the summer and even into the fall,” so choose plants that bloom at different times to keep the bee-and-butterfly buffet open throughout the different seasons.
But do you want to start with seeds or with small plants? Let your timeline and your budget help you decide.
Seeds are more economical, the FWS points out, especially for larger gardens, but they take more time to grow. If you start with seeds, be sure to disperse them in the fall or late winter, ahead of the summer growing season, so they have time to germinate.
Nursery-started plants are more expensive “but will generally give you a quick return on your investment and bring pollinators into your yard during the same growing season,” the website explains.
Now it’s time to move on to prepping your garden site. That means getting rid of grass and any current plant cover and turning the soil to loosen it up. For those who want raised beds or containers, there are plenty of pre-made options out there, FWS notes, and there are plenty of simple plans and designs for building your own.
Either way, be sure to remember to add nutrient-rich compost or soil to give your garden an even better chance at success.
Whether you start with seeds or plants make sure to follow all the guidances on when to plant, where to plant and how to plant.
For instance, if you put out seeds in the late winter, FWS suggests waiting until it snows then scattering the seeds over the snow. That way the sun will heat up the seeds and help anchor them into the snow, and the snow, as it melts, will provide the moisture necessary to help the seeds germinate.
If you put out seeds in the fall, you will want to cover them with soil to give them the best chance to flourish.
Or, if you decide to start with small plants, don’t plant too early or the final vestiges of winter will kill them. Dig a hole just big enough for the root system, then cover the roots and reinforce them with soil or compost. Adding mulch helps reduce weed growth.
Then, FWS says, water, wait, watch and enjoy. It may take the pollinators a bit to find your little corner of paradise; bees and butterflies and such can be a bit “flighty,” you know. But once they do find you, you’ll surely find that it was all worth the effort and worth the wait.
For more information on The Bee Conservancy, visit TheBeeConservancy.org. For more information on creating a pollinators’ garden, visit FWS.gov/Story/How-Build-Pollinator-Garden. For more information on services offered by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services, visit AgriLifEextension.tamu.edu.