The Pollinator Garden
We are so thrilled to be planting a beautiful pollinator garden this year!
While we do not claim to be gardening experts— it is something we love, and (humbly) we’re pretty good at it! We believe that it’s wildly important to share information when we can, and that’s what we’re going to do here. Just consider this like a neighborly chat over the garden fence.
So, a pollinator garden… what’s that?
A pollinator garden for our intents and purposes is a patch of land, designated for growing perennials (and a few annuals), that will nourish and attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators throughout the year. This is us attempting to save our local bees, or at the very least help.
Our pollinator garden will feature a variety of plants that are both beautiful and medicinal. Eventually, we’ll add a water feature (think, a large fountain that’s both dreamy and a drink source). There’s a whimsical winding path that snakes through the acre of land that is already proving to be a lovely walking trail.
What are we growing?
Echinacea
Rudbeckia
Wild Bergamot
Indian Summer Rudbeckia
Cheyanne Spirit Echinacea
Black Sage
Yarrow
Lavender
Borage (this is an annual for us)
Wild Marjoram
Giant Purple Hyssop
Zones & Local Predators
Growing in our rural, zone 8b community means rabbits, gophers, and kind of harsh (for Southern California) temperatures. ie; we’ve had 4 snowstorms already this year, but are currently enjoying 80* afternoons in April. We love every season, but boy’s howdy, this year has been a DOOZY.
All of these plants are deemed hearty; somewhat drought and frost-resistant, and also disease resistant.
The pollinator garden will be surrounded by rabbit wire. We’re armed with hula hoes to keep the weeds down (hello, organic farming) and will be lightly mowing the walking paths to avoid deep soil disturbance as much as possible (rather than tilling or weed-whacking to the dirt).
Soil/Irrigation
One of the biggest parts of this project was amending our soil. After growing lavender in this ground for 8 years, it was highly important for us to revitalize the space. We brought in organic compost from a local compost yard in Temecula and were really happy with the quality! Composting the rows took a full day. Then the water lines were laid, and the next step is fencing and then planting!
We use 1/2” black drip line all over the farm. This has proven to work best for our agriculture projects over the decades. Our rows are anywhere from 10-150 feet in length, and we pop emitters every foot of the line.
Planned Uses
The pollinator garden’s main purpose is to serve our local bees and butterflies. Most of the varieties we’re growing here will take a full year of growth before they bloom. But there are a few that will bloom this coming season! There are several other cool opportunities that will come from it as well. Some of the flowering herbs and perennial blooms will also be included in our flower shares. In the autumn, we’ll harvest the medicinal flowers and dry them for teas and apothecary uses. We see this garden as a full circle, a gift that keeps on giving.
Want a peek?
We dropped a video of where we’re at so far, below!
Do you grow flowers for the bees? Have any suggestions? Let us know in the comments!
