Design A Pollinator Garden Tool
Created by:�www.blazingstargardens.com
Please visit our online Native Plant Store!
© Blazing Star Gardens
How to Download this tool to edit it:
READ FIRST
Note: These drawings, graphics, and designs are for personal, non-commercial use only.�These illustrations are solely for home use. No license or permission has been granted to use these illustrations and graphics in commercial landscape design work, garden businesses, printed or digital publications, or physical articles which will thereafter be sold. This design tool can be used in an educational setting with written permission that can be requested from the creator: info@blazingstargardens.com.
Slides for Making a Garden Design:
Resource and Learning Slides:
Table of Contents
This resource was created by:�www.blazingstargardens.com
Please visit our online native plant store!
Garden Design
15ft
Create Your Garden Design Here
15ft
1ft
1ft
1ft
5ft
The plant illustrations are currently sized realistically for this 15ft wide scale. If you resize the plants, highlight and resize ALL plants at the same time.
This resource was created by:�www.blazingstargardens.com
Please visit our online native plant store!
Copy and paste plants from here
Share your design on social media!
Shade Plants:
(by height)
Jul-Aug
May
Aug-Sep
May-Jun
Jul-Aug
Aug-Sep
Aug-Sep
Jul-Sep
Aug-Sep
Jun-Jul
Jul-Aug
May-Jun
Jun-Sep
May-Jun
May
Jul-Aug
Apr-May
Jun-Aug
Jul-Aug
Jun-Jul
Aug-Sep
Jul-Sep
Jun-Jul
Jul-Aug
Jun-Jul
Apr-May
May
May
Aug-Sep
Jun-Jul
Jun-Jul
May-Jun
Jul-Aug
Jul-Aug
Jun-July
July-Aug
Aug-Sep
Jul-Aug
May-Jun
Jul-Sep
May-Sep
Jun-Jul
Aug-Sep
Jun-Jul
May - June
Jun-Jul
Blue Grama Grass�Jun-Jul
Jul-Aug
May-Jun
Jun-Sep
May
Sun Plants:
(by height)
Jul-Aug
Yellow Star Grass�May - June�
May-Jun
May
July - Sept
May-Jul
Aug-Sep
May-Jun
May
Jul-Sep
Jul-Aug
Aug-Sep
Jun-Jul
Jun-Jul
Jun-Jul
Jun-Jul
Jun-Aug
Aug-Sep
Jun-Aug
Aug-Sep
Jul-Aug
Jul-Aug
Aug-Sep
Jul-Aug
Jun-Jul
Aug-Sep
Aug-Sep
Jun-Aug
May-Jun
Apr-May
MORE THAN 6 hours direct sunlight each day
LESS THAN 4 - 6 hours direct sunlight each day
Garden Shapes
Copy and paste to Garden Design. Resize as needed.
To create your own shape, click Insert → Line → Scribble
Landscape Elements
Landscape Elements
Copy and paste to Garden Design
Trees
Pond
Sidewalk or Driveway
Rock
House
Lawn
Bench
Fence
Shrub
Deck
Create-a-Plant
Do you need a species we haven’t drawn yet? Create that species below
STEP 2
Pick similar shapes from the flower and plant shapes below
STEP 3
Copy flowers, resize, and arrange
STEP 4
Highlight everything, right click, then select “Group”
Determine the flower shape
Determine the plant shape
Then copy it to your garden design
Make the plant here
STEP 1
Search for a picture of the plant you need
© Blazing Star Gardens
How to make a missing species - Example: Stiff Goldenrod
1ft
STEP 5
Find out how tall the plant is and adjust it to this scale:
2.5ft
Computer Tips
Helpful Computer Tips:
Design Basics
VERY SHORT <1ft
SHORT 1-3ft
TALL 3-6ft
SHORT 1-3ft
VERY SHORT <1ft
Garden Examples
Example: Sunny Pollinator Garden
Aromatic Aster
1 plant
Prairie Phlox
3 plants
Butterfly Milkweed
6 plants
Prairie Dropseed
6 plants
Meadow Blazing Star
12 plants
Nodding Onion
3 plants
Orange Coneflower
3 plants
Blue Wild Indigo
2 plants
Star Sedge
12 plants
Cardinal Flower
3 plants
Prairie Pussytoes
3 plants
Lance Leaf Coreopsis
3 plants
Grey Goldenrod
3 plants
Blanket Flower
3 plants
Pale Purple Coneflower
3 plants
Culver’s Root
3 plants
Bradbury’s Monarda
3 plants
15ft
Shorter plants near borders or front of garden
Taller plants near middle or back of garden
Grasses and Sedges to mix throughout garden:
Example: Front Yard Shady Garden
15ft
Plants next to sidewalks need to be VERY short. Even 2ft tall plants will flop over and obstruct paths!
