Hello Fellow Gardeners,
I would like to highlight a presentation that was given 12 April as part of our Master Gardeners in the Garden series. Our BCMG President, Liana Benavides, gave a very interesting and informative presentation on Gardening for Pollinators at the historic Auld House within the San Antonio Botanical Garden. This was part of our Master Gardeners in the Garden series that we give the 2nd Wednesday of each month for the Botanical Garden.
Liana explained that pollinators are considered beneficial insects and she listed the numerous benefits that these little creatures provide in our gardens and landscapes. Liana highlighted the critical role that bees play in sustaining our eco systems by pollinating fruit and vegetable crops. She shared some staggering statistics including that they provide essential services to American agriculture estimated at $9M annually.
Her class emphasized the impact of natural areas being depleted for new construction, which also depletes the population of the ever-important pollinators as their habitats are being destroyed. We as gardeners can make a difference by ensuring that our landscapes and practices are pollinator friendly. By planting specific types of plants for these pollinators that flower throughout the seasons, we are providing them with habitats, food sources, shelter from the elements, and a safe area for the insects to lay their eggs. Eliminating pesticides and herbicides from our pollinator gardens will further protect these beneficial insects we share our gardens with.
Liana continued her presentation by giving numerous tips to making our landscapes and gardens safe havens for our pollinator friends. She also highlighted many of the plants that are great additions to our pollinator gardens, how they help, and which specific insects will benefit from the plants. The class was very effective in educating the attendees on this vital topic.
I invite you all to attend the May Master Gardeners in the Garden Session for Texas Native Ornamental Shrubs for Your Landscape on Wednesday, May 10 beginning at 10:00am. For more details and to register for this class, visit the SA Botanical Garden website, https://www.sabot.org/learn/adult-classes/.
Conservationally yours,
Anna Vogler
Water Conservation Coordinator