Pollinator Party

We’ve been hearing a lot in the last few years about the decline/demise of the pollinators.  Colony Collapse Disorder has been getting the most attention, but when the Riverman and I recently watched the documentary “More Than Honey,” we learned about “foulbrood,” and a mite that injects a virus into honeybees, deforming their wings and causing paralysis.

I’ve been committed to organic gardening here at Auntie K’s Garden from the start.  I don’t use pesticides or herbicides, because like the song says, “the ankle bone’s connected to the knee bone.”  This kind of gardening has its challenges, but I’d rather have a few weeds than fewer pollinators.

Thankfully, many of my neighbors are like-minded.  And, Saturday, one neighbor had a “Pollinator Open House”.  She did some research on plants that attract pollinators, went to a local nursery that specializes in plants native to our region to purchase the plants and invited her gardening pals over to share her passion for saving the bees by sharing the plants! 

We were getting the plants ready, and she told me that the woman at the garden center told her that “Liatris is like ice cream for bees.”  (So glad I’ve got those in my garden!)  

I missed the actual event because I spent too much time working on the new compost bins before the rain started, but another neighbor went.  Here’s her box of plants, which includes Liatris, Prairie Phlox, Wild Bergamot, Milkweed, Goldenrod, Anise Hyssop, and Asters.

Change happens one person at a time.  Maybe pesticide/herbicide free gardening isn’t your thing.  But, I bet you could incorporate one or more of these plants into your garden to save the bees.