According to the calendar, spring has arrived. You can’t always tell by the weather. You just know it will snow at least once in April but my daffodils are budding and my tulips are popping up so I am guardedly optimistic that soon the days will be warmer! It is still too early for garden clean up (remember the pollinators we are trying to help are still sleeping) until the daytime temps are consistently in the 60’s.
This is the time to develop your plan (what to plant). It can be overwhelming to look at a long list of plants and try to decide what to use so here are a few thoughts to get you started.
● Start small - pick 4 or 5 varieties to plant this year. I recommend columbine (April-July), Phlox (March-Sept), Purple coneflower (June-Oct), Black eyed Susan (June-Oct), and Joe Pye Weed (July-Sept). If you want to see Monarchs plant Joe Pye Weed! You can plan to add more next year. Most of these plants should be available at your local nursery or garden center. If you are not finding what you want check out the Prairie Moon Nursery catalog online at prairiemoon.com. They are a good source of plant material as well as information on pollinators!
● Plant in clumps! 3-5 plants of the same variety per clump. Make it easy for the pollinators to find them.
● Mulch and water! Do you have a plan? Once the garden is established this won’t be a problem but for the next few years there will be maintenance. The plants will need about an inch of water per week to get established.
To register your pollinator plot and find a lot of great resources go to go.illinois.edu/PollinatorPocket
If you have questions or would like a program on Pollinators for your club please let me know at bobbi.burke6420@gmail.com