How to Design a Pollinator Garden in Massachusetts

Considerations

• Massachusetts falls within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5a to 7b, with cooler regions in the north and west of the state and warmer regions in coastal areas. Choose plants that thrive in these zones, as well as the specific soil, exposure, moisture and pH conditions in your planting site. Plant a variety of native species in clumps at least 4 feet in diameter, suggests the Southeast Massachusetts Pine Barrens Community Initiative. Native plants evolved with local pollinator species, so are likely to provide adequate nectar and pollen; as a bonus, native plants are inherently adapted to the climate and conditions in your landscape, as well as to local pests and diseases.

Spring Blooms

• In spring, the Massachusetts state flower -- the trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) -- blooms with racemes of aromatic, white-pink flowers. This evergreen shrub grows in white pine forests in the southeastern regions of the state and is hardy to USDA zone 3. Trailing arbutus grows well in partial shade and provides year-round habitat for pollinators. From May to June, yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) blooms across Massachusetts with yellow-to-white flowers. Yellow wild indigo provides food for wild indigo duskywing and sleepy duskywing butterfly larvae. This 3-foot-tall perennial is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9.

Summer Blooms

• For summer blooms, plant milkweed (Ascelpias Syriaca). This native perennial is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9 and grows to 3 feet tall. It blooms from June through August with pink, purple and white flowers that attract bees, wasps and butterflies. Milkweed foliage is a food source for monarch butterfly larvae. New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) blooms in summer with clusters of white, aromatic flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. A deciduous shrub, the New Jersey tea is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8 and reaches heights of 4 feet. It prefers well-draining soils and grows in full sun to partial shade.

Fall Blooms

• Attract pollinators into the fall with wild sweet William (Phlox maculata). This native perennial blooms from August through October with purple-pink, tubular flowers that hummingbirds love. Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8, wild sweet William grows well in moist, rich soil. Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) produces showy, pink-lilac flowers through September, drawing hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. This native perennial grows to 4 feet tall and has aromatic gray-green foliage.