Dahlia: To Chuck or Not To Chuck? Questioning the Roles of My Garden Plants

Hello Readers! Those of you who are familiar with my blog may be wondering if this
gorgeous dahlia survived my garden's transition from regular suburban garden into
suburban nature sanctuary.

Before I answer this, let's look at some facts.

Reasons for Keeping the Magnificent Dahlia

1. It's gorgeous
2. It's a profuse bloomer with a long blooming period
3. It's a gift!
4. I really like it . . . 

Reasons for Discarding the Magnificent Dahlia (Bias? What bias!?!)

1. It doesn't provide food (pollen & nectar) for local pollinators
2. It contributes nothing to the local ecosystem (it's a Mexican native)
3. It uses resources (water, nutrients, etc.) that could otherwise be recycled by the local ecosystem

The reasons for discarding the dahlia are compelling. If the dahlia was a plant 

that was native to Pacific Northwest, then it would contribute nutrients to the local 

food chain. Local insects would be able to obtain nourishment from it and would in turn 

become food for other creatures such as birds. And so, the cycle would continue and the 

nutrients would be passed on.

By the way, Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy is a fantastic book that 

explains how and why gardeners should help nature. 

So the dahlia's in the green waste bin, then?

Well, no (didn't you read point # 4?). Actually it's thriving in a prime sunny spot. 

Suddenly replacing all useless exotics with useful natives would be one solution to 

my nature sanctuary dilemma, but I believe that other, less extreme solutions also exist.

I think that as long as my garden positively contributes to my local ecosystem 

(instead of draining it of resources), then there's no reason why I can't keep some 

of my useless exotics that I'm really attached to.

Because I'm gardening with nature in mind, I made the decision to throw out 

a delphinium and replace it with something pollinator-friendly. I wasn't particularly 

attached to the delphinium, so it was really easy for me to replace it with a hyssop. 

My decision paid off, since the hyssop turned out to be a favourite of the native 

bumblebees during the summer. 

Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed my dahlia's happy ending!

Check back on Monday, November 4th for my next post.

Which Plants Helped Pollinators In My Garden?

Which Bug is This?

The lovely critter featured in the above photo is just one of the many pollinators that my
garden provided nourishment for over the summer. Is it a bee? No, it's actually another
kind of pollinator called a flower fly (hover fly). It has bigger eyes and shorter antennae
(or feelers) than a bee - I learned to spot the difference this summer. Since some flower
fly larvae consume aphids, flower flies are honoured guests in my garden.

Which Plant is This?

The flower pictured above is Echinacea, or coneflower. My garden's bees and flies
liked this plant. Not all plants were as popular with the pollinators, though. I'll tell you
what worked ... and what didn't.

Food Sources for Pollinators in My Garden

When certain plants in my garden bloomed, the pollinators (bees, butterflies, flies, 

hummingbirds and even beetles) feasted on nectar and pollen provided by the flowers. 

Here's are three lists of some plants that enticed pollinators:

Herbs

• oregano 
• sage
• lavender
• mint
• basil
• chives

Canadian plants

• prairie onion / Allium stellatum
• alpine columbine
• blanket flower / Gaillardia
• Echinacea
• Sedum spathulifolium
• gayfeather / Liatris spicata
• tickseed / Coreopsis
• Aster
• Penstemon

Garden ornamentals

• Heliotrope
• Alyssum Frosty Knight
• pincushion flower / Scabiosa Butterfly Blue
• hardy fuschia
• Veronica spicata First Love
• hyssop / Agastache Blue Fortune
• silver feather / Centaurea
• sea holly / Eryngium Blue Hobbit

So now you have an idea of what worked, but unfortunately, some plants failed to

feed my garden's critters. Read on to see what didn't work . . .

Enticing Plants that Didn't Feed Pollinators

Some of my devious garden plants advertised themselves to pollinators with striking 

blooms, but those attractive blooms failed to deliver nectar and pollen to any pollinators 

that came by for a closer look. Here's a list of some plants that didn't feed pollinators: 

• Pelargoniums, and certain hybridized Geraniums
• Petunias
• Gerbera daisies
• Double dahlias
• Delphiniums 
• Snapdragons
• Impatiens
• Miniature roses
• Pansies

Of course, you may find the odd exception in your garden, but I'm sure that my 

observations about what doesn't attract pollinators holds true in most situations. 

Next Steps

The summer was a bit of a turning point for me. After I became more aware of 

pollinators, I found that it was impossible for me to garden without taking 

their needs into account. 

So what did I do? Throw out my favourite double dahlia ('shudder')? Check back 

on Monday to find out . . .

Why Do I Want to Create a Nature Sanctuary?

Current Issues/ Problems:

As many of you have noticed, the development of urban and suburban landscapes
has been detrimental to many plant and animal populations. Suitable habitat for wildlife
has been replaced with paved areas, townhouses and high-rises.

There is lots of information out there about this topical issue. In short, what's bad for
the environment is bad for us. If you'd like to know more, pick a point and take a look:

• http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/ (An American conservation organization)
• http://beefriendly.ca/the-society/ (a North Vancouver non-profit society)

Or these articles (courtesy of my informed partner):

• http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/23/purring-monkey-vegetarian-piranha-amazon-species (Amazon jungle encroachment and biodiversity)
• http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/feb/28/wild-bees-pollinators-crop-yields (why native bees are so valuable)
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jul/23/grassland-butterflies-europe-population (Europe's shrinking butterfly populations)

Creating a Solution:

You may notice that most of the suggested reading focuses on pollinators (bees,
butterflies, etc.). This is not an arbitrary choice. As a suburban gardener, I believe
that I'm in the perfect position to help pollinators.

One reason why bee populations are in jeopardy is because the average suburban garden
just doesn't provide them with anything to eat! Bees need pollen and nectar, which not all
garden plants provide.

Over the summer I've been observing my garden to see what flowers provide food to
pollinators. Below is a lovely golden-yellow bumble bee that gained sustenance from
my blazing star plant (Liatris genus).

One of my most surprising and spectacular observations was of a swallowtail butterfly
that favoured one type of Dianthus plant (I have four different kinds of pinks).

Over the summer, a swallowtail butterfly visited two more times, and ignored almost
all of my plants except for the favoured Dianthus!

While observing and learning about the pollinators in my garden, I began to tailor my
garden to pollinator needs. I started to buy plants based on their value as pollinator
food sources. I no longer thought of my garden as my personal sanctuary. I began to
see it as a sanctuary for the pollinators of suburbia as well, and it's now a much more
interactive garden.

So, today's post gives you an idea about how and why I turned my small suburban
garden into a nature sanctuary. Thanks for reading this article, and stay tuned.

Next: Which Plants Helped Pollinators In My Garden?

What's This Blog All About?

Pleased to meet you, Readers! I am a nature-lover and gardener that lives in 
North Vancouver, BC. I've created a blog to document my attempts to turn 
my very small container garden into a nature sanctuary. A bit of a challenge? 
You bet! Hopefully I can bring you along for the ride and inspire you in the process.

Of course, I can't promise not to ramble a bit (this is a blog, after all ... hehe), 
so I reserve the right to chat about:

• nature & environmental issues
• gardening (including houseplants when the weather turns inclement!)
• any of my other random interests (such as art or grammar...)

Next topic: Why do I want to create a nature sanctuary?