Take Action / Native Pollinators / Certify Your Garden
Certify Your Garden
Join a community of dedicated pollinator guardians and let your neighbors know the fabulous fun you’re up to!
200+
Number of Gardens Certified
What is it?
Our Native Pollinator Garden Certification program allows residents in Western North Carolina to certify their garden as pollinator habitat. By certifying your garden and displaying your optional habitat sign, you let your neighbors know that pollinators are important and show them what they can do to help.
Any garden can become a native pollinator habitat — even if it’s in a patio pot.
Our program has four tiers depending on the size and complexity of the garden. It’s not a competition, though. We're all in this together—us and the pollinators.
Certified Garden FAQs
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If you already have a garden you would like to certify, take a look at our tier requirements and decide which level your garden fits into. If your garden isn't quite there, please check out the resources provided in our Learn section that can help you meet all the criteria!
Once you feel your garden is ready for certification, please fill out the application and we will review it and get back to you as soon as possible.
Go to Application [PDF]
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You get an official Asheville GreenWorks / Bee City - Asheville pollinator habitat certificate with your name on it. You also have the option of purchasing a sign to put in your garden. These spread awareness, help drive the paradigm shift away from massive grass lawns, and they look awesome.
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This process does involve an application fee, which helps to keep this program up and running. The application fee is $10, and the cost of the (optional) sign is $35.
Habitat Sign and Certificate
The signs are 11" x 8.5" composite aluminum. Your purchase includes a post and fasteners for display in your garden. Each sign will have a special adornment depending on your garden tier.
Habitat Elements
A full-fledged pollinator habitat has many elements—below are the elements we've deemed integral to each habitat and why.
Native Plants
Nearly 90 percent of all flowering plants require the help of a pollinator to reproduce, but not just any pollinator. Native plants are species that existed here prior to European colonization, co-evolving with the animals that pollinate them. By using locally native plant species, we are creating diverse habitats that native pollinators are most likely to thrive in.
Avoiding Pesticide Use
Pesticide use is one of the leading causes of pollinator decline. “Pesticide” is an umbrella term that includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. Round-Up, for example, is a pesticide. A pollinator garden should not be exposed to these types of chemicals. By using a diversity of native plants, nature is better able to find balance between predator and prey, reducing the need for pest management.
Nectar & Pollen Sources
Nectar is the primary energy source for the vast majority of adult pollinators and is therefore one of the most significant elements of pollinator habitat. Likewise, pollen sources provide necessary protein for developing and adult bees. For habitat to effectively support pollinators throughout the year, there must be nectar and pollen available in all parts of the growing season (March - October).
Trees/Shrubs/Vines
Trees are meadows in the sky for pollinators and shrubs offer interesting structure throughout the year. In addition to providing nectar and/or pollen, woody plants, whether thriving or declining, can also offer crucial overwintering or nesting sites. Because of their mass, they are vital larval host plants for butterfly and moth caterpillars, which also serve as baby food for 96% of terrestrial birds. (See “Larval Hosts” and “Shelter” adjacent.)
Larval Hosts
Many Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) species depend on specific native plants as food sources for their offspring. Likewise, about a quarter of all bee species rely on certain plant families or species to supply pollen for their growing larvae. Plants that act as hosts for these eggs and subsequent caterpillars (larvae), or provide pollen for bee larvae, are known as host plants. These plants can fulfill requirements in other categories as well.
Shelter
Small spaces of bare, unmulched earth; dead tree snags; leaf litter left where it fell under trees; or patches of native bunch grasses can provide a place for many pollinators to nest and overwinter. NOTE: While bee hotels can be quite effective when employed and maintained properly, they also can attract parasites and harbor infectious disease when not employed and maintained properly. Due to these potential downsides, they alone do not constitute viable shelter for this program.
Removing Invasives
Exotic invasive species can outcompete native plants and are a huge threat to our natural ecosystem. Guarding your habitat against invasives promotes its longevity as a healthy refuge for pollinators and reduces the spread of these noxious species.
Garden Certification Tiers and Requirements
Gardens will qualify for various 'tiers' of habitat quality and diversity based on the requirements listed in the following section. As your garden continues to grow you can move up in the ranks. Once again, this is not a competition—every single bit of habitat is helpful!
Tier 1
Egg
For the beginner gardener and/or those with spatial constraints. This level is feasible for an apartment balcony. See "Starter Lists" for plant ideas.
Egg Requirements:
6 native perennial flowering species
1 larval host
Water source
Remove invasives
Avoid pesticides
Tier 2
Caterpillar
An attainable level for a beginning gardener or an easy certification for a seasoned pro. Don't be discouraged by the tree/shrub requirements - there are plenty of smaller, affordable native shrubs to choose from. See "Starter Lists" for plant ideas.
Caterpillar Requirements:
2 native tree or shrub species
6 native perennial herbaceous species
At least 2 blooming in each part of the growing season
1 larval hosts
Water source
1 form of shelter
Remove invasives
Avoid pesticides
Tier 3
Chrysalis
If you're shooting for this level, ideally you already have a successful pollinator garden and might just need to add a few elements to become certified.
Chrysalis Requirements:
3 native tree or shrub species
9 native perennial herbaceous species
At least 3 blooming in each part of the growing season
2 larval hosts
Water source
2 forms of shelter
Remove invasives
Avoid pesticides
Tier 4
Butterfly
Your garden is a pollinator magnet! You've put in a lot of time and energy.
Butterfly Requirements:
5 native tree or shrub species
15 native perennial herbaceous species
At least 5 blooming in each part of the growing season
4 larval hosts
Water source
3 forms of shelter
Remove invasives
Avoid pesticides
Application
Please review the following application and complete all sections. Once you have completed the application, use the payment link below or submit a check by mail. The application fee is required, but purchasing a sign is optional. When your payment is received we will review your application and contact you as soon as possible. Applications are reviewed on a monthly basis. There is a downloadable PDF application below intended to help you through the application process and give you a better idea of what it entails, however, we do not accept physical applications.
Pay by Mail Instructions
With intention noted on check, send $10 application fee and/or $35 sign payment to:
Asheville GreenWorks
2 Sulphur Springs Rd
Asheville, NC 28806
Planting Resources
Want to plant a garden but you don’t know where to start? Or maybe you have a garden and you’re looking to add to it. Our Learn section covers the entire garden installation and maintenance process.
Certify Your Pollinator Garden Webinar
Ruth Gonzalez of Reems Creek Nursery and the Bee City USA - Asheville Leadership Committee delve into certifying your garden in this video. Enjoy!
Certified Garden Map
Putting native plants into every front garden bed and patio pot possible is vital, but to do the most good possible, we need to connect these individual oases into corridors.
This map shows the location and tiers (represented by color) of many of the gardens we have certified. Help us fill up this map by certifying your garden to create connected habitat corridors that sustain pollinators!
Not all certified gardens are shown—only garden owners who have agreed to be on the map are displayed.