Taller plants in the middle of the garden
Example: Backyard Wild Sunny Garden
Deck
15ft
Sun/Shade Plants
May-Jun
Sun Plants:
(in order by scientific name)
1ft
Prairie Onion �(Allium stellatum)
Aug-Sep
Note: These drawings, graphics, and designs are for personal, non-commercial use only.�These illustrations are solely for non-commercial home use. No license or permission has been granted to use these illustrations and graphics in commercial landscape design work, garden businesses, printed or digital publications, websites, or physical articles which will thereafter be sold. Any such use is an infringement on the copyright and is strictly prohibited.
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
MORE THAN 6 hours direct sunlight each day
Shade Plants:�(in order of scientific name)
Sun Plants continued:�(in order of scientific name)
1ft
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
MORE THAN 6 hours direct sunlight each day
LESS THAN 4-6 hours direct sunlight each day
Dry/Wet Plants
Sun/Shade Plants
No more than 2-5 days in standing water
No more than 1-2 days in standing water
Drier
Wetter
© Blazing Star Gardens
Sunny Plants
MORE THAN 6 hours direct sunlight each day
Sandy soil, well-drained, never standing water
Heavier soil, not as well drained
No more than 1-2 days in standing water
Drier
Wetter
Shade Plants
No more than 2-5 days in standing water
© Blazing Star Gardens
Shade Plants
LESS THAN 4-6 hours direct sunlight each day
Plants Spread
Spread a lot
**Experiences will vary based on zone, soil, rain, mulch**
(Rhiz) = Spread by underground rhizomes/stems
Be careful planting tall plants that spread, especially if you need short borders by sidewalks and walkways. It’s safer to leave out tall spreading plants and choose shorter, more manageable species. You can always add tall species later, but it’s very hard to remove them, and keeping them in place or trimming them takes a lot of extra maintenance.
But if you need tall plants that spread for restorations or big, wild-looking gardens…
Other species that spread a LOT:
© Blazing Star Gardens
Sunny Plants
MORE THAN 6 hours direct sunlight each day
Spread a little
Spread a lot
**Experiences will vary based on zone, soil, rain, mulch**
(Rhiz) = Spread by underground rhizomes/stems
© Blazing Star Gardens
Spread a little
Shade Plants
LESS THAN 4-6 hours direct sunlight each day
Clay Tolerant
Plants that can handle clay
Sunny
Wetter clay
Drier clay
1ft
MORE THAN 6 hours direct
sunlight each day
5ft
Clay Tolerant
Plants that can handle clay
Shady
LESS THAN 4-6 hours direct sunlight each day
Wetter clay
Drier clay
1ft
5ft
Plants that can handle sand
Clay Tolerant
Prairie Onion �(Allium stellatum)
Aug-Sep
May-Jun
Sunny
MORE THAN 6 hours direct
sunlight each day
1ft
5ft
Plants that can handle sand
Clay Tolerant
Shady
LESS THAN 4-6 hours direct sunlight each day
1ft
5ft
Companion Plants - Sunny areas�Companion plants bloom at the same time in areas with more than 6 hours of direct sunlight each day
Grasses and Sedges to Mix:
Spring Bloomers:
Early Spring Bloomers:
Early Summer Bloomers:
Early Summer Bloomers:
Summer Bloomers:
Late Summer Bloomers:
Late Summer Bloomers:
Late Summer Bloomers:
Fall Bloomers:
© Blazing Star Gardens
Companion Plants - Shady areas�Companion plants bloom at the same time in areas with less than 6 hours of sunlight each day
Grasses and Sedges to Mix:
Spring Bloomers:
Spring Bloomers:
Early Summer Bloomers:
Late Summer Bloomers:
Fall Bloomers:
© Blazing Star Gardens
Companion Plants - Dry sunny areas�Companion plants bloom at the same time in areas with drier or sandier soil and more than 6 hours of sunlight each day
Grasses and Sedges to Mix:
Spring Bloomers:
Spring Bloomers:
Early Summer Bloomers:
Summer Bloomers:
Late Summer Bloomers:
Late Summer Bloomers:
Fall Bloomers:
© Blazing Star Gardens
