Pollinator Conservation: Designing an HOA Friendly Pollinator Garden
Pollinator Conservation will be an ongoing series leading up to the Great Georgia Pollinator Census event taking place on August 19th and 20th. Read all in the series.
Nationwide more than 70 million people reside in HOA-governed communities. Some neighborhood HOA’s are in full support of gardening while others frown upon gardens that look like gardens. Here are some ways to approach the creation of your pollinator garden.
- Know your HOA rules pay close attention to bylaws asking the board members to clarify if needed. Stay positive when asking, “I am thinking of improving my landscape and need some help with policies regarding plant and flower types.”
- Start slow and smart by incorporating wilder native plants into formal design elements.
- Be neighborly, maintain your garden during high traffic times and strike up conversations with people out walking dogs or riding bikes. They may stop and voice concerns, interests, or questions. Be calm and personable, you may get some neighbors wanting to be a part of pollinating.
- Check into food-scaping or edible landscaping and vertical gardening. Edible hedgerows are attractive and work as functional barriers. Here are a few plants to start your edible landscaping Stylish Edible Landscaping.
Check here for native plants and flowers in your zip code Garden for Wildlife
Check here for a simple how to start your pollinator garden Getting Started
How to participate in the Great Georgia Pollinator Census:
Teresa Perkins is a climate change and sustainability journalist, who is creating research-based climate change content pertaining to sustainable energy at local, national, and global level for publication and distribution. She partners with non-profit organizations for innovative ideas and sustainability projects and connects global UN Climate Change reports to local initiatives.
