GET YOUR GARDEN BUZZING!
MAKE A HYPERTUFA BEE BATH TO TAKE HOME! JOIN US AT A BEDFORD PUBLIC COUNTY LIBRARY NEAR YOU!
Stewartsville (540-425-7008) Saturday, May 4th @ 11:00 a.m.
Big Island (540-425-7000) Tuesday, May 14th @ 2:00 p.m.
Montvale (540-425-7006) Saturday, May 18h @11:00 a.m.
Bedford-Main (540-586-8911) Saturday, May 25th @ 11:00 a.m.
Moneta (540-425-7004) Saturday, June 1st @ 11:00 a.m
Forest (540-425-7002) Saturday, June 8th @ 11:00 a.m.
Presented by Bedford Extension Master Gardeners and Bedford Public Libraries Drawing bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects, birds, and animals to your garden is a wonderful thing. These busy insects not only entertain us by their graceful movements as they move from plant to plant, they are the primary reason we have the food we eat. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1,200 crops. They provide food for the birds and mammals who then provide food for humans. By planting specific plants, shrubs, and trees in your garden, you can help mitigate the habitat loss they are currently facing.
MAKE A HYPERTUFA BEE BATH TO TAKE HOME!
Presented by Bedford Extension Master Gardeners and Bedford Public Libraries Drawing bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects, birds, and animals to your garden is a wonderful thing. These busy insects not only entertain us by their graceful movements as they move from plant to plant, they are the primary reason we have the food we eat. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1,200 crops. They provide food for the birds and mammals who then provide food for humans. By planting specific plants, shrubs, and trees in your garden, you can help mitigate the habitat loss they are currently facing.
So what should I plant? You will need both host and nectar plants in your landscape. Host plants provide a place for pollinators to raise and feed their young. Some insects are very picky about the plants they choose to start reproducing. Monarch butterflies are a common example of a finicky pollinator. They are only attracted to members of the Milkweed (Asclepias) family.
Pollinators need sugar to go about their business of finding mates and laying eggs. They find these sugars in the pollen of the nectar plants they visit. They may be attracted by color, rotten fruit, or the sap from trees. Most pollinator gardens are grown in sunny locations with wind breaks. Planting your flowers in a mass helps the insect to find pollen without having to fly far and wide. Having a flat rock to rest on and a water source nearby for a drink, will make your yard most attractive to a wide range of pollinators. Planting natives for our area will also be helpful to indigenous insects.
What should I not do? Minimizing or eliminating the use of pesticides and herbicides helps create a healthier environment for both you and your pollinators. Employing the least toxic methods before bringing out the big guns is a good place to start. Often beneficial insects will come along and solve the problem for you. If you did not have any insect or disease.
issues in your garden the year before, leave the leaf litter and plant detritus until late spring. Many of our beneficial insects and pollinators overwinter in it. Avoid or minimize planting double-bloom flowers. The extra layers on these plants make it difficult for pollinators to reach the pollen.
Would you like to learn more? Join Bedford Extension Master Gardeners for “Planting For Pollinators” and also make a Hypertufa Bee Bath to take home. While this workshop is FREE, space is limited so you must pre-register at your preferred library location.
If you are a person with disability and require any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this event, contact Scott Baker, VCE Bedford, at 540.586.7675 (TDD # 800.828.1120) during business hours (8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) at least 5 days prior to this event.