Green Acres presents a free talk on ‘pollinator buffets’ this Saturday
A ligated furrow bee stops in for some pollen on this two-color coreopsis, aka tickweed. Learn about plants that entice pollinators during a free talk 10 a.m. Saturday at all Green Acres sites. Kathy Morrison
From the biggest carpenter bees to tiny sweat bees, from hummingbirds and bats to beetles, moths and butterflies, our natural world depends heavily on the continued efforts of pollinators.
One quick fact here: Approximately 75 percent of flowering plant species need the help of animals to move their heavy pollen grains from plant to plant (or within the plant) for fertilization. This of course include flowers on fruit trees and vegetable plants -- the plants that help feed us.
June is the month to celebrate these hard-working creatures. It's not only Pollinator Month, but next week, June 17-23, is designated Pollinator Week.
Why do pollinators need so much p.r.? They unfortunately continue to be endangered by disappearing natural habitats, urbanization, and the indiscriminate use of pesticides in gardening and farming.
The Pollinator Partnership, based in San Francisco, sponsors Pollinator Week activities. The group encourages plantings to feed pollinators, especially with native and nectar-heavy plants.
In line with that, all Green Acres Nursery and Supply stores in the Sacramento region this Saturday will present on "Grow a Pollinator Buffet." The talk is free and starts at 10 a.m.
I see quite a few pollinators in my home garden now, but it does take some time and thought to develop a welcoming landscape. Here are a few tips beyond planting to attract pollinators and help them thrive:
-- Leave some open ground for native ground-nesting bees, and leave it alone. I turned over some soil in the garden one time and sent one poor bee into a tizzy. It had just returned to the site and was trying to find its (now buried) nest. I felt horrible.
-- Provide safe access to fresh water. For bees, a shallow dish with sloped sides or with pebbles in it will allow them to drink without drowning. I put marbles in clean pot saucers. Keeping them full of water can be a challenge in summer, but worth it. Water features also are great additions to gardens for use by birds.
-- Use integrated pest management practices when solving garden pest or disease problems. (See the UC IPM website at https://ipm.ucanr.edu/ ) A general pesticide will wipe out everything -- it's like setting off a bomb to get out a laundry stain. Overkill, indeed.
For more information on Pollinator Week and ways to help these important creatures thrive, check out the many resources at https://pollinator.org/
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Food in My Back Yard Series
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of May 18
Get outside early in the morning while temperatures are still cool – and get to work!
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. Transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.
* Plant dahlia tubers.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Are birds picking your fruit off trees before it’s ripe? Try hanging strips of aluminum foil on tree branches. The shiny, dangling strips help deter birds from making themselves at home.
* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.
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