The Beneficial “B’s” of Gardening

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7 • POSTED ON August 30, 2005
The Beneficial “B’s” of Gardening
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We spend an inordinate amount of time trying to chase pests and predators out of our gardens, but this week, I’d like to focus on a few examples of welcome visitors to the garden, and how to attract them!

Our gardening column is published every Tuesday on OttawaStart. Read previous columns here.

A note from Tracy Trim: I know that René promised you a column about his garden “blunders”, but his very intense work schedule has prevented him from writing this week. So we’ll leave his “unfortunate B’s” until next week, and instead focus on some “beneficial B’s” this time around.

The addition of “wildlife” to one’s urban or suburban garden is not always good news; rabbits, squirrels, the neighbourhood cat or raccoons can cause more damage than delight! Certain forms of wildlife, though, are both pleasing and beneficial. In particular, butterflies, bats, bees and birds can be both useful and enjoyable should they choose to make a temporary home in your garden space.

Bats, as many may already know, feed on many of the pesky insects that we would prefer not to have in the garden, such as mosquitoes. A small brown bat may eat as many as 600-1200 mosquitoes in an hour! Also, importantly, bats do not contract West Nile Virus by eating infected mosquitoes, so they are definitely helping to control a serious disease. Bats eat other forms of insects, including beetles and leafhoppers, and as many insects can sense the presence of a bat from more than a 100-foot distance, having bats frequent your garden may keep the more malicious insects away even before they become problematic! This can diminish the need for pesticides, which is always a great side benefit.

Birds also feed on damaging insects and can enhance our gardens coincidentally by leaving seeds of other plants behind after they’ve flown away. They feed on grubs and aphids in particular – in fact, finches and warblers feed almost exclusively on insects. Bird droppings often include seeds from other flower gardens which may add to your own collection of plants, although sometimes a little bit of relocating is required! Of course, the main benefit of welcoming birds to your garden is that you will add lively flashes of colour, beautiful song and comical antics to be enjoyed from your window or garden seating area.

Butterflies – with their fragile beauty and admirable resilience (they weigh as little as two rose petals!) – are always a joy as well. They also help to cross-pollinate plants, are elegant indicators of our ecosystem’s health and provide valuable food for songbirds. Happily, butterflies do not sting, bite or spread disease.

Everyone knows the benefits of bees in the garden. They move pollen from flower to flower so vegetables and fruits can grow and develop. Commercial growers actually import bees to pollinate their crops. Also, bees produce honey. Some people are wary about having bees in their gardens, as they fear stings. Bees will rarely sting a person unless they are startled. To avoid “attracting” them to your body, avoid wearing bright colours or perfume – the less you appear like a flower to them, the less likely that they’ll take an interest in you!

Fortunately, attracting these welcome visitors to your garden is not terribly difficult. There are plenty of commercially-available “habitats” for bats, birds and butterflies; you can purchase (or build) birdhouses, bat houses, butterfly houses, bird baths and various feeders, and many food supplies are easily purchased. Certainly, when designing your garden layout, you can consider specific plants that will attract and sustain these creatures as well.

An herb garden is a wonderful enticement for butterflies; you can use fragrant plants such as Dill, Fennel, Chives, Basil, Thyme, Mint and Lavender both to attract butterflies and create islands of scent in your garden. Introducing native or “wildflower” plants is also useful – one example would be the Yarrow (Achillea) which comes in a variety of colours. Butterflies are naturally attracted to: Bee Balm (Monarda), Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odoratus), Marigolds (Tagetes), Cosmos or Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia davidii), all of which are lovely and colourful additions to the garden.

Wild birds are drawn to gardens which include some of the following: Conifers (which provide shelter, sap, buds and seeds), ornamental grasses (which provide seeds), nectar-producing plants (a food source for orioles and hummingbirds), fruit plants (such as Honeysuckle, Cherry, Dogwoods, Cotoneasters, Bittersweet or Crab Apple), and nut or acorn plants (such as Oaks or Hickories). Bees are attracted to most fragrant flowering or brightly coloured plants, so choices such as Roses, Strawberries, Hollyhocks, Honeysuckle, fruit trees or shrubs, and even Mustard or Radish plants.

If attracting bats to the garden is a priority, you’ll have to provide a habitat for the types of insects that bats like to eat. This entails planting plenty of open-faced flowers that naturally invite small flies and mosquitoes - such as Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) or Daisies; flowering vegetables (such as Peas) and pale-coloured flowers (which are more visible at night). A small pond will also attract the types of insects preferred by bats. Say “no” to insecticides, which will reduce the abundance of the bats’ food source, and can slowly poison the bats as well.

Also, remember to provide a source of water for all of these welcome guests. A small bird bath, or even a plant pot saucer full of water, cleaned regularly and kept filled, is sufficient.

So, until your regular columnist returns next week, I hope you’ll consider attracting some of the “Beneficial B’s” to your garden next summer!

Happy Gardening!

Tracy Trim (Mrs. “Trim Garden Design”)

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About René
René Trim was educated and trained in The Netherlands, before moving to Canada in 2000. After studying the differences in climate and season faced by Ontario gardeners he established Trim Garden Design and Rescue in May 2002. A gardener since the 1980’s, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience, a vast library of reference materials from which to draw answers to various garden situations as well as an enthusiastic and professional staff.