“Can bees fly that high?” This is a comment made by one of our editors during the planning session for this issue. fine gardening. She was referring to a rooftop pollinator garden on the roof of a high-rise apartment building in downtown Chicago. An oasis in the concrete jungle. But does it really attract beneficial insects?
The discussion continued, and several more staff members said they believed bees could fly that high in search of food. Some were skeptical.
I was also wary of this mysterious space at first. it was beautiful. It was unique. But was it really a place to nourish beneficial insects? After spending hours filming it, I can now say a resounding yes. In the late summer pre-dawn light, the beds in this space were teeming with parasitic wasps, native bees, and even a single praying mantis.
“How on Earth…?” I thought as I set up my camera to capture some of the action.
The party didn’t slow down into the night, but I saw a few bumblebees sleeping in the Penstemon, apparently having eaten too much in an open bar of pollen. After going down the steps to the pavement below, I was struck by how little insect life was active at street level. Throughout this experience, I was even more in awe of what garden designer and owner Hayden Regina had created: a pollinator pit stop in the middle of the United States’ third largest city.
As Hayden notes in his article, this feat would not have been possible without sacrifice and challenge. He had to give up his ideal color palette, which was generally much more rigid. And I can’t even imagine what his chiropractic cost would have been after all the plants, dirt bags and lumber were all hauled up to the roof on foot. But he is quick to point out that he didn’t have to give up in pursuit of green landscapes. He set aside two moderately sized seating areas, placed at opposite ends of the roof, so that humans would not interfere with pollinator activity and vice versa. He has been able to deliver multi-season designs that look great all year round. This is an important factor if you live in the Midwest. And he, like any garden, takes pleasure in tending the space each year.
Except he’s floating in the clouds.
Scientists say bees can fly up to 30,000 feet higher than the summit of Mount Everest.
I’m not sure I’d climb a Himalayan mountain to appreciate the beauty of the gorgeous gardens, but even if there was no guarantee that there would be an open bar at the top, the six-story walk-up staircase would definitely be a challenge.
—Daniel Shelley, Editor-in-Chief
learn more:
Read about Hayden’s Pollinator Pit Stop Rooftop Garden
Let’s take a look at some of Hayden’s discovery of plants that thrive in the harshest conditions.
Photo by Daniel Shelley unless otherwise stated
