Easy Pollinator-Friendly Gardens

The most successful pollinator gardens include flowering plants, host plants, a shaded/sheltered area, and at least one safe water source. There are a variety of easy to grow flowering shrubs, herbs, and bulbs to provide nutrients for the whole gamut of pollinators. Including varieties that bloom at different times of the season will keep the pollinators coming right up until first frost! What’s better? You can grow these plants in containers!

Here are some of our favorites. Seek them out now, and we are sure that they’ll liven-up your garden space as much as they do ours. Most of the following require well-draining soil and continue to bloom with deadheading. If direct-sowing, be aware of your last frost date. Check your seed packets and do your research if you have concerns regarding animal toxicity, and to ensure that you are selecting varieties that will bloom first year.

Cooler Weather Flowers

Alyssum and pansies/viola are quite easy to grow and provide early season sustenance for your garden pollinators. They thrive and bloom best in cooler temperatures. Spring and early fall is when they have the best