Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!

The official start date for Spring this year is March 20th. And I don't know about you, but I'm already thinking about planning a flower garden. One that attracts butterflies, birds and bees. One that evokes a sense of calm on a nice sunny day. A garden to gaze out at through the window and daydream. One that helps all of the stresses of modern life just float away into oblivion. Doesn't that sound appealing? Ultimately, I'd really like an eco-friendly garden that's nice to look at and easy to maintain.

5 Ways to Attract Bees to Your Garden

1. Use local native plants
2. Plant a variety of colorful flowers
3. Avoid using pesticides
4. Plant full-sun plants and flowers (bees love sunny spots)
5. Stagger plantings (to ensure fresh blooms all season long)

How to Attract Pollinators in Your Organic Garden

If you're looking for a little gardening inspiration - check out the wonderful resources below.

Learn How to Create a Pollinator-Friendly Garden

Library Resources

The Bee-Friendly Garden: Easy Ways to Help the Bees and Make Your Garden Grow by Doug Purdie

A comprehensive guide to bee-friendly plants profiles varieties that promote bee health and pollination, sharing related advice on planting, natural pest control and how to make the most out of gardens of all sizes, from modest window boxes to wide flower beds.

Pollinator Friendly Gardening : Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators by Rhonda Fleming Hayes

Are you interested in growing a naturally healthy garden? How about making sure your local environment helps bees, butterflies, and birds survive and thrive? This book explains how to create a garden that attracts pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Also available in eBook from hoopla.

The Bee-Friendly Garden : Design an Abundant, Flower-Filled Yard That Nurtures Bees and Supports Biodiversity by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn

A guide to gardening shows readers how to create an organic, pesticide-free, and ecologically sustainable bee garden that can provide an impressive increase in yields and better-tasting produce.

100 Plants to Feed the Bees: Provide a Healthy Habitat to Help Pollinators Thrive by The Xerces Society

This user-friendly field guide shows what you can do to help protect our pollinators. It offers profiles of 100 common flowers, herbs, shrubs, and trees that attract bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. The recommendations are simple: sow seeds for some plants - such as basil, rhododendron, and blueberries - and simply don't mow down abundant native species, including aster, goldenrod, and milkweed.

Gardening for Birds, Butterflies & Bees: Everything You Need to Know to Create a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard from the Editors of Birds & Blooms

Shares tips for attracting wildlife to a garden and identifies the plants that birds, butterflies, and bees are most attracted to, in a reference that also answers common questions and features do-it-yourself backyard projects.

Online Resources

Bee-Friendly Garden Flowers - HGTV

10 Bee Friendly Plants to Have in Your Yard - Family Handyman

Regional Bee Friendly Garden - Ohio State Beekeepers Association

Create a Pollinator-Friendly Garden for the Birds, Bees and Butterflies - David Suzuki Foundation

How to Attract Bees and Other Pollinators to Your Garden - The Spruce

More Great Library Gardening Blog Posts

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Ohio Native Lawn Replacements

Featured Image Credit:

Image by Dirk Liesch from Pixabay.