Pollinator Gardening

'Bee-You' Bee Balm

'Bee-You' Bee Balm

Monarda, commonly known as Bee Balm, has been a popular garden perennial for many years. Most of the modern hybrids come from two species native to the eastern United States. Today’s cultivars come in a range of colors, including…

Gardening Is For The Birds

Gardening Is For The Birds

As much as I love plants and all of what the act of gardening encompasses, watching my feathered friends fliting about the yard is truly one of the joys and bonuses of laboring in the garden. Their brightly colored feathers, melodic songs, and sometimes gravity defying antics never get boring…

You Too Can "Bee" A Pollinator Gardener

You Too Can "Bee" A Pollinator Gardener

Unless you have been living under a rock, you should be aware by now of the importance of bees (and insects in general for that matter) on our ecosystem. They are our chief pollinators, along with wasps and flies, some moths and butterflies, and even hummingbirds and bats. In the early season, one can observe our native mason bees and bumble bees working over early blooming shrubs, bulbs and perennial and later in the year, the honey bees are the dominate species in the garden. There are several things that home gardeners can do to encourage bees and other insects to come into their yard. Here are some things to consider…