Spring cleaning isn’t always a good idea!
As the snow begins to melt, you may be excited to get into your garden to do some spring cleaning, but it’s best for us and the pollinators to wait a little longer. Pollinators such as bees and butterflies often overwinter in loose plant debris that you may wish to remove.
Here are a few tips on how to help our pollinating friends:
- Wait till the temperature remains above 10c before raking and removing plant material. This will allow pollinators to wake up and emerge from their overwintering beds in your garden.
- Leave some organic material such as leaves and stems over the soil or in a corner of your yard. These can provide homes and nesting sites for beneficial insects.
- Plan out what pollinator friendly plant species you can grow this year. Pollinators need early and late sources of nectar so try finding species that bloom at different times from spring to fall.
