Flowers are not only a beautiful addition to any garden space, but they are also incredibly beneficial. Large, colorful blooms attract pollinators, and without pollinators, we would have to spend a large amount of time hand pollinating each and every flower on each and every plant – and a single tomato plant can produce up to 90 blooms in a season.
With a large group of attractive, colorful plants in the center of our garden, we encourage pollinators to come and visit our produce too. Our bed is mostly perennial flowers, which means that after planting, they will grow and bloom year after year. From Spring flowers, such as eastern bee balm (Monarda bradburiana), to Fall blooms like willow-leaf sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius), we are able to bring a constant flow of beneficial insects to our garden space.
We focused our bed on native plants such as eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana) and sweet black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) to offer habitat and food for native butterflies and birds. By planting native flowers, we are able to use our garden to not only support ourselves, but local wildlife as well, making the absolute most of the space.
