“We are certainly seeing an up-tick in the number of design requests for pollinator gardens,” shares Peter Wimberg. “In fact, calls for work are up considerably this year. Perhaps it’s the mild winter coupled with our long standing presence in the landscape industry. And there’s also the issue of the virus that’s keeping many of us at home. People are spending more time in their landscape and starting to see the potential it holds for a great outdoor experience. Add to that, our friends at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden are doing an exceptional job promoting planting for pollinators, and it’s resonating with our clients.”

The shift to planting for pollinators is an easy one for our company. We have been approaching garden design with pollinators in mind for years. The plants we select, our preference for pine straw over shredded mulch and our bed maintenance programs, which makes it easier to control weeds by hand rather than chemicals, are inline with practices that create attractive habitats for pollinators and other desirable creatures. 

“When I visit with a new client and they share they would love a pollinator garden, but they simply don’t want a prairie, I’m thrilled,” shares Kevin McQuade. “I’m given the opportunity to share with my client all the ways in which we can design a garden for pollinators that can be formal, modern or edgy and not look like a natural prairie.The palette of pollinator plants is rich and it makes designing a non-prairie garden for pollinators enjoyable.” 

As with any good landscape design, we start by assessing: evaluating the site’s tendency to hold water, how the site could be used by the homeowner (is there room for dining, lawn games and such?) and how hardscape elements can alleviate topography issues as well as make accessing all areas of the landscape easy while being attractive. Then we talk about plants. We evaluate the setting in relationship to the fabulous offering of pollinator friendly plants: considering everything from perennials to trees, to create a landscape that thrills the homeowner as much as it will the pollinators. 

The investment we put into our landscape today, such as thoughtful consideration on how we want to enjoy our yard and realizing the potential it holds, will create a place of enjoyment for years to come.