Dr. Dennis Werner, horticulturist and plant breeder at NCSU, in his Raleigh, NC back yard where he focuses on pollinator habitat in the most beautiful way I have ever seen!
Garden Touring in 2020
It is fair to say that everything is different this year, including how we visit friends and family. With all of the spring garden tours cancelled I was anxious to get out of my own yard and visit someone else. You see, I get inspiration from seeing what other people are growing.
Much to my delight Dr. Werner posted on Facebook that he was accepting masked and socially distanced visitors for a one day visit to his glorious south Raleigh garden. I immediately wrote to him, asking if I could be one of the few, and was thrilled when he responded affirmative.
Colorful annuals like zinnias and globe basil filled his poolside borders, proving nectar for pollinators and photo opportunities for me!
When I pulled up to his house, it was pretty obvious that a gardener lived there! The front landscape greets visitors with a vast array of rare trees and shrubs - my favorite! We spent time discussing each specimen and its benefits to the green industry and the local ecosystem, a conversation that filled me with curiosity as I dreamed of the day that horticulture professionals would be hired to heal the Earth from our excessive development. One day… I hope…in my lifetime that will be reality.
Dr. Werner is an avid plant breeder, and many of the plants growing at his home and under evaluation for introduction. One of his most recent plants to hit garden centers is the gorgeous ‘Flamethrower’ Redbud, a plant I was fortunate enough to score during the 2019 JCRA Garden Party.
I resisted the urge to take any photographs in his research area, to ensure that his new introductions are not leaked in advance. But I assure you, there are SO MANY COOL NEW PLANTS that will be available in the years to come!
Color Overload
As we rounded the corner into his backyard, it was clear that I had entered a magical land of vibrant colors and textures that make up the summer oasis of a pollinator habitat. everywhere you looked there were butterflies and bees, actively gorging on nectar from the millions of blooms through-out the garden. It was truly a scene from a fairy tale, and I half expected to see Tinkerbell taking a nap on this sultry summer morning.
The back patio is surrounded by lush borders of marigolds, black eyed Susan’s and zinnias in every color.
Dr. Werner very wisely plants herbs along bed edges to help deter problem critters such as rabbits. This location is also convenient for harvesting! These same specimens are an important source of nectar for bees of all kinds. On this particular morning, the thyme was covered in honey bees and the African basil was in full buzzing glory.
Pollinator gardens are a vision of beauty for many different reasons. Obviously., the flowers are a brilliant aspect that attract people and insects alike. I also believe the diversity of flowering material is a contributing factor for why a “pollinator garden” is so visually stimulating.
Who are the Pollinators?
When you think of pollinators, bees are probably first to come to mind. But there are a lot of different creatures who provide this important service. A pollinator is any animal, most often and insect, that carries pollen from the male to the female parts of flowers for reproduction. This process of moving pollen is usually done while creature is feeding and flying from plant to plant.
Not all plants need an animal or insect to provide this service. Take for instance grains, one of my all-time favorite plant categories. Grains, such as barley, corn, rice, and wheat are in the grass family, and they are wind pollinated. However, they do provide habitat for pollinators, especially native bees, so they can still play an important role when incorporated into a garden.
The reality is, most flowering plants rely on pollinators to set seed. And we humans rely on productive pollinators to help provide us with the food we eat.
Ants
Bats
Bees
Beetles
Birds
Butterflies
Flies
Hummingbirds
Moths
Wasps
What Plants are Best?
You can grow a wide variety of flowering plants, both annual and perennial to attract pollinators. One of the most important things to consider is having plants that bloom at different seasons, that way the insects never go hungry. Here is a short list of a few of my favorites from gardening in USDA Zone 7.
Monarch butterflies enjoy nectar from Asters
Asters
Black-eyed Susan
Blazing Star
Centurea
Cleome
Coneflower
Daisy
Goldenrod
Larkspur
Milkweed
Nigella
Piedmont Azalea
Phlox
Poppies
Rattlesnake Master
Salvia
Sunflower
Swamp Rose
Tithonia
Zinnia
NC State University Extension service has created several excellent guides to help you in your plant selection for gardeners living in the southeast US.
Look for the Pollinator Conservation Guide and comprehensive list of pollinator plants for more information.
Dr. Werner’s pollinator paradise is a display to enjoy, but underneath the vibrant blooms is a fragile ecosystem that depends on all things working collectively. To attract the pollinators you need host plants for all the lifecycles. To maintain the population no pesticides can be applied. And to ensure that the next season will be abundant, you have to create habitat. This last part may be the most difficult for traditional landscape enthusiasts to embrace. You see, instead of cleaning everything up at the end of the season, you need to leave those dried stalks, as that is where the eggs are for the next generation.
Thank you Dr. Werner for your kind hospitality! Visiting your garden was a highlight of the 2020 summer and I have take much inspiration from your displays and applied them to my home foodscape in hopes that I too, can contribute to the world in a positive way, one pollinator at a time.
