Why water brings pollinators into a garden

When people want more bees and butterflies in the garden they go straight to plants, which makes sense, because that's the obvious half of it. The half that gets missed is water. Pollinators get thirsty the same as anything else working in the sun all day, and a garden that gives them a drink is a garden they keep coming back to.

Why they need it

Think about what a bee actually does all day. Out in the heat, flying between flowers, carrying pollen. It's hard yakka, and it costs them water the same way it would cost you.

For bees it's more than a drink. They carry water back to the hive to cool it down in hot weather, and they use it to thin honey when they're feeding. Butterflies want something different again, a shallow landing spot where they can sit and sip without falling in. Give them both and the flowers, fruit and vegetables in your garden get pollinated better for it.

How to set water up for them

None of this needs a pond or a pump. A few simple things do the job.

• A shallow dish with pebbles. A pot saucer or a shallow tray filled with water, with pebbles or small stones sitting proud of the surface so they have somewhere dry to stand. This is the one that works best for bees and butterflies both.
• A bird bath, adapted. A bird bath isn't much use to an insect as it comes, because the water's too deep. Keep the level low, or drop a few stones or a piece of cork in, and the small visitors can use it too.
• A damp patch for butterflies. Butterflies do something called puddling, where they drink from wet soil and take up minerals at the same time. Leave a small patch of bare dirt in a sunny spot and keep it damp, and you'll get visitors.
• A slow drip. A dripper left running very slowly, or the wet ground under a tap, mimics what they'd find in nature and pulls in anything that prefers moving water.

Keep it clean, this bit matters

Standing water goes off quickly in warm weather, and dirty water puts pollinators off rather than pulling them in. It also breeds mosquitoes, which is nobody's idea of a good outcome. Tip it out and refill it every couple of days in summer, and give the dish a scrub when the algae starts.

Put it somewhere you'll walk past, because a water dish you can't see is a water dish you'll forget.

The flowers still matter

Water brings them in and nectar keeps them there, so the two work together. Alyssum, marigold and nasturtium are all easy from seed and all of them get worked over. A native flower mix is worth a look too, because it's built for our conditions and it flowers when the local insects are actually out.

What you get out of it

Better pollination in the veggie patch, for a start, which shows up as more fruit set on tomatoes, cucumbers and pumpkins. Beyond that you get a garden with things moving in it, and a garden that hums is a much nicer place to sit with a cuppa than one that doesn't.

Shop related products

• D.T Brown Australian Native Flower Mix. Built for local conditions, and the local insects know it.
• D.T Brown Alyssum Pastel Carpet. Low, scented, and it flowers for months on end.
• D.T Brown Nasturtium Jewel Mixed. Almost impossible to kill, and the flowers are edible.
• D.T Brown Cottage Garden Mixture. A scented mix of old fashioned favourites in one packet.

Did you know we also stock bird baths, pot saucers, decorative pebbles and terracotta pots in the shop. They're not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.

The rest of the seed and pot range is in the garden centre. Ask for me, Candeece, when you come in and we'll work out where the water dish should go.

More from the garden

• The easiest way to attract butterflies to your garden
• Native wildflowers that bring pollinators to your garden
• Summer flowering plants that cope with South Australian heat

I'm a bit soft about bees, so a dish of water and a handful of pebbles is my favourite five minute garden job.

Cheers,
Candeece