Planting a pollinator garden or making your yard a wildlife friendly place is a lot easier than many think!
Allowing areas for native plants is one of the most important steps that can easily be overshadowed by attractive garden center plant varieties. Although many flowering annuals and non-native plants can be beneficial to pollinators and attracting them, they may not support a sustainable eco-system for our native insects, birds and other wildlife.
Step One: Removing Invasive Plant Species
The first step you can take is identifying non-native invasive plant species on your property. The most common invasive plants in Northeast Ohio are Buckthorns, Japanese Honeysuckles (vines as well as shrubs), Garlic Mustard, Purple Loosestrife, and possibly English Ivy or Myrtle/Vinca Vine depending on the location. An important note on plants that are considered invasive vs. spreading is that invasive species cause harm to our environment. Plants that invasively spread may be pesky, but do not cause harm to our native species. We would love to list them all, but these are several that are easy to identify and remove. Others include Common Reed Grass and Canadian Thistle.
Buckthorn – Extremely invasive, outgrows native plants and shrubs. Berries are eaten by birds, but are not digested well and have no nutritional value. It also causes birds to have runny or unsightly stools which can be messy to clean off of structures or vehicles. Replace these with Spicebush or Sweetshrub, both are native and Spicebush is a butterfly host plant!
Japanese Honeysuckle – Outgrows native species, the flowers are sweet smelling and attractive but the berries have a similar effect on our wildlife as buckthorn, they are not good for native species to eat or digest. Japanese Honeysuckle vines are also extremely invasive spreaders. Replace with native Honeysuckle varieties, including Diervilla lonicera (Honeyberry Shrub) and Lonicera sempervirens (Trumpet Honeysuckle Vine).
Garlic Mustard – Was brought to the Americas with the good intent of using as an herb, and it can still be used as such in cooking or making pesto, however this plant is a prolific spreader and is on the top ten most wanted list to eradicate, so please seek it out, remove it and cook with it! You don’t necessarily have to replace this plant, however Ramps are a great alternative that will grow in similar areas yielding an early spring harvest.
Purple Loosestrife – This beautiful purple flowering plant is very attractive and grows in wet areas or ditches. Although many don’t see it as invasive it does the most damage in our lakes and ponds choking out native wetland and aquatic species. If you have this plant, please remove it, there are some great native and non-invasive replacements you can use! There are some ‘non-invasive’ varieties available also. Replace with native perennials such as Joe Pye Weed, Echinacea, Iron Weed or even Salvias or Veronica which may not be native, but are better alternatives.
Step Two: Creating Areas for Native Plants, No-Mow Sections
Although it is common to have a well groomed landscape, some maintenance practices are also harmful to our native eco-system. Make sure to leave areas for native plant varieties to grow and thrive even if they aren’t a part of your landscape design. Whether this is in shady wooded areas, or between properties, these are areas that don’t need to be groomed.
If you already a golf course worthy lawn, delaying a mow isn’t going to help. Lawn grasses are not beneficial to our eco-system. However, if your lawn is still natural and contains plants such as dandelions, clover, colt’s foot, ajuga, violets or nettle, delaying a mow in the spring and allowing these plants to bloom can be a great boost for bees and other pollinators waking up from hibernation! Allowing these plants to stay in bloom for a few days to a week can be very helpful to our native pollinators.
No-mow sections can also be incorporated into your landscape that are attractive and look as if they are a part of your landscape by edging them with garden beds or stone borders. Make sure if you live in a home owners association where there are restrictions that you will be permitted to do this and have it well planned out before submitting for approval. You can also enhance no-mow sections by planting native plants such as Joe Pye Weed, Iron Weed, Butterfly Weed or Milkweeds to be more attractive if these areas do not produce a lot of interest. If you have Goldenrod or Solidago, this is a great fall bloomer to allow to grow that pollinators love!
Step Three: Planting Native vs. Non-Native, Maintaining
It is best to plant native plants when possible as they support our local wildlife, however some ornamental non-native varieties can be incorporated for additional interest or bloom periods.
Native Perennials: Aquilegia canadensis (Columbine), Beebalms, Blazing star, Blue False Indigo, Butterfly weed, Canada anemone, Cardinal flower, Liatris, Goldenrod, Great white trillium, Iron Weed, Joe Pye Weed, Lance-leaved coreopsis, Lobelia cardinalis, Lupine, Obedient plant, Phlox, Purple coneflower, Beebalm, Swamp milkweed, White wood aster, Wild bergamot, Wild geranium and Wood Poppy are great native varieties to plant!
Native Shrubs: Spicebush, Sweetshrub, Viburnums, Buttonbush, Blackberry, Raspberry, Chokeberry, Dogwood, Elderberry, Ninebark, Viburnums and Willows.
Native Trees: Dogwood, Tuliptree, Willow, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Eastern Redbud, Birch, Black Gum, Hawthorne, Oak, Serviceberry, Red Buckeye, Eastern Red Cedar
Maintaining; No Pesticides or Herbicides
A well maintained landscape is important, but it is more important that you avoid using pesticides or herbicides. Although many manufacturers taught that their products are safe, adding any sort of chemical that isn’t natural to your yard or garden is going to have adverse effects in one way or another. For example, animals like frogs can absorb such chemicals through their skin, and it doesn’t take much to make them ill. Like rodenticides or other poisons, the first animal effected may not be the last – predators may eat these animals, becoming ill themselves.
Instead of chemicals, you can use mulch, gravel and regular hand weeding to maintain your garden. No-mow and meadow areas don’t require any maintenance unless you see an invasive species pop-up, which should be removed as soon as possible to prevent spread.
Leaving areas to rake leaf litter to are also beneficial for overwintering insects. Instead of having leaf litter removed, you can accumulated it in a tree line or at the edge of your forest or wooded areas. This not only benefits overwintering insects and animals, but it will also break down in the spring and be beneficial for the trees – remember, nobody rakes the leaves in a forest. A healthy eco-system is self maintaining.