A pollinator visits a perennial sunflower.
Butterfly weed is a great pollinator plant that helps
monarch butterflies and many other insects.
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for the monarch butterfly, another insect in trouble. The butterfly
weed also serves many other insects, too.
Garlic chives are easy to grow, tasty and provide lots of pollen
for bugs. They start blooming in late summer with beautiful pure
white flowers. They throw seeds at the end of the season like
crazy and make plenty more plants for next year’s garden.
Coneflowers are indestructible sun lovers that come in a variety
of colors. Single flowers are the type to plant for the pollinators,
as it’s difficult to access the pollen on doubles. After coneflowers
bloom, deadhead them, give them water and fertilizer, and more
flowers should come.
Monarda or bee balm is a fragrant perennial that bees,
butterflies and other insects can’t resist. Treat it like the
coneflower to extend the bloom season.
Perennial sunflowers will bloom year after year for decades.
They are tough and pretty. The insects will love you for growing
them.
Zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, lantana and daisies are all great for
the job and on sale now at nurseries.
Feel good about the garden, forget the sprays and welcome the
pollinators.
THE DIRT
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