By now, most of us have heard about the declining honey bee population. Honey bees are just one of the pollinators facing declines. Pollinators also include many birds, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, bats, wasps, and even some mammals, many of which are native to Canada and facing declines. 

Many of these pollinators live in the city and suburbs just like us, and the best thing that we can do to support them is provide food and shelter through native plants.

Whether you manage condos in areas with plenty of green space or in dense urban areas, you can modify your landscaping to support all of these bees and other wonderful pollinators. In many cases, doing so can even bring cost savings compared with conventional approaches to landscaping!

Why Native Plants?

You may be wondering what native plants are, or why they are so crucial for pollinators. A native plant occurs naturally in a particular region or ecosystem, having evolved in that area over time. These plants have co-evolved with our native pollinators to form specialized relationships. They provide essential nutrients through nectar and pollen, and nesting sites for many species, such as plant stems and other natural cavities. In some cases, plant-pollinator relationships are so specialized that a pollinator lays its eggs exclusively on a single plant species. A well-known example of this is the reliance of monarch butterfly larvae on milkweed. 

Clearly, native plants are essential for pollinators, but they also offer a win-win for pollinators and land managers. Because they have evolved locally, they’ve adapted to local climate conditions and don’t require excessive maintenance to thrive, as many ornamental plants do. Native plants do not require chemical inputs, and once established, can thrive without supplemental watering; they are perennials, meaning they come back year after year and do not require re-planting; and perhaps best of all, unlike turfgrass, native plant gardens and meadows do not require consistent mowing, which can be cost and labour intensive.

Beyond these practical benefits, native plants can also be quite beautiful! With many plants to choose from, your landscape can include a dazzling rainbow of flower colours (blue, red, pink, yellow, and many more), unique flower shapes, and a range of plant heights (especially if you include trees and shrubs in addition to herbaceous plants) that create visual interest and depth. 

Cost-Effective Native Plant Landscaping

There are many ways to integrate native plants into your landscaping to reduce maintenance costs. The right one for your property will depend on the amount of green space. 

Option 1: Pollinator Planters
If you manage properties in dense urban areas with little green space, planters are a go-to form of landscaping for you already. They are especially useful in high-rise buildings, as they can be placed on roofs and balconies, making effective use of vertical space. Maintaining planters can be costly, particularly if you include annuals that require frequent replacement, watering, and other inputs. By including native plants in planters, you can avoid these costs, all while supporting pollinators.

Option 2: Pollinator Gardens
Let’s say you have access to some green space and would like to create or enhance one or more gardens. If you are converting turfgrass to a native plant garden, an obvious benefit is that the area no longer needs to be mowed. If you are replacing an annual garden with a native plant garden, the benefits are similar to planters: the plants will come back on their own year after year and not require excessive inputs once established. 
A helpful rule of thumb that you can use when planning a native plant garden is the 3x3x3 rule: plant three species of native plants that bloom in each of spring, summer, and fall, with three individual plants of each species, for a total of 27 plants. This will ensure that your garden is blooming and providing food for pollinators throughout the entire growing season. This rule can be adapted to include fewer or more plants depending on the size of your garden. 

Option 3: Pollinator Meadows
For those of you who are feeling ambitious and have access to ample green space, try seeding a native plant meadow! This space will go a long way to support pollinators and provide residents with access to biodiverse green spaces and their psychological benefits.

Compared with maintaining existing turfgrass, creating a native plant meadow does come with upfront costs, including site preparation, seeding, and short-term postplanting maintenance. But once established, maintaining a pollinator meadow can be significantly less expensive than maintaining turfgrass, all while supporting pollinators. Turfgrass maintenance often requires mowing, watering, and chemical inputs, while meadow maintenance does not. Research shows that over 10 years, meadows can actually be significantly less expensive to manage, even after accounting for the upfront costs. 

Where Can I Find More Information About Native Plants?

Whether you are interested in supporting pollinators through planters, gardens, or meadows, every little bit counts. You may even save on landscaping while you’re at it!
If you’re wondering which plants are native to your area, visit Pollinator Partnership Canada’s Native Plant Finder, which allows you to filter a list of plants by region, sun exposure, height, and many other factors. Once you’ve selected your plants, you can head over to the Bee City Canada Native Plant Nursery Directory to find out where to purchase them! Finally, if you are looking for technical assistance on habitat creation, check out our two-pager on pollinator habitat creation or reach out to us directly with questions at info@pollinatorpartnership.ca. 

Jordan Phelps is the Program Coordinator of Bee City Canada, a Pollinator Partnership Canada program that focuses on helping municipalities, campuses, schools, and other organizations make better choices for bees and other pollinators. There are currently 90 Bee Cities in Canada, including many in Ontario. Have a look and see if you live in a Bee City:  www.beecitycanada.org 

Vicki Wojcik is the Director of Pollinator Partnership Canada, a registered charity dedicated to supporting pollinators, plants, and their ecosystems so that we can build a better future. If you are interested in planting for pollinators, finding out how farming can be more Bee-Friendly, or how you can help, visit: www.pollinatorpartnership.ca  
 

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