City Living? Three Ways You Can Help the Pollinators!
Way up high, above the cars zooming by and the constant menagerie of voices and horns blowing, there's a buzz...of a different kind. The kind that calms the soul and makes you forget about the hustle, even if just for five minutes.
There's green where on the ground we'd see black, and splashes of bright colors dancing and swaying, almost like they are in a trance. This my friend, is an urban garden, 50 stories up above the concrete jungle we walk through every day. It may only be ten feet wide, but it's an oasis for you AND the pollinators.
And there's research showing that bees are looking to expand their territories...so what better way than to move, well, UP!
Here's three kinds of Urban//rooftop gardens you can create this spring to help the pollinators!
Container Gardening
Limited space? Use ladders and build up!
Thanks to lots of sunlight, a rooftop container garden creates a sanctuary for bees to rest and gather pollen!
Container gardens also create a oasis for humans...add seating and relax away!
Flower Boxes
Don't have access to the rooftop? No problem! Your local hardware and garden stores carry what I call a window flower box and they take up very little space!
Window boxes come in many sizes and can be hand-made to fit any space! They are made of plastic or wood.
Even if you don't have a window, a box will still work for a small pollinator garden!
Pallets Turned Raised Beds 
Ever since Uncle Ronnie started making furniture from used pallets, the ideas for their use has expanded! A couple pallets, some nails and elbow grease over a weekend can create magic!
A single pallet filled with soil and bedding can make for an attractive pollinator garden on your balcony!
If you have more room, you can lay a pallet flat and grow flowers and vegetables.
Ideal Flowers to Grow
Be sure to look up what USDA PLANT ZONE you are in before choosing your plants. Also, consider if they will get full sun, partial, or shade as well. Many of these flowers I design with in my flower shop and can be really fun to grow!
- Calendula
- Marigolds
- Lavender
- Cosmos
- Roses
- Verbena
- Milkweed
- Yarrow
- Sunflowers
- Coneflower
- Zinnia
- Liatris
- Aster
- Goldenrod
- Bee Balm
- Scabiosa
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