Pollinators are our BFFs; they really do so much work that goes unnoticed in our daily lives. Yet, they are an integral part of our food system, the beauty of our plants and so much more. This is exactly why you should support them by setting up a garden that feeds them!
It can be difficult to find ways to help our environment and support the animals around us while living in school housing. Thankfully most of us have a window that you can set up your desk nearby and put the planter on top! Planting a pollinator garden is a great start to contribute to what we all love and care about: the Earth.
Since we are in California, it is also important to implement California native flowers into this small garden. A few flowers to choose from are California Poppies, Coyote Mint, Lilacs, and Yarrow. These are all great options for pollinators, especially honey bees, and are pretty beautiful too.
If you care about the looks of your garden or just want some color to brighten up your room, take some of these combinations into consideration. California poppies and lilacs; the beautiful bright orange and the scalloped look of the poppies goes great with the small white flowers bunched together. Coyote Mint is bright purple and looks like a cluster of honeysuckles so it pairs well with the subtle yellow and white of the Yarrow flowers.
If you haven’t noticed, I only paired two flowers per section. This is because I understand there is not a lot of space for a garden in the spaces we have now. Due to this little amount of space, finding the perfect planter is important to put these flowers in. Etsy is such a great resource for handmade pots and planters which I highly recommend. There is a planter for almost any aesthetic: hanging planters, takeout box planters, coffee planters and more!
Now is the time to not only help our native pollinators and support our California ecosystem, but also help small businesses! Interested in doing more for the pollinators and specifically bees? Simply check out UCLA’s Bruin Beekeepers club on Instagram, @bruinbeekeepers.