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Pollinator Patch App | Plant Care

@pollinatorpatchgarden

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Zip code in. Plant care and native yard plans out. Watering, freeze alerts, seasonal care. Native plans, Pet-Friendly, HOA-Friendly, Rebates

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Two years ago I wanted a front yard full of native plants that still looked calm and intentional from the street. I'm an engineer, so naturally I started a spreadsheet. It got out of hand.

Somewhere in there I learned the thing I built already had a name (a bloom calendar), that my city would have helped pay for part of the project, and that nobody driving past cares how many species are in my yard.

So I built the tool I wanted at the start. Put in your zip code and Pollinator Patch shows you plants the USDA says are native to your area, when they bloom, where to buy them, and what rebates your city offers. Then it generates a landscape plan and tells you how to care for each species, including watering reminders.

You don't need to rip out your lawn. You don't need a lawn at all. Three native plants in pots will feed real butterflies and real bees.

Pollinator Patch is on the web, in the App Store and Google Play. Link in bio.

#nativeplants #pollinatorgarden #nativeplantgarden #gardening #frontyardgarden #pollinators #nativelandscaping #gardentok #plantsofinstagram #curbappeal by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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3 months ago

HOAs don’t hate native plants — they hate messy yards.

Clean edges, structure, and the right plant choices make all the difference.

I’m building Pollinator Patch to help homeowners design HOA-safe native gardens that still support pollinators.

Full breakdown in the blog (link in bio).

#HOASafe
#FrontYardLandscaping
#NativePlants
#GardenTok
#SuburbanHomes
#TexasGardening
#LowWaterLandscape
#PollinatorPatch by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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10 months ago

HOAs don’t hate native plants — they hate messy yards.

Clean edges, structure, and the right plant choices make all the difference.

I’m building Pollinator Patch to help homeowners design HOA-safe native gardens that still support pollinators.

Full breakdown in the blog (link in bio).

#HOASafe
#FrontYardLandscaping
#NativePlants
#GardenTok
#SuburbanHomes
#TexasGardening
#LowWaterLandscape
#PollinatorPatch by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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10 months ago

If you want bats in your yard, the bat house goes up last. Food comes first.

The U.S. Geological Survey says a little brown bat "can eat 4 to 8 grams (the weight of about a grape or two) of insects each night." Maryland's Department of Natural Resources says a garden of night-blooming plants supports night-flying insects like moths, which "creates a feeding spot for native bats." Evening primrose is on its plant list.

The same Maryland page says no pesticides, because the bats eat the bugs. It also says bats swoop to get their water, so the water they can use is "preferably 7-10 feet wide." A small dish still helps the moths.

Then the house. Bat Conservation International says to leave at least 12 feet of open space under it and give it at least 7 hours of sun. It also warns that "bats may never move into your bat house," so plant first and be patient.

Save this for spring project season. Pollinator Patch plans native gardens for your area: https://thepollinatorpatchgarden.com/go/ig-tip by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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3 days ago

Should you stake a new tree? Only if it needs it.

The International Society of Arboriculture's planting steps say, "Studies have shown that trees develop stronger trunks and roots if they are not staked."

The same step names two cases where staking "may be required": bare root stock, or a windy site. If that is your tree, the page says three stakes give the best support, and then, "Remove stakes after first year of growth." https://thepollinatorpatchgarden.com/go/ig-tip?path=care

Right Now in Your Garden

#RightNowInYourGarden #treeplanting #fallplanting #plantatree #gardentips #gardening101 #fallgarden #treecare #newtree #treestaking #backyardgarden #homegarden #plantcare

Comment GARDEN and I will send you a native plant plan for your zip code by DM. by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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3 days ago

The tag on a nursery pot tells you whether you are buying the wild plant or a bred version of it. Once you know what to look for, it takes about five seconds to read.

A straight species tag has the Latin name by itself, like Echinacea purpurea. A cultivar adds a second name in single quotes, like Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'. That quoted name means somebody selected or bred the plant for a look.

Sometimes the look costs the bees. Oregon State University Extension says doubled petals "may block access to nectaries or pollen," and its advice is to choose the simpler single blossoms. Plenty of cultivars are fine. When you can't tell, the straight species is the sure bet.

