5 Fantastic Flowers to Attract Pollinators Posted on 4 Jan 16:56 , 6 comments

Welcome to our Plant for Pollinators 2022 series!

During this series we will share about the importance of encouraging pollinators in your garden, ways to grow WITH nature and discuss different types of pollinators.

 

Today we are sharing a few flower & herb varieties that you can plant to attract pollinators to your garden.

 

BORAGE

BORAGE is my absolute favorite. I've spent hours in the garden listening to the buzzzzing of bees around our Borage plants. I even made a video!

 

The flavor of Borage is similar to a cucumber.  Borage has bright blue, star-shaped flowers that explode in a blue profusion all summer attracting honey bees.  The flowers and young leaves may be used to garnish salads, dips and cucumber soups.

Borage is a Companion plant for Tomatoes, Peppers, Squash, Strawberries and more.

CALENDULA

Calendula or Calendula officinalis, is a hardy annual, and member of the Asteraceae or Compositae family, which share a central disc surrounded by spoon-shaped petals.
I have shared several videos and articles about growing and harvesting Calendula. I even make my own Calendula Infused Oil

Also called Pot Marigold, Calendula grows quickly from wild flower seed, blooms heavily, and then dies with the first heavy frost. It will grow in all regions of North America.

SUNFLOWERS

Each sunflower is actually thousands of teeny flowers. The blossom of the sunflower is called a head. SUNFLOWERS ARE AMAZING!

I took this photo (above) of a beautiful sunflower in my garden!

Sunflowers are not only great additions to a flower and vegetable garden for their food and beauty, they are essential habitat plants for pollinators as well.

Their genus name is Helianthus (which comes from the Greek words for "sun" and "flower").

 

CONEFLOWER

Coneflowers, also known as Echinacea, are tough little native flowers that draw butterflies, bees, and birds to the garden!

Their genus name Echinacea comes from the Latin name for hedgehog, echinus, referring to the often prickly lower stem of the plant. Coneflowers have raised cone-like centers (hence, their name) which contain seeds that attract butterflies. Leave the seed heads after bloom and you’ll also attract songbirds such as goldfinches! 

 

MARIGOLD

Marigolds are one of the most popular flowers for gardeners. They are fantastic for companion planting and easy to grow from seed.

In Nepal, marigolds are highly celebrated and called “hundred-leafed flower", referring to its many petals per blossom head. It is the main flower used in garlands and decorations at weddings, festivals and religious events.

Marigold has nematocidal qualities when dug into the soil. Has been used medicinally for centuries.  Great Companion Plant!  Attracts bees and butterflies
 
If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask!
Email: mary@marysheirloomseeds.com
HAPPY PLANTING!


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