Winter care for pollinators
Gardeners are becoming more aware of pollinators and their important role in gardening. Often we help them in the spring and summer by planting host plants, providing habitat and places for water to collect. Late fall and winter are also times when we should be watching out for them and providing places to overwinter safely. This is easy to accomplish if we aren’t too tidy. A stack of logs with crevices and moss, a pile of small branches mixed with fallen leaves, or the undisturbed compost pile will do nicely. A low dish ( I use a pot saucer) dug into the soil a little will provide water collection during cold, dry periods. I have mason bees in my garden. This time of year I harvest the cocoons and store them in the refrigerator for the winter. Any other ideas?
Replies
I agree with keeping ‘messy’ garden over the winter. I leave all my perennials uncut so the seed heads are available for wildlife and the forms are just pretty in my opinion. I also put cut greens in my pots for the winter which provide an additional layer of cover for birds and other little critters.
Greens in the pots are a great idea. I usually do that for Christmas but then clean them out after. I'll leave them until the bulbs underneath start coming up.