Save this for your next nursery trip. Pollinator Patch plans native gardens for your area: https://thepollinatorpatchgarden.com/go/ig-tip by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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5 days ago

Before you bag the leaves this fall, it helps to know what is in them.

The Xerces Society says luna moths and swallowtail butterflies "disguise their cocoons and chrysalises as dried leaves." Mourning cloaks spend the winter as adults in gaps in brush piles, which is why they show up so early in spring. Small carpenter bees nest in dead raspberry canes and wildflower stems.

So leave the leaves and the stems, and hold off on cleanup. Xerces says to wait "until late in the spring." Rake the leaves into your beds and keep a clean, mowed edge out front so the yard still reads as intentional.

I talked about this with Robin Motzer this week. She writes Wildlands, a Substack about restoring nature and the land: robinmotzer.substack.com

Pollinator Patch plans native gardens for your area and keeps care on track through the seasons: https://thepollinatorpatchgarden.com/go/ig-tip?path=care

#leavetheleaves #nativeplants #pollinatorgarden #wildlifegarden #fallgardening #butterflies #nativebees #mourningcloak #lunamoth #swallowtail

Comment GARDEN and I will send you a native plant plan for your zip code by DM. Before you bag the leaves, look who is living in them. by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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5 days ago

In fall the top of a plant goes quiet and the roots keep working. That is the reason to plant now.

University of Illinois Extension explains it this way: soil "insulates and cools down later in the year than the air temperature," so the roots stay warm after the leaves drop. Trees, shrubs and hardy perennials planted in fall get that stretch to settle in before winter.

Water is the part people skip. Illinois Extension says newly fall-planted trees, shrubs and perennials "should be monitored and watered late into the season," and to stop once the ground freezes. Keep the mulch a few inches back from the stem.

Save this for your fall planting window. Pollinator Patch plans native gardens for your area: https://thepollinatorpatchgarden.com/go/ig-tip by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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6 days ago

New Braunfels friends, your utility will pay you to evict your lawn. New Braunfels Utilities offers up to $2,000 back for ripping out high-water-use turfgrass, plus another $500 if you plant a qualifying drought-tolerant tree. The fine print: you have to be an NBU customer and apply through their rebate form. October is prime time to plan the swap, the roots settle in before next summer's heat. Patch can help you plan the planting by ZIP code, link in bio. by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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7 days ago

The silk webs at the ends of pecan branches right now are fall webworm, and the spot on the branch is how you tell.

Penn State Extension: fall webworm tents "occur at branch tips in the late summer and fall." Eastern tent caterpillar tents sit "in the crotches and forks of branches in spring and early summer."

Iowa State University Extension says the damage "is not significant to well-established, otherwise healthy trees" and "control is not essential."

Their advice: "Prune and discard the webs you can reach and disregard the rest." Penn State notes that birds and insect predators go after the caterpillars.

In Texas, A&M AgriLife says two to four generations occur per year, so you may see another round.

Pollinator Patch (link in bio) turns a zip code into plant care and a native yard plan.

#fallwebworm #pecantree #texasgardening #blacklandprairie #nativeplants #treecare #gardeningtips #fallgarden #pollinatorgarden

Comment GARDEN and I will send you a native plant plan for your zip code by DM. The silk webs at the ends of pecan branches have a name by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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8 days ago

San Antonio, your water bill has four days left to become plant money. The SAWS WaterSaver Landscape Coupon pays you $150 per coupon to rip out at least 200 square feet of grass and plant a water-saving bed of 15 approved plants instead, and you can stack up to four coupons in one window. The catch: fall applications close October 15, you have to be a SAWS residential customer, and no permanent irrigation goes back in the new bed. Redeem at a participating nursery by November 1. Patch can help you plan the planting by ZIP code, link in bio. by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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8 days ago

San Antonio, your water bill has four days left to become plant money. The SAWS WaterSaver Landscape Coupon pays you $150 per coupon to rip out at least 200 square feet of grass and plant a water-saving bed of 15 approved plants instead, and you can stack up to four coupons in one window. The catch: fall applications close October 15, you have to be a SAWS residential customer, and no permanent irrigation goes back in the new bed. Redeem at a participating nursery by November 1. Patch can help you plan the planting by ZIP code, link in bio. by @pollinatorpatchgarden

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8 days ago