Gardening
Before you start gardening decide how much time you are willing to spend on the garden and from that plan the size. You can create any size garden for pollinators from plants in pots to place on an apartment balcony to an landscaped one at a suburban garden. If you have the right plants pollinators will be attracted. Remember to plant plants that provide food and host plant for the larvae.
Shape and Size:
Whether it is an larval host plant or an nectar plant always group them together. Bigger patches will draw pollinators more than just single plants. The same counts for bright colour flowers. The bigger the patch with an even shape will minimise the area-to-edge ratio.
Exposure to sunlight:
Make sure that there is good sun exposure. This will keep the flight muscles warm and will help with navigation. Ideally would be a north facing site.
Plants to plant in your garden:
Plant diversity will contribute to pollinator diversity. A few carefully chosen plants can provide a good foundation. Eight or more species will be able to attract great abundance and diversity of pollinators.
Plant flowers that covers the whole bloom time, from early to late blooms. This will help the early emerging pollinators through to the late ones.
When selecting what to plant native plants are generally the best option for attracting native pollinators. They are four times more likely to attract bees. They also increase the abundance of butterflies and moths significantly.
Native plants also offer additional advantages:
When possible avoid pesticides. Make use of natural products that are available on the market. You can make use of soap suds with chopped up Khakibos and a dash of Jeyes Fluid mixed with water will keep most pests away.
Plant flowers that covers the whole bloom time, from early to late blooms. This will help the early emerging pollinators through to the late ones.
When selecting what to plant native plants are generally the best option for attracting native pollinators. They are four times more likely to attract bees. They also increase the abundance of butterflies and moths significantly.
Native plants also offer additional advantages:
- Do not require fertilizer
- Fewer pesticides needed
- Require less water
- Provide permanent shelter and food for other wildlife
- Less likely to become invasive
- Promotes local native biological diversity.
When possible avoid pesticides. Make use of natural products that are available on the market. You can make use of soap suds with chopped up Khakibos and a dash of Jeyes Fluid mixed with water will keep most pests away.
Top ten nectar plants:
Besides using native plants this list also provides good nectar plants in no specific order.
1. Pentas lanceolata It bears masses of clusterd flowers, red, pink, mauve and white. Blooms inspring and summer. 2. Buddleja salviifolia Have long tresses of lilac flowers which are borne in winter and spring. 3. Verbena sp. Have small clustered flower heads with variety of colours throughout most of the year. 4. Asclepias sp. Also larval host to the African Monarch. Have a dropping flower head that is cream white. 5. Bougainvillea sp. Most varieties are attractive to butterflies. 6. Plumbago auriculta Bears masses of powder blue flowers in summer. White variety also available. 7. Impatiens sp. Comes in red, purple, pink, and creamy white. 8. Kalanchoe sp. Have clustered flower heads in red, orange and yellow in winter time. 9. Lobelia sp. Comes in blue, pink, mauve, burgundy, crimson and white. Popular with butterflies. 10. Limonium sp. Have papery flowers in variety of colour from white, pink and deep purple. |
Top ten butterfly larval host plants:
This selection have been based on the wideness of their distribution in South Africa and the known attendance of female butterflies on them. If the plant naturally occurs in the area it does not mean that the butterfly is in the area.
1. Asclepias sp. -Milkwood
African Monarch 2. Asystasia gangetica -Creeping foxglove Many butterflies including the Yellow, Blue Soldier and Brown Pansies, Common Mother- of- pearl and the common Diadem 3. Dyschoriste depressa Marbled, Elf and the Gaika Blue 4. Ehrharta erecta Many brownies and the Table Mountain Beauty 5. Vepris lanceolata -White Ironwood Swallowtail 6. Boscia oleoides- Shepherd Tree Host to the stunning Tips. 7. Plectranthus sp. Garden Commodore, Dry Leaf Commodore, Gaudy Commodore, Eyed Pansy and the Bush Bronze 8. Passiflora sp. Acraea butterfly species 9. Bauhinia galpinii -Pride of De Kaap Foxy Charaxes 10. Moquinella rubra – Lighted Matches Common Dotted Border |