Companion Plants - Medium-wet sunny areas�Companion plants bloom at the same time in areas with temporarily wet soil and more than 6 hours of sunlight each day
Grasses and Sedges to Mix:
Early Summer Bloomers:
Summer Bloomers:
Late Summer Bloomers:
Late Summer Bloomers:
Fall Bloomers:
© Blazing Star Gardens
Bloom Chart
April
May
June
July
August
September
Prairie
Smoke
Prairie Phlox
Pussytoes
Snakeroot
Wood Betony
Fringed Puccoon
Hoary Puccoon
Shooting Star
Amethyst
Shooting Star
Yellow Star Grass
Bastard Toadflax
Ground Plum
Blue Eyed Grass
Wild
Strawberry
Heart Leaved Golden Alexanders
Pasque Flower
Sunny Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
1ft
Pasque Flower is one of the first flowers to bloom in gardens–an important pollen and nectar source for spring pollinators.
Pussytoes is a very short groundcover that blankets dry ground with spreading runners, like strawberries.
Prairie Smoke is an excellent choice for borders, rock gardens, and dry sandy soils.
Wild Strawberries have tiny and edible fruits. They spread many feet each year by runners.
Ground Plum sprawls across the ground. They have acorn-sized fruits in summer.
Blue Eyed Grass is an excellent border flower. Doesn’t like clay. Whitish blue flowers.
Shooting Star has a rosette of leaves with flower stems shooting from them. They go dormant in summer.
Amethyst Shooting Star is similar to regular Shooting Star but purplish pink flowers.
Yellow Star Grass is a tiny flower that grows from a small corm, or bulb. Nice for borders.
Fringed Puccoon has frilled yellow flowers. It prefers drier soil and no clay.
Hoary Puccoon has vibrant orange flowers in late spring. A great garden flower.
Wood Betony has whorled flowers that bumblebees enjoy. It is semi-parasitic and attaches to the roots of a host plant.
Snakeroot is a pretty little plant with spikes of tiny white flowers. Grows from a taproot.
Bastard Toadflax is a rare, semi-parasitic plant that attaches to the roots of host plants. It spreads slowly underground.
Prairie Phlox has vivid clumps of pink flowers. A short, classic garden plant that skipper butterflies enjoy.
Golden Alexanders have clumps of yellow flowers that are super popular with pollinators.
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
6+ hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Bradbury’s Monarda
Blue Flag Iris
Blue Wild Indigo
Pale Spiked Lobelia
Cream Wild Indigo
Skullcap
Wild
Lupine
Prairie Spiderwort
Large Flowered Beardtongue
White Wild Indigo
Thimbleweed
1ft
Foxglove Beardtongue
Sunny Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
Cream Wild Indigo is a short, bushy flower with a cascading bouquet of cream colored flowers in late spring. Great for drier gardens.
Skullcap is a only about 8 inches tall, with tiny purple flowers that small pollinators enjoy. Spreads underground but not too much.
A favorite flower, Bradbury’s Monarda has wonderful greenish purple foliage most of the year. Spreads a little underground. Must-have for gardens.
Wild Lupine isn’t the same as garden lupine and isn’t as vigorous. Needs drier soil, and not much clay.
Prairie Spiderwort is shorter than Ohio Spiderwort and doesn’t spread quite as much, but still spreads a lot.
Foxglove Beardtongue is a nice flower that tolerates some shade but it spreads everywhere by seed. Good for pollinators though.
Blue Flag Iris is a wetland plant–not your traditional iris. The flowers are shorter than the leaves. Good for rain gardens.
Large Flowered Beardtongue has beautiful big flowers. It is short lived but re-seeds a little. Good for drier gardens.
Blue Wild Indigo starts out with spikes of blue flowers and then morphs into a bushy shape in summer. Great when planted individually.
White Wild Indigo is taller and lankier than Blue Wild Indigo. It is a great specimen plant in sunny gardens or prairies.
