Before and After: 3 Productive Yards That Attract Pollinators
Landscape designers keep improvement of the food chain in mind in these glorious and productive gardens
There’s a lot of buzz about the importance of pollinator-attracting plants, and for good reason. We get a lot of our food from flowering plants — think fruits, vegetables, even coffee. And most flowering plants need a pollinator, such as a bee or a butterfly, to carry pollen from the male part of a flower to the female part of another flower so the plants can reproduce. Check out these yards where landscape designers have used pollinator-attracting plants to beautify yards while supporting this crucial element of our ecosystem.
After: Landscape designer Rebekah Rongo helped the family organize the yard to maximize the space. She placed the productive gardens in raised beds along the garage on the right and a hanging herb garden on the left. Her clients wanted to teach their kids about where food comes from, so they loved her idea of adding pollinator-attracting plants throughout the yard.
What to Know About Adding or Renovating an Edible Garden
What to Know About Adding or Renovating an Edible Garden
“The homeowners love to garden and love hanging plants,” Rongo says. “We hung four little hanging herb gardens to enliven” the yard. She added nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) to the herbs to attract pollinators. “It’s amazing. I visited this yard six weeks after planting and it was already attracting lots of bees and butterflies,” Rongo says. This small hanging garden shows that you can attract pollinators even if you’re working with a small area.
Browse planters in the Houzz Shop
Browse planters in the Houzz Shop
Rongo also found spots around the edges of the yard for additional pollinator-attracting plants. “I like to plant pollinator-attracting plants in big swaths when I can,” she says. “In this yard we used purple geraniums [‘Rozanne’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone)] for that. Bees love this plant, and it can create a habitat for local pollinators.”
She also planted fragrant star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, zone 8) as the climbing plant for the trellises that line some of the fences. In addition to its evergreen leaves and fragrant scent, jasmine attracts pollinators. These photos were taken right after the gardens were planted, but soon after, the jasmine began climbing toward the tops of the trellises.
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She also planted fragrant star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, zone 8) as the climbing plant for the trellises that line some of the fences. In addition to its evergreen leaves and fragrant scent, jasmine attracts pollinators. These photos were taken right after the gardens were planted, but soon after, the jasmine began climbing toward the tops of the trellises.
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2. Pollinator Garden Helps a California Food Forest Thrive
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their young daughter and their dog
Location: Pasadena, California
Lot size: 8,000 square feet (743 square meters)
Landscape designer: Briana Lyon of Califia Ecodesign
Before: In this Pasadena, California, yard, landscape designer Briana Lyon transformed a dusty plot into a lush and productive garden. The homeowners are avid gardeners and wanted to produce a significant amount of food at home. The new design incorporates a sustainable lawn, food forest and plants that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The home’s Spanish Revival style inspired the garden’s style.
Attract Hummingbirds and Bees With These Beautiful Summer Flowers
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their young daughter and their dog
Location: Pasadena, California
Lot size: 8,000 square feet (743 square meters)
Landscape designer: Briana Lyon of Califia Ecodesign
Before: In this Pasadena, California, yard, landscape designer Briana Lyon transformed a dusty plot into a lush and productive garden. The homeowners are avid gardeners and wanted to produce a significant amount of food at home. The new design incorporates a sustainable lawn, food forest and plants that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The home’s Spanish Revival style inspired the garden’s style.
Attract Hummingbirds and Bees With These Beautiful Summer Flowers
After: The gardens closest to the house and along the edges of the lawn are packed with pollinator-attracting plants. This not only helps the ecology of the yard’s food forest, but also improves the greater ecological health of the neighborhood.
In addition to the productive and pollinator-attracting gardens, the homeowners wanted to keep a lawn area for their daughter and their dog to play. Lyon used a noninvasive ground cover called Kurapia that requires very little water to thrive.
So Long, Lawn: 6 Walkable Ground Covers to Consider
In addition to the productive and pollinator-attracting gardens, the homeowners wanted to keep a lawn area for their daughter and their dog to play. Lyon used a noninvasive ground cover called Kurapia that requires very little water to thrive.
So Long, Lawn: 6 Walkable Ground Covers to Consider
This photo shows the gravel patio and surrounding gardens closest to the house. “I planted thickly to crowd out weeds and to protect the soil moisture — the more it is shaded, the more the soil retains moisture,” Lyon says. “And I wanted to make sure there was always something blooming throughout the seasons. We wanted the garden to attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.”
Lyon balanced colorful blooms with silvery foliage. Some of her favorite pollinator-attracting plants with colorful blooms and silvery leaves that she included here are:
Lyon balanced colorful blooms with silvery foliage. Some of her favorite pollinator-attracting plants with colorful blooms and silvery leaves that she included here are:
- Wormwood (Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, zones 6 to 9)
- Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’, zones 3 to 8)
- Lavender (Lavandula ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’, zones 7 to 9)
- Native purple sage (Salvia leucophylla, zones 6 to 10)
Lyon (seen here) tucked the food forest along the side of the yard, next to the detached garage. The homeowners have planted produce in the ground and in raised beds. Pollinators play a crucial role in helping the food forest thrive. The productive plant palette includes native currants, three types of grapes, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, artichokes, basil, kale, strawberries and beans. There are also passion fruit vines that climb up a new wood-and-wire trellis next to the garage.
The food forest also has citrus, apricot, apple, plum, fig and persimmon trees. In addition to attracting pollinators, improving the soil quality was also important. Lyon added soil-improving species to keep the soil rich. These include a California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica, zones 7 to 10), Catalina currants (Ribes viburnifolium, zone 8), California lilac (Ceanothus sp.), sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus, zones 7 to 10) and alpine strawberry plants (Fragaria vesca, zones 5 to 9).
