University of Maine Cooperative Extension horticulture professional Lynne Holland, who coordinates the Master Gardener Volunteers Program for Androscoggin, Sagadahoc and Kennebec counties, offers her advice.

Q: What is a pollinator garden?

A: It’s a garden of primarily native plants (to feed pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds and moths). No chemicals should be used because pollinators didn’t evolve with chemicals. Make sure you don’t have any invasive plants in your garden. These thugs can outperform and take over your garden. A pollinator garden has to have habitat such as bee boxes or sticks and branches where pollinators can hide from predators. Try to give them a place where they can live right in the garden.

Q: What is the process for creating a pollinator garden?

A: It’s a four-part process.

First, provide food for pollinators. They need nectar, and pollen nectar is basically for bees, hummingbirds and wasps. It’s very nutritious and they will move pollen from one plant to another to disperse it. That’s the way native plants evolved. They provide pollen right now through late October.

Step 2: provide water. You don’t need a huge source, but you need a consistent source. It can be anything from a shallow pool, puddles or a bird bath or fountain. You need to have an area where water can gather and sit. Make sure it gets freshened up once a week if you don’t want to breed mosquitoes. Consider putting rocks in a bird bath, not enough for breeding, but enough for pollinators to have fresh water every week.

Step 3: pollinators need a place to lay eggs or build cocoons. Honeybees need hives. Bumblebees can basically nest in grass, ground nesting. Pollinators need places to overwinter: leaves, twigs, limbs, deadwood, piles of sticks. You can get nesting blocks for bees or houses for bats. Decide what you want to attract.

The final step is habitat protection. No pesticides should be used. Bleach and heavy-duty vinegar are technically pesticides. Remove invasive plants. They tend to push natives out. Asters can be pushed out by Japanese knotweed. It blooms for a short time and pollinators do love it, but it has no staying power like natives.

Q: Any other advice?

A: Just general conservation practices. Get to know what’s out there in the yard. Leave some leaves and lawn clippings behind. Maintain organic mulch at the base of trees to give pollinators a place to nest. Don’t sprinkle too much (with a sprinkler). It’s a waste; more water than plants ever use.

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