Connecticut Garden Journal: Grow ground covers for pollinators

Growing a pollinator garden has become very popular. But many gardeners don't have room for yet another garden. Another way to approach supporting pollinators is to find places in existing gardens to grow plants they love. One neglected group of plants for pollinators is ground covers.

Growing ground covers between trees, shrubs and perennials not only creates a more natural look and adds color, but also provides a source of pollen and nectar for these essential creatures. 

Here's some ground covers to tuck between your plants. Wild and alpine strawberries are favorite pollinator friendly ground covers. We have them planted throughout a winding border filled with shrubs and perennials. They bloom in spring and then, off and on, all summer and we get some berries, too. Rock soapwort, or Saponaria, is perfect for a sunny flower garden. It grows 4- to 8-inches tall, tolerates dry soil and has fragrant, pink and white flowers in early summer. Strawberries and soapwort are deer resistant.

We love growing the perennial geranium as a ground cover. It grows 1 foot tall, and slowly spreads to fill in part shade areas between large perennials and shrubs. The pink flowers bloom on and off all summer. Clover is a great groundcover for areas between shrubs , trees and tough perennials. The white flowers are favorites of pollinators and they bloom all summer. For a more colorful treat, try growing the purple leafed variety Altropurpureum. It stays 4 inches tall and has purple leaves with green edging. It's less vigorous than the green leafed versions but still flowers and adds a splash of color to your garden.

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