Bees / Pollinators Articles
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Build a thriving habitat by strategically combining insect- and animal-friendly annuals, perennials and shrubs
We understand and share your concern about the health of the bees which pollinate our crops and support our environment. The health of bees is critical to us all, and Proven Winners needs pollinators as much as anyone. With the help of our industry leaders, we are actively working to support, report, and react to the science-based information about bees and possible declines in bee populations.
See which Proven Winners plants are great at drawing butterflies into your garden.
Butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds and bees add wonderful movement and great interest to our gardens. Attracting these winged friends to your garden is a fairly simple matter. Provide them with food, water and shelter and they are happy to come and stay awhile. There is a wide palette of plants that will work for both your garden and pollinators.
I love plants and adore the flowers that fill my garden with color, fragrance, and beauty. But my garden would be only half a garden without the birds, hummingbirds, bees and butterflies that fill the space with graceful movement, birdsong, and the low rumbling buzz of bumblebees. These 10 red or nearly red flowers are sure to be a hit with hummingbirds. Add enough of these plants to your garden and you’ll never have to fill a hummingbird feeder again!
Plant-based strategies for supporting pollinators
You’ve probably read the news stories on the “insect apocalypse”: the recent steep decline in insect populations and the potentially dire consequences it holds for other animals and ourselves. It’s easy to get discouraged listening to all the doom and gloom, but the good news is that this is an issue we can all play a part in resolving. The solution is so simple: plant something. Plants and their flowers play a crucial role in sustaining insects, and they in turn sustain everything that eats them, and on up the food chain.
While lots of people are talking about it these days, gardening for pollinators – insects, birds, and even bats that feed on the nectar, pollen, and leaves for plants - isn’t just a trend. It’s central to plants’ roles in our ecosystem. If you don’t get the appeal of attracting pollinators to your landscape, planting one of these ten shrubs will make you a convert. Each one is beautiful, easy to grow, and the pollinators they bring in will add another layer of excitement to the floral display. Or better yet, try more than one, layering in plants for all seasons, to invite nature’s visitors to your home for months each year.
Butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds and bees add wonderful movement and great interest to our gardens. Attracting these winged friends to your garden is a fairly simple matter. Provide them with food, water and shelter and they are happy to come and stay a while. There is a wide palette of plants that will work for both your garden and pollinators.
Supporting pollinators ranks high among gardeners’ concerns and we agree—we all need to do what we can to provide a beneficial habitat, food and shelter for these critical creatures. Let’s take a look at ten perennials for bees and more you can grow to provide beauty and sustenance in your garden.
Designing, planting and maintaining landscapes for ecologically-minded customers requires a shift in the way we think about and care for gardens. Plants play a huge roll in providing pollen, nectar and seeds for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds and insects. Learn more about gardening for pollinators here.
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