Renee Waite
The Weeders Garden Club’s Pollinator Garden
There’s a special garden in Chandler where butterflies flutter among colorful blooms, hummingbirds dart from flower to flower, and bees are always busy. It’s the Weeders Garden Club Pollinator Garden at Tumbleweed Ranch, a beautiful garden with an important purpose.
The Weeders Garden Club created the garden with the support of the Chandler Parks Department and the garden was dedicated in April of 2018. Located in front of the historic McCroskey House, the garden provides food and habitat for the pollinators that play such an important role in our environment.
Pollinators include much more than honey bees. Butterflies, hummingbirds and other insects and birds help move pollen from flower to flower, allowing plants to reproduce and produce the fruits and seeds that feed people and wildlife. For migrating pollinators such as Monarch butterflies, gardens can also provide valuable places to stop, feed and rest along their journey.
Creating a pollinator garden in the desert means selecting plants that thrive in our Arizona climate while providing nectar, pollen and habitat. The Weeders garden includes a colorful assortment of flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and vines.
Visitors may find familiar desert favorites such as brittlebush, desert marigold, globemallow, penstemon, red yucca and desert milkweed, along with lantana, fairy duster, chuparosa, honeysuckle and other flowering plants. By including plants that bloom at different times, the garden can provide food for pollinators throughout much of the year.
For Weeders Garden Club members, the garden is also an example of what can happen when a love of gardening, friendship and community service come together. Members help care for the garden while creating a living demonstration of how gardeners can make a difference.
You don’t need a large yard to help pollinators, either. A few well-chosen flowering plants in a backyard or patio garden can create a welcome stop for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
The next time you visit Tumbleweed Ranch, stop by the Pollinator Garden in front of the McCroskey House. Look closely—you may find some of the garden’s busiest visitors have wings!
Come grow with the Weeders! The Weeders Garden Club meets on the second Thursday of each month from September to May at 9:30 a.m. at Sun Lakes Country Club Navajo Room. Meetings feature gardening programs, creative projects, special activities and plenty of friendship. Guests and prospective members are welcome. For more information or to attend a meeting, contact Renee at flowershowcrazy@gmail.com.