Among the great joys of summer living are the colours and perfumes of garden beds and containers. But there is another important consideration when it comes to our garden plantings: the attraction of pollinators.
It’s wonderful to see hummingbirds and butterflies visiting our patios and gardens, but we can all do more to make our outdoor spaces even more welcoming.
Our colour gardens can be beautiful, but by making subtle changes, we can easily make them more “nature friendly”.
Many annuals are attractive to pollinators, but some are especially good at this important job. Cuphea, for example, is a superstar. Over the past few years, many new varieties have been introduced. Proven Winners’ cuphea Vermillionaire, with its long orange tubular flowers, is a hummingbird magnet all summer. Used in hanging baskets, it spills over nicely, and once the flowers develop, they are perfect container companions for full or partial sun locations.
Smaller orange and red fuchsias, like the Gartenmeister Bonstedt, are super attractors, and a beautiful trailer, Wilma Verslot, is frequented by hummingbirds as well.
Several new salvias, especially the taller blue varieties, are fabulous for attracting bees. The Summer Jewel series grows to about 36 centimetres and is available in pink, red, lavender and white, with lovely spires flowering well into the fall. You’ll see not only bees and hummingbirds drawn to these, but goldfinches as well.
We all enjoy the perfume of heliotrope, a fragrance that also appeals to a wide variety of pollinators. It, too, can be used in either hanging baskets or containers to be enjoyed all season long.
Many new, longer-blooming perennials are stealing the limelight from annuals, perhaps because pollinators seem
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