Thimbleweed is covered in small white starry flowers in early summer. It has uniquely shaped leaves–like geraniums.
Pale Spiked Lobelia is a pretty little plant with spikes of white flowers. It doesn’t spread much. Supports small pollinators.
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
6+ hours sunlight per day
Sunny Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
April
May
June
July
August
September
Butterfly Milkweed
Lance Leaf Coreopsis
Pale Purple Coneflower
Hoary
Vervain
Lead Plant
Prairie
Lily
Narrow Leaf Coneflower
1ft
Harebell
Small Fame Flower
Marsh Milkweed
Prairie Coreopsis
Prairie Larkspur
Prairie Larkspur has tall spikes of white flowers in mid-summer. It can be a short-lived plant but will re-seed. Easy to grow in gardens.
Lance Leaf Coreopsis blooms vigorously the first year it’s planted. It is short-lived but spreads by seed. Big bursts of yellow flowers.
Marsh Milkweed isn’t the milkweed you know about. It grows in a clump and doesn’t spread underground.. Great for monarch caterpillars!
Harebell is a short flower that send up stems topped with blue flowers. It spreads a little underground. A great understory plant.
Small Fame Flower has succulent-like leaves. It tolerates dry soil and is great for rock gardens. The flowers bloom at dusk–a treat to see.
Prairie Lily is rare for a reason–it takes years to bloom and doesn’t spread easily by seed. Deer love it, so protect it. It’s a gem.
Narrow Leaf Coneflower is our favorite coneflower. It is short and doesn’t spread much. Pretty nodding pink flowers.
Butterfly Milkweed has brilliant orange flowers. It likes drier soil and doesn’t spread underground like common milkweed. A must-have.
Hoary Vervain is common in gravel driveways where it likes poor, dry soil and no competition. It looks great with coneflower and coreopsis.
Pale Purple Coneflower has tall, nodding flowers. It’s a beautiful prairie plant with deep taproots. Similar to Narrow Leaf but bigger.
Lead Plant can grow new shoots from old stems like a shrub. It has silvery leaves and deep purple flowers. Great for sunny gardens.
Prairie Coreopsis grows underground and forms patches of green with yellow flowers. Classic of mid-height prairies.
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
6+ hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Purple Prairie Clover
Blanket Flower
Yellow Coneflower
Purple Coneflower
1ft
Michigan Lily
Blue Vervain
Common Milkweed
Prairie Milkweed
New Jersey Tea
Sunny Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
New Jersey Tea is a popular shrub, but it’s not a dense shrub. It has puffs of white flowers and glossy green leaves.
Prairie Milkweed, or Sullivant’s Milkweed, has dark pink flowers. It’s like common milkweed but likes wetter soils and doesn’t spread as much.
Common Milkweed–the milkweed you know. We don’t plant this in gardens much–we prefer Marsh or Butterfly Milkweed. It spreads a lot.
Blue Vervain is common in wet meadows and swales. It’s a good rain garden plant and can tolerate short wet periods.
Yellow Coneflower is a prairie classic. It has tall yellow flowers in late summer. It spreads a lot, so be careful in gardens.
Purple Coneflower is a traditional perennial garden plant. It is short-lived but spreads a lot by seed. Vigorous blooms the 2nd year.
Purple Prairie Clover is not your common clover–it grows in a clump and spreads a little by seed. Bees love the flowers.
Michigan Lily–also known as Turks Cap Lily–isn’t the same as tiger or asiatic lilies. It is rare and valuable. Deer love it, so protect it.
Blanket Flower has a huge amount of flowers in red, yellow, and orange. It is short-lived but self seeds easily.
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
6+ hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Culver’s Root
Great Blue Lobelia
Prairie Loosestrife
Purple Poppy Mallow
1ft
Cardinal Flower
Royal Catchfly
Wild Bergamot
Compass Plant
Sunny Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
Prairie Loosestrife is a rarer plant of wet meadows. It has nodding yellow flowers. Great for rain gardens.
Great Blue Lobelia has dense, short spikes of blue flowers that bees love. It likes wetter soils and is good for rain gardens.
Cardinal Flower is a favorite of hummingbirds. The tall red flower spikes bloom in late summer. Handles sun and shade, wet and medium soils.
