Pollinator garden, Bumblebee on Goldenrod (c) Janet Allen
[Guest Post by Janet Allen. This is Part 3 of the ongoing series "Show Off YOUR wildlife garden.]
Janet Allen Shows Off Her Wildlife Garden
Over the past ten years or so, we’ve converted our suburban yard into a habitat garden by planting native plants. We gradually eliminated all the lawn in the backyard and most of the lawn in the front yard. We’ve really enjoyed the birds, butterflies, frogs and toads, dragonflies and damselflies, and especially the bees that now frequent our yard.
Many of the plants that are part of our Monarch Waystation are also good for the bees. One of my favorites is goldenrod. (The one in the photo is Solidago rugosa.) I grow quite a few types of goldenrods, and contrary to myth, these insect-pollinated plants are NOT the cause of allergies.
And what is good for the bees is also very good for our fruit and vegetable garden! Besides their assistance pollinating our crops, they’re also fun to watch.
Janet is President of Habitat Gardening in Central New York, a chapter of Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes . She blogs at Stewardship Garden.
Show Off YOUR Wildlife Habitat Garden
This is the third in a series from “Show Off Your Wildlife Garden.”
Who’s next? YOU are!
Head on over to Show Off Your Wildlife Garden to get started. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got!
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About Carole Sevilla Brown
What a great photo of this beautiful native plant. Janet’s habitat garden in a suburban setting is so inspiring!
I totally agree, Ellen. It’s a great inspiration for how much a suburban garden can really make a difference for wildlife.
Ooh! I’ve just planted Solidago rugosa this year–I hope mine does as well. Awesome stuff!