Book Review: Pollinator Victory Garden
The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening by Kim Eierman (Quarto Publishing, 2020, 160 pp., $26.99)
As soon as I heard about Kim Eierman’s brand-new book, The Pollinator Victory Garden, I was anxious to learn what I can be doing to help pollinators within my own garden.
According to the book’s subtitle, it is a guide to attracting and supporting bees, beetles, butterflies, bats and other pollinators – information that gardeners and homeowners should know more about and act on in a positive way. It is absolutely crucial that we all take an active role to reverse the frightening decline they are experiencing.
I’m familiar with Kim because of her EcoBeneficial! website (ecobeneficial.com). It contains a wealth of useful information including her articles, podcasts, videos and many landscape tips.
In the book, she writes, “Pollinators are critical to our food supply and responsible for the pollination of the vast majority of all flowering plants on our planet. But many pollinators are in trouble, and the reality is that most of our landscapes have little to offer them. I wrote this book to help you change that. You can create a beautiful landscape that attracts and supports many different species of pollinators.”
In chapter one, “Essentials of Pollinators and Pollination,” the author discusses how pollination takes place and provides a chart of landscape types to avoid and how to improve them to benefit pollinators. She takes a look at the many different types of pollinators and underscores the importance of attracting more than just bees.
Kim emphasizes planting for the types of pollinators in one’s region, taking into account the timing of when they are active and what their life span is. She also covers how pollen, nectar and water benefit different types of pollinating critters.
The focus of chapter two, “Providing Pollinators with a Place to Live,” is on how important it is to make a difference, no matter what size of one’s landscape is. The most crucial aspects are to create habitat that is regionally appropriate, leave some bare soil for native bees to nest in, get rid of or reduce lawns, and avoid the use of pesticides. The author provides the link to a special section of her website (ecobeneficial.com/PVG) as both a companion to this book and useful resource.
The discussion continues with reasons for providing brush piles, tree snags, windbreaks, leaf litter, logs, and basking rocks for pollinators, and how to help them overwinter in our gardens.
Kim points out that “A Pollinator Victory Garden is full of flowers, but it’s more than just a place for pollinators to eat. A flower garden devoid of good nesting, sheltering, and wintering sites is not a Pollinator Victory Garden; it’s merely a floral buffet. Give pollinators a safe, pesticide-free home where they can live and reproduce.”
In chapter three, “Providing Pollinators with Food to Eat,” readers are encouraged to plant groupings of each type of plant and to focus on diversity within their gardens. The author explains how pollinators feed and what they’re looking for, and advises us to choose plants that are native to our regions.
She explains why native plants are an important aspect of ecosystems, counsels us to select plants that provide nectar and/or pollen, and gives helpful advice on choosing the right plants for the conditions within our gardens. Her website contains regional plant lists for pollinators.
Throughout the book, the author reminds us not to use pesticides. This is so important for the health of pollinators, to promote a balanced ecosystem, and for our own health.
Chapter four, “Parade of Pollinators,” contains profiles of those most commonly seen. These include a description for each, their habitat, life cycle, plants that provide them with nectar and/or pollen (including flower colors and shapes), as well as native plants they pollinate.
In chapter five, “Creating and Growing a Pollinator Victory Garden,” readers will learn how to assess their landscapes and decide what to change and what to plant. There are many helpful suggestions, such as avoiding monocultures.
Within the Appendix, the author sums up the book’s contents in 10 tips so you can quickly refer to them later. There’s a checklist for planning purposes, plant lists, and very thorough lists of recommended books and helpful websites.
Pollinator Victory Garden is well-written, easy to read and understand. Readers are certain to gain new insight into pollinators and benefit from all of the useful information. None of us can afford to wait any longer to help pollinators. This book provides the tools for creating your own pollinator oasis. I hope you will inspire others to do the same by sharing what you’ve learned.