Culver’s Root has spikes of white flowers on top of tall whorled stems. It spreads a little each year underground and is a fantastic plant.
Purple Poppy Mallow grows from a taproot–but year year it sends out 5ft long stems in all directions along the ground! Long bloom period.
Compass Plant is an extremely tall prairie plant with tall flower stems and deep taproots. You only need one or two, and it spreads by seed.
Wild Bergamot is better used in tall, wild gardens and restorations–it spreads a lot underground and by seed. Great for pollinators.
Royal Catchfly is a hummingbird favorite. It has bright red flowers and can be short-lived, but self-seeds.
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
6+ hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Rattlesnake Master
Joe Pye Weed
Ironweed
Whorled Milkweed
Nodding Onion
Orange Coneflower
Dotted Blazing Star
Prairie Blazing Star
Prairie Onion
Sunny Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
Whorled Milkweed is a shorter milkweed that spreads underground. It has white flowers that are popular with pollinators. Monarchs love it.
Rattlesnake Master has unique yucca-like leaves. The flowers are spiky orbs that bees love. A very cool plant for mi-tall gardens.
Joe Pye weed is a really huge wet-meadow plant. It’s notorious for spreading everywhere by seed, so be careful!
Ironweed is a tough wet-meadow plant with tufts of purple flowers. Great for large-scale rain gardens, but maybe not small gardens.
Prairie Blazing Star has beautiful spikes of dense pink flowers. Pollinators love it (but monarchs prefer Meadow Blazing Star).
Orange Coneflower is one of our favorites–it blooms in late summer and has dense clumps of yellow flowers. Great with Blazing Stars.
Dotted Blazing Star prefers dry conditions. It is short and has pretty flower stems. A neat little flowers for sandy, dry gardens.
Nodding Onion is a short flower with nodding clumps of spherical flowers. It spreads by seed and is a good understory plant.
Prairie Onion is a short flower with nodding clumps of spherical flowers. It spreads by seed and is a good understory plant.
1ft
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
6+ hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Grey Goldenrod
Stiff Gentian
Rough Blazing Star
Cream Gentian
Bottle Gentian
Aromatic Aster
New England Aster
Sky Blue Aster
Meadow Blazing Star
Sunny Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
Meadow Blazing Star is the BEST flower for attracting monarchs. Monarch butterflies love the nectar–they swarm to it. Just try it!
Rough Blazing Star is another great blazing star for gardens. It can handle very dry conditions. It blooms a bit later than the others.
Grey Goldenrod is our favorite goldenrod because it doesn’t spread much and is shorter. Pollinators love the late-summer blooms.
Bottle Gentian is a unique plant with closed flower that bumblebee have to force open to get inside to find the nectar. A great flower.
Cream Gentian is like Bottle Gentian but with almost white flowers. Another great flower for gardens. Doesn’t spread much.
Stiff Gentian has incredible bunches of purplish blue flowers in fall. It’s a short biennial–it completes its life cycle in two years and re-seeds.
Sky Blue Aster has taller stems of light blue flowers in late fall. It likes drier soil and spreads by seed, like most asters.
New England Aster is a wet-meadow plant. It is tall–almost 5ft–and spreads by seed a lot. Recommended for tall, wild gardens and restorations.
Aromatic Aster is our favorite aster. It grows to less than 2ft tall and spreads underground, but isn’t hard to control. Blooms very late fall.
1ft
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
6+ hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Jacob’s Ladder
Wild Blue Phlox
Cardinal Flower
Wild Geranium
Columbine
Poke Milkweed
Michigan Lily
Bradbury’s Monarda
Wood Betony
Marsh
Marigold
1ft
Harebell
Shade Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
Jacob’s Ladder is a must-have for any shade garden. It can handle a good amount of sun, too. Very short and good for early season bees.
Marsh Marigold likes boggy conditions and saturated black soil. It blooms in spring. Good for shady rain gardens on the wetter side.
Wild Blue Phlox is another great shade plant. It grows about a foot tall and can handle dry to medium-wet soil. Early spring blooms.
Wood Betony has whorled flowers that bumblebees enjoy. It is semi-parasitic and attaches to the roots of a host plant.
Wild Geranium is a native geranium that grows in shade, and sometimes in sunny spots. Spreads a bit by seed. Vibrant pink flowers.
