Pollinators investigating flowering plants in your lawn are not likely to sting you. Photo by Rufus Isaacs, MSU Entomology Not all pollinators sting A bee-friendly residential area with grass and clover mix. Consider incorporating short flowering plants such as clover, micro-clover, trefoil, self-heal/heal all ( Prunella), creeping thyme and small bulbs such as crocus. Research shows lawn weeds like clover and dandelion are one of the largest and most important food resources for bees in urban areas. By leaving a few of these flowering plants, you will encourage visiting pollinators throughout the growing season. Photo by EnLorax, Wikimedia Commons Weeds can add flowers for beesĪlthough dandelions are considered unsightly by some, they are a great resource for hungry pollinators. Photo by Rebecca Finneran, MSU Extension Ajuga forms a welcoming groundcover for pollinators. You can gradually reduce the amount of turfgrass area within your current lawn and replace it with native flowerbeds or expand your ornamental plantings. For example, Helenium (sneeze weed), Globe thistle and Asclepias (milkweed) will create a diverse, colorful and eye-catching landscape all year round. Low-growing clover like white or Dutch micro-clover, is a thrifty lawn alternative which provides nectar and pollen for bees.įor a more natural look, turn your lawn into a low maintenance prairie filled with native plants of varying heights and textures. Other groundcovers include Ajuga, bearberry or Pachysandra. If you want to reduce turf areas, consider using groundcovers including creeping thyme, a low-growing plant that produces lots of flowers and requires minimal maintenance. Photo by Jeff Epping, Olbrich Botanical Gardens Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) forms a grasslike border along a slate walkway. Other grassy perennials such as sedges and fescues can replace lawn in wet or dry areas that are difficult to maintain. This hardy perennial can be mowed several times a year for a more lawn-like appearance or left alone. For a more grass-like lawn that requires fewer inputs, you can choose plants such as Liriope to replace a traditional lawn on either flat or steep areas. The types of alternative lawns are only limited by your imagination. Lawn alternatives to encourage pollinators Your lawn can act as critical stepping stones for these beneficial insects by bridging gaps between remnants of natural habitat. Lawns with a few weeds can provide food and habitat for hundreds of bee species. Look to reduce and minimize the impact of gardening practices on bees. Smart gardeners can make a difference by taking steps to be thoughtful about how they maintain their lawn. Lawns that are aesthetically pleasing to most people create a dense, green carpet with almost nothing to offer pollinators and other beneficial organisms. This is especially true in urban and suburban areas where farmland or natural habitats have been replaced by subdivisions and parking lots. As people develop more and more land, the amount of habitat where bees and other pollinators can nest and find flower resources (food) is shrinking. Disturbingly, there is increasing evidence that many important pollinator species are in decline. I put a hose down as a guideline for where I wanted my clover seed to stop, and the hose maintained the moisture in the soil under it, so that’s where the clover grew first.Pollinators, especially bees, provide us with valuable services by pollinating plants that contribute to food production and beautify our landscape. I reduced that as it grew and it's been off now for a long time I planted during a surprise heatwave so I put my sprinkler on a hose timer that came on for a few mins 4x a day, just enough to keep it damp. WaterĬlover needs to stay damp for proper germination and the seeds are super tiny and can dry out on hot days. Sprinkle the seeds on top of your loosened soil. I don't see the grass anymore, maybe it's growing there shaded by the clover.
All those were roots were left alone, because together grass and clover are stronger. My first step was to pull off my sod & pull out my weeds! If you have bare patches you can seed those, although the clover won't root through lawn thatch.Įven though my sod was peeled up (yes, it peeled up even 2 years later) it left small grass tufts and roots, in some areas, none in others. The loosened area is healthier and doesn't wilt in drought. We had one area where we pulled out weeds, that area grows SO MUCH BETTER than the compacted area. Loosen your soil if it's heavily compacted. No need to supplement or add good quality soil, clover brings nutrients
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