Serendipity Gardens by Carol Hegel Lang

Carol Hegel Lang is a green thumb residing in Albert Lea. Her column appears bimonthly. Email her at carolhegellang@gmail.com.

This quote by Jane Goodall really hits home for me — “The most important thing, as I am constantly saying, is to think about small ways in which we can make a difference.”

Making my gardens eco-friendly for the pollinators has been a mission of mine for the past 10 years, and often people tell me they really don’t have a very big garden and ask what can they do.

Even if all you have is a patio with a few containers you can help save our pollinators. First and foremost on my list is to stop using pesticides and herbicides; not only are they killing our pollinators, but they can also be carcinogens for us.

Leave the dandelions; they are one of the first sources of nectar for bees coming out of hibernation. That creeping charlie you hate has blooms for not only the bees to get nectar, but other pollinators. Using Preen to make sure your beds have no weeds — you need to stop and rethink what it has for ingredients. Why does it prevent weeds?

This spring as you start buying your flowers make sure you buy from garden centers that sell only non-GMO and neonicotinoid-free plants. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and if the sales person cannot answer your question, then ask for someone with more authority who should be able to answer your questions.

Plant zinnias for the butterflies as well as milkweed, because they both feed different stages of the monarch butterfly. Plant parsley, fennel, dill and even carrots for the pollinators. These serve as host plants for the caterpillars (swallowtail butterflies) along with milkweed for the monarchs. Nectar plants are crucial for butterflies and there are so many beautiful ones you can add a rainbow of color to your gardens or containers that will benefit them. Pollinators like large masses of the same plant so they don’t have to travel far for the nectar, but even two rows of zinnias will bring them in for a look at what is available.

Don’t forget the hummingbirds; they are also searching for nectar, so get a couple of feeders and fill them with sugar water. This can be made with one part sugar to four parts water, boil and let cool before filling feeders. Hang the feeders in trees and you will be rewarded by all of the activity they will provide in your gardens.

Those ripe bananas you were going to toss out because you don’t have time to bake banana bread the butterflies and other insects will devour them. I open one end of the banana with the peel left on and put them out on my tree stumps for them, and within a day or so they are gone, peel and all. This time of the year, grape jelly and oranges will bring in the orioles to your yard. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Mealworms are a feast for bluebirds, robins and starlings. A small container that is shallow and filled with water will provide a place not only for the birds to quench their thirst or take a bath, but if you take a very shallow lid filled with sand and wet it down, the male butterflies will come and drink the salt in it. A rock in a sunny location in your garden will be a spot where butterflies can warm their wings in the coolness of the morning. Another thing to add to your gardens is a pollinator hotel for the bees. You can make your own out of scraps; just Google it for ideas or you can purchase them locally at Hill’s Gardens.

Another thing you can do to help the environment is to add a compost pile where you can compost yard clippings, small twigs and kitchen scraps that contain no meat, along with leaves (black gold), coffee grounds, tea bags and newspaper. How about adding a rain barrel to collect rain water from your gutters. It is dual purpose, because you can water your plants with it. So many little things add up to a big difference in our environment.