Pollinator plants: Native plantings are a giant part of the equation in supporting pollinators, but many other smaller efforts we can make with ornamental plants, and even the edibles we choose to grow, can add up, too. I was delighted to see the latest Uprising Seeds catalog was themed “Pollinate.” Brian Campbell, with Crystine Goldberg, grows organic seed at Uprising in Bellingham, Washington, and we talked about some of his favorite plants on the farm that are always abuzz with beneficial insect life.
“They’re our biggest unpaid staff workers,” says Brian. “They're the pollinators that we depend on, so we really pay attention.”
We discussed why building up your pollinator palette of extra-early bloomers in particular is important; which families of plants have the most impact, and how certain flowering things like Alyssum and Phacelia that may help attract aphid-fighting helpers.
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