Columbine is a shade classic. It can be short-lived but it is notorious for spreading a lot by seed. Good for mid to tall shade gardens.
A favorite flower, Bradbury’s Monarda has wonderful greenish purple foliage most of the year. Spreads a little underground. Must-have for gardens.
Harebell is a short flower that send up stems topped with blue flowers. It spreads a little underground. A great understory plant.
Poke Milkweed is a native milkweed that grows in shade. It prefers soil on the moister side. It grows fairly tall and spreads underground.
Michigan Lily–also known as Turks Cap Lily–isn’t the same as tiger or asiatic lilies. It is rare and valuable. Deer love it, so protect it.
Cardinal Flower is a favorite of hummingbirds. The tall red flower spikes bloom in late summer. Handles sun and shade, wet and medium soils.
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
Less than 4-6 hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Short’s Aster
Big Leaf Aster
Zig Zag Goldenrod
Sweet Joe Pye Weed
Shade Plant Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
Sweet Joe Pye Weed is a really tall shade plant. Similar to Joe Pye Weed, but lankier and less bushy. Spreads by seed.
Big Leaf Aster spreads quite a lot with underground rhizomes. It blankets the ground with large leaves. Plant with other spreading plants.
Zig Zag Goldenrod spreads quickly with underground rhizomes. It blooms in the fall with slender spikes of yellow flowers.
Short’s Aster has whitish blue flowers and blooms in the fall. Like most asters, it spreads a lot by seed. Plant with other taller spreading plants.
1ft
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
Less than 4-6 hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Prairie Dropseed
Fox Sedge
Star Sedge
Little Bluestem
Parasol Sedge
Side Oats Grama
Blue Grama Grass
5ft
Mead’s Sedge
Big Bluestem
Indian Grass
1ft
Sunny Grass and Sedge Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
Parasol Sedge is an amazing 1ft tall sedge for sunny gardens. The seed heads are only a few inches tall, so unlike most sedges, it doesn’t “flop” in summer!
Mead’s Sedge is a spreading sedge that grows in wet-meadows. It likes dry to medium-wet soil. Great for big sunny rain gardens.
Star Sedge is a flexible sedge that prefers shade but can handle sunny gardens. Great when planted throughout a garden with other grasses and flowers.
Fox Sedge is a wetland sedge that grows well in rain gardens. It won’t survive under water, but likes occasional ponding. Clump-forming.
Blue Grama Grass is a perfect grass for short, sunny gardens. The pretty seed heads are about 1.5ft tall. Great throughout a garden.
Side Oats Grama can be short-lived but self-seeds easily in sunny gardens. Likes dry soil.
Prairie Dropseed is one of the best ornamental grasses. It grows in a tight clump with fine leaves. The clump grows slowly but big with ages. The seeds heads are airy and pleasant. A must-have.
Little Bluestem is a classic prairie grass. It is a mound of silvery leaves in summer and a tower of copper seed heads in fall. Beautiful, and spreads a lot by seed.
Seas of Big Bluestem once dominated the tall grass landscape. If you plant it in your garden, it will try to dominate that, too. Seeds a lot–maybe save it for restorations or tall, wild gardens.
Indian Grass is a lot like Big Bluestem in gardens–beautiful and tall, but it will seed everywhere and try to take over. Best for restorations and tall, wild gardens.
© Blazing Star Gardens
6+ hours sunlight per day
April
May
June
July
August
September
Ivory
Sedge
Rosy
Sedge
Palm Sedge
Pennsylvania Sedge
Star
Sedge
Bur
Sedge
Bottlebrush
Grass
Shade Grass and Sedge Bloom Chart
(based on Zone 4–warmer zones bloom 2 weeks earlier for each additional zone):
Ivory Sedge is a tiny but wonderful shade sedge. It has very fine foliage that grows in little mounds. It doesn’t spread much and you need to plant a lot to cover any space.
Pennsylvania Sedge spreads underground by rhizomes about 6-9in per year. It is popular for alternative lawns, but it does take a lot of plants, and you still need to weed.
Rosy Sedge is similar to Star Sedge but grows in only shade. A nice mound of green leaves in early spring and tufts of seed heads in summer.
Star Sedge is a flexible sedge that prefers shade but can handle sunny gardens. Great when planted throughout a garden with other grasses and flowers.