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The food forest also has citrus, apricot, apple, plum, fig and persimmon trees. In addition to attracting pollinators, improving the soil quality was also important. Lyon added soil-improving species to keep the soil rich. These include a California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica, zones 7 to 10), Catalina currants (Ribes viburnifolium, zone 8), California lilac (Ceanothus sp.), sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus, zones 7 to 10) and alpine strawberry plants (Fragaria vesca, zones 5 to 9).
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3. Tapestry of Colors and Textures in Upstate New York
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple who frequently host their children and grandchildren
Location: Cazenovia, New York
Designer: AJ Miller Landscape Architecture
Before: The wooded grounds of this upstate New York property stretch to the shores of Cazenovia Lake. While the beauty of the deciduous trees was a big asset, the homeowners, a retired couple, wanted to enjoy a more colorful view and butterfly-watching while spending time outdoors.
Landscape architect Mariane Wheatley-Miller assessed the existing gardens that flanked the front walk. “Shrubs like spirea, juniper, potentilla and burning bush were repeated along the path but had been pruned heavily into globe shapes, preventing them from flowering,” she says. “The plants were too large for the space, only allowing a single plant width.”
While she did dig up many of these plants to create a larger and more dynamic perennial border, she saved, divided and transplanted many of the noninvasives around the property. This reduced waste and saved her clients money.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple who frequently host their children and grandchildren
Location: Cazenovia, New York
Designer: AJ Miller Landscape Architecture
Before: The wooded grounds of this upstate New York property stretch to the shores of Cazenovia Lake. While the beauty of the deciduous trees was a big asset, the homeowners, a retired couple, wanted to enjoy a more colorful view and butterfly-watching while spending time outdoors.
Landscape architect Mariane Wheatley-Miller assessed the existing gardens that flanked the front walk. “Shrubs like spirea, juniper, potentilla and burning bush were repeated along the path but had been pruned heavily into globe shapes, preventing them from flowering,” she says. “The plants were too large for the space, only allowing a single plant width.”
While she did dig up many of these plants to create a larger and more dynamic perennial border, she saved, divided and transplanted many of the noninvasives around the property. This reduced waste and saved her clients money.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
After: Wheatley-Miller transformed the front walk by taking out the over-pruned shrubs and widening the beds from 4 feet to over 6 feet wide. The goals for the new gardens were adding more color, plant diversity and seasonal interest. The color palette ranges from pale pinks to dark magentas, soft yellows to deep purples. The textures and colors of the foliage go from soft and silvery to spiky deep green. The landscape architect also paid attention to height, with varying tiers running throughout the beds.
Within the plant palette, Wheatley-Miller used nectar- and pollen-rich blooms to draw bees and butterflies. She cites hyssop (Agastache spp.), beebalm (Monarda spp.) and knotweed (Persicaria spp.), among others in the border, as being particularly effective pollinator magnets.
Within the plant palette, Wheatley-Miller used nectar- and pollen-rich blooms to draw bees and butterflies. She cites hyssop (Agastache spp.), beebalm (Monarda spp.) and knotweed (Persicaria spp.), among others in the border, as being particularly effective pollinator magnets.
After addressing some existing drainage problems around the house, Wheatley-Miller replaced typical foundation plantings with a continuation of the exuberant beds.
In addition to the hyssop, beebalm and knotweed, the perennial beds include the following mix of natives, hybrids and pollinator-friendly plants:
In addition to the hyssop, beebalm and knotweed, the perennial beds include the following mix of natives, hybrids and pollinator-friendly plants:
- Boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Mountain’, zones 5 to 8)
- Cornflower (Centaurea sp.)
- Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum, zones 3 to 8)
- Dense blazing star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’, zones 3 to 8)
- Fall phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘David’, zones 3 to 8)
- Lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’, zones 4 to 9)
- Masterwort (Astrantia major ‘Moulin Rouge’, zones 4 to 9)
- Mountain fleece (Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’, zones 4 to 7)
- Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Fatal Attraction’, zones 3 to 9)
- Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Little Spire’, zones 5 to 9)
- Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum ‘White Breeze’, zones 5 to 9)
- Stonecrop (Hylotelephium, or Sedum, ‘Autumn Fire’, zones 3 to 9)
- White turtlehead (Chelone glabra, zones 3 to 8)
We hope this article has inspired your own garden’s design and helped introduce you to some pollinator-attracting plants that will help your garden thrive.
For additional help in your region, work with local landscape design pros, seek out reputable nurseries and visit your local cooperative extension offices to learn more about procuring and planting pollinator-attracting plants. Please share your landscape planning experiences in the Comments, as well as some of your favorite pollinator-attracting plants.
Learn more about this landscape
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For additional help in your region, work with local landscape design pros, seek out reputable nurseries and visit your local cooperative extension offices to learn more about procuring and planting pollinator-attracting plants. Please share your landscape planning experiences in the Comments, as well as some of your favorite pollinator-attracting plants.
Learn more about this landscape
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Browse thousands of landscape photos
Find a landscape architect or designer on Houzz
Shop for your outdoor space
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with young children
Location: Seattle
Size: 1,500 square feet (139 square meters)
Landscape designer: Rebekah Rongo of SCJ Studio Landscape Architecture
Landscape contractor: Gabe Shulman of Sage and Stone
Before: Even if your yard is small, you can still attract a significant number of pollinators. We’ll begin with a compact Seattle yard, where the homeowners wanted to teach their children about growing food. They enlisted landscape pros to help them install a new patio and fencing, improve the deck and establish small productive gardens.
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