Pollinator Lawns, Bee Lawns, Freedom Lawns. All of these terms refer to the same idea: creating a lawn that is more friendly to insects.
Plant Species | Establishing | Maintaining | More Information
Turf performs very well in full sun, but the monoculture of grass requires many inputs to keep it healthy and attractive. Bee lawns are mixes of traditional turfgrasses and other plants. By interplanting turfgrass with other broadleaf plants, you can increase plant species diversity, which reduces the time and money needed to keep it looking good. This mix of plants is beautiful and provides more food and habitat for pollinators. Additionally, when the right plant species are selected, you can maintain the lawn's functionality as both a recreation space and a beautiful backdrop for the home and garden.
The benefits of pollinator lawns are clear, but there are some other considerations. Pollinator lawns do not have the same uniform look as traditional turfgrass, and this aesthetic may not be welcomed by you or other entities like HOAs. Weed control in pollinator lawns is difficult and often time-consuming. While a fully established lawn can crowd out unwanted plants like crabgrass, purslane, or spotted spurge (none of which benefit pollinators), during establishment and in areas that are not growing vigorously, these plants can take over, reducing the effectiveness of the pollinator lawn. Traditional lawn weed control methods using broadleaf herbicides are not an option, leaving hand pulling, spot spraying, and preemergent herbicides as your only options. All of these methods require more thought, work, and time.
Plants for Pollinator Lawns
Flowering plants that can support pollinators and grow in the lawn must have the same characteristics as turf grass and be a good food source for pollinators. Good plants for bee lawns tolerate mowing and continue to flower even when mowed. They are perennial, tolerate foot traffic, and can compete and survive when growing with turfgrasses.
The University of Minnesota has done research on species well-suited for pollinator lawns. Flowering plants that their research has found work well for bee lawns include:
- Dutch clover (Trifolium repens)
- self-heal (Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata)*
- creeping thyme (Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus; syn.Thymus serpyllum)
- violets (Viola spp)
- dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
- ground plum (Astragalus crassicarpus)*
- lanceleaf tickweed (Coreopsis lanceolata)*
- calico American aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)*
Other species suggested for pollinator lawns include:
- pussy toes (Antennaria neglecta)*
- spring beauty (Claytonia virginica)*
- big leaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
- wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)*
- prairie smoke (Geum triflorum)*
- small skullcap (Scutellaria leonardii)*
- micro clover (Trifolium repens)
- prairie violet (Viola pedatifida)*
- common violet (Viola sororia)*
*Native to parts of Iowa
Some turfgrasses work much better in pollinator-friendly lawns than others. Of the handful of turfgrass species typically grown in Iowa (none of which are native), fine fescues (including chewings, creeping red, and hard fescues) and Kentucky bluegrass are better for bee lawns. Perennial ryegrass and tall fescue are not ideal turfgrasses in these settings.
Seed Sources
While the popularity of pollinator lawns has increased the number of seed sources offering pollinator lawn mixes, there is still not an abundance of seed sources providing these blends. The University of Minnesota has provided some guidance on seeding rates and potential suppliers of pollinator lawn seed mixes.
If an appropriate seed mix cannot be found, or you wish to create a mix that includes or excludes certain species, you can source seed of the desired species from various sources and mix it yourself. The Iowa Tallgrass Prairie Center at the University of Northern Iowa provides an up-to-date list of prairie seed providers. Some of these vendors will have seed for some of the recommended species listed above, especially the native species. Other species, particularly recommended non-native species, can be found from other seed sources. A quick online search for the seed of your desired species will provide you with some potential suppliers.
Establishing Pollinator Lawns
Establishing pollinator-friendly plants like Dutch clover and self-heal in your lawn looks similar to establishing a typical turfgrass lawn.
If the Lawn is Healthy - Overseed
If the lawn is relatively healthy with few undesirable weeds, overseeding is a good choice. Good soil-to-seed contact is important. Just before sowing, mow the grass very short (1 inch) to help expose the soil. If the soil is compacted or the turf is very thick, core aeration or power raking may be needed before overseeding.
If the Lawn is Not Healthy - Renovate
If the lawn is thin, has an abundance of undesirable weeds (such as foxtail, spurge, plantain, oxalis, crabgrass, etc.), and is otherwise unhealthy, then a turf renovation would be best. Renovation involves removing and killing all the vegetation in the area and reseeding the entire space with a new turfgrass and pollinator-friendly plant seed mix. Several techniques are available to kill existing vegetation, and which you use depends on the time you have, the amount of labor you will invest, weather, site conditions, and personal preference. Physical removal with a sod cutter or spade, solarization, and herbicides are all options to kill the existing lawn. More information about removing turf can be found in this article: How to Kill Grass to Create a New Garden Bed
Seeding is Best Done While Dormant
Once prepared, you can spread the seed. This can be done much as you would with turf grass, with one key difference - the timing. Fall is an ideal time to sow grass seed, but for bee lawns, dormant sowing in late fall (late November, early December) or spring (late April, early May) is best. Spring plantings have more weed pressure than dormant plantings.
Care After Seeding
Care after seeding is just like care with newly seeded turfgrass. Water frequently at first to support the small root systems of the germinating seed. Avoid walking on the area and monitor carefully for undesirable weeds. Remove weeds by hand-pulling when you find them to prevent these unwanted plants from taking over while the bee lawn is still getting established. Once fully established, the lawn will be very competitive with weeds. Wait until the lawn is 5 or 6 inches tall before you begin mowing. Bee lawns take time to become established. Most will really start to flourish during the second growing season.
Maintaining Pollinator Lawns
Maintaining your pollinator lawn involves all of the same steps as a traditional turfgrass lawn, but often with fewer inputs.
Watering
Watering is needed during establishment, but once established, the pollinator lawn should require irrigation only during prolonged drought.
Mowing
Mow the bee lawn at a higher height of 3 inches or more, which is taller than most traditional lawns. Bee lawns also benefit from mowing less frequently - every 2 weeks instead of once a week.
Fertilizing
Bee lawns require much less fertilizer than traditional lawns. Too much fertilizer can be detrimental as it promotes the growth of turfgrass over the pollinator plants. Most bee lawns only need, at most, one light application of lawn fertilizer in the fall. In many cases, they can be healthy with no fertilizer at all.
Weeding
As with traditional lawns, weeding is critical during establishment, and a healthy lawn is the best defense against unwanted weeds. While many plants considered weeds in a traditional lawn, such as clover, violet, and dandelion, are welcomed additions to a pollinator lawn, many other weeds are not beneficial. Crabgrass, foxtail, spotted spurge, plantain, and purslane are a few common lawn weeds that do not produce flowers beneficial to pollinators and should be removed to prevent them from crowding out desirable plants.
Hand-pulling is the best option, as you will not be able to use most lawn herbicides. Many herbicides used on lawns are broadleaf herbicides that don't kill grass but do kill other plants. If these products are used on a bee lawn, they will kill the clover and other pollinator-friendly plants. On established lawns, preemergent herbicides for crabgrass and other annual weeds can be used, but avoid weed-and-feed products, as they typically contain broadleaf herbicides. For particularly difficult-to-control weeds, spot spraying with a non-selective herbicide can be done.