Palm Sedge is a shady sedge that can handle medium-wet soils, making it a good plant for rain gardens. It spreads by seed. Interesting foliage.
Bur Sedge has interesting mace-like seeds heads. It grows in mediu-wet soils and is good for rain gardens.
Bottlebrush Grass is a shade grass with clumps of leaves during summer and columns of seed-heads in fall. Spreads by seed.
1ft
5ft
© Blazing Star Gardens
Less than 4-6 hours sunlight per day
Instructions: Site Prep and Planting
1. Find a well-drained spot with sunny conditions at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight a day for full sun plants OR less than 4-6 hours of direct sunlight for shade plants.
2. Remove existing grass/weeds. This is very important–Most native plants will not grow well in weeds or grass! You can remove the lawn (shovel or rent a sod cutter). Or you can smother it with thick paper rolls or cardboard along with 3” of mulch on top for at least 2 months before planting (do this in February or March to prepare for a May planting). Or you can apply a grass remover and wait two weeks before mulching and planting. Tilling will not kill grass or weeds. Mulching at time of planting will not kill grass.
3. Add edging (optional, but recommended). 5" deep plastic edging is best for keeping out weeds and lawn grass that creep underground. Blocks look nicer but grass will creep through the cracks. If using blocks, put a plastic barrier along the front grass edge of the block and underneath at least 1 ft into the garden.
4. Add 3" of wood mulch (optional, but highly recommended). Do it before or after planting. Buy bags or get bulk mulch delivered. If you stay on top of weeding (weed often and when weeds are small; big weed roots tear up the mulch layer when pulled), you won’t have to add mulch again.
5. Dig holes to establish spacing. We recommend spacing all plants 12-15” apart.
6. Plant your plants. Lay out plants, and then plant them level with the ground. Then—and this is important—push some soil on top of the potting soil to seal in moisture, and put the mulch right against the plant.
7. Water *immediately* afterwards. Really soak them with a wand or nozzle to muddy the soil tightly around the plant. Don’t use a sprinkler for this step.
8. Water every 2-3 days for 6 weeks (unless it rains 1” or more). Always watch for wilting. Don’t water every day, and don’t water if they don’t need it—watering too often can rot and kill plants. When you water, use a wand and make sure to repeatedly soak each plant 2 or 3 times—dry potting soil takes a long time to soak up water. After a month of watering, you might only need to water a few more times if you have mulch and good rainfalls.
Maintenance:
1. Weed at least once a month. It's much easier to tell the difference between a weed and your new plants when the weeds have just sprouted--because the weeds will be tiny random sprouts, and the native plants will be in bigger clumps and evenly spaced. We like to walk our new gardens every few days, doing a little at a time, starting to recognize the native plants and the common weeds, and watching the garden grow. Once the weeds get to be the same size as the native plants it is much more difficult to tell the difference. When weeds get big their roots start ruining the mulch layer when they get pulled.
2. Trim the plants in the spring or fall, or don't--it's your decision. We like to trim and leave the trimmings on the garden, sometimes in fall, sometimes in spring, and sometimes—if they garden looks ok in fall—we don’t trim at all. But again, it's up to you. You don't have to do the same maintenance every year!
This is a summary. View detailed step-by-step pictures and instructions at: www.blazingstargardens.com/how-to-make-a-pollinator-garden
Garden Examples
Garden Examples
Example: Sunny Pollinator Garden
Aromatic Aster
1 plant
Prairie Phlox
3 plants
Butterfly Milkweed
6 plants
Prairie Dropseed
6 plants
Meadow Blazing Star
12 plants
Nodding Onion
3 plants
Orange Coneflower
3 plants
Blue Wild Indigo
2 plants
Star Sedge
12 plants
Cardinal Flower
3 plants
Prairie Pussytoes
3 plants
Lance Leaf Coreopsis
3 plants
Grey Goldenrod
3 plants
Blanket Flower
3 plants
Pale Purple Coneflower
3 plants
Culver’s Root
3 plants
Bradbury’s Monarda
3 plants
15ft
Shorter plants near borders or front of garden
Taller plants near middle or back of garden
Grasses and Sedges to mix throughout garden:
Example:
Example:
Example:
Example:
Example:
Example: