STEP 1: CHOOSE A SITE FOR YOUR GARDEN
Preparing and Planting Your Native Garden
How to Build A Pollinator Garden
Native plants are well-adapted to a variety of growing conditions. Whether your site is dry and shady or soggy and sunny, there’s a native pollinator plant for you! However, we recommend siting your garden in an area where it can stretch its legs. Native plants aren’t always as petite and tidy as the ornamental hybrids many gardeners are used to. They are taller on average, and have a looser habit. Some of them will self-seed and spread over time. Choose an area of your yard where you’re willing to let a more rambunctious wildflower garden grow, especially in sunny conditions.
STEP 2: RESEARCH NATIVES FOR YOUR AREA
Often, we hear that the biggest obstacle to people starting their gardens is procuring the right plants. We recommend visiting these websites to learn about the best native plants for pollinators in our area. Some of these are also mail order nurseries, so you can research/browse/shop all in one place.
STEP 3: PROCURE YOUR PLANTS
REMEMBER! Be sure to provide three-season forage for pollinators—that means having something blooming in the spring, summer, and fall. Check out our Habitat Checklist for guidelines.
The following local nurseries provide a wide selection of native plants:
Catskill Native Nursery, Kerhonkson, NY
Earth Tones Native Nursery, Woodbury, CT
Cottage Creek Gardens, Valley Cottage, NY
Rosedale Nurseries, Hawthorne, NY
Native, Fairfield, CT
Wild Gardens Nursery, Cortland Manor, NY
One Nature Plant Nursery, Beacon, NY
You can also order native plugs through the mail. Some of these nurseries offer “mix and match” trays and pre-designed pollinator garden kits to take the guess work out for you.
STEP 4: LAYOUT AND PLANTING
Here are some resources and tips for installing your garden.
Preparing and Planting Your Native Garden
From the illustrated guide “Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden Using Native Plants” by the U.S. Forest Service
OUR TIPS
We recommend planting 3-5 plants of each species. Pollinators have to learn to draw nectar and pollen from a particular flower. Once they do, hopefully there is enough of the same plant for them to get into a rhythm and just buzz from flower to flower using this collection method.
Plant the same species together in masses and drifts. This not only helps pollinators forage more efficiently, but it will make your garden more aesthetically pleasing.
Plant densely. Forget the picture of individual specimen plants separated by a sea of mulch. Your goal is to have a native garden that completely fills in to cover the ground. This is the key to suppressing weeds and setting up a low-maintenance garden. The dense coverage is also preferred by wildlife. So, follow spacing recommendations, but lean towards the lower end.
Keep in mind the height of your plants and try to plant them in tiers. Native plants tend to be a little taller than ornamentals; select some low-growers (1-2 ft) for the front borders, keep your tallest plants (4-6 ft) either at the back or clustered in the center of a circular design, and make medium growers (3-4 ft) the mainstay of the garden.
Native plants do no need fertilizers or heavily amended soils. They are hardy species and even prefer poorer soils. So don’t worry too much about preparing the soil and turning up the whole bed. This can in fact germinate the weed bank and make more work for you later! Simply dig a hole, loosen the soil around it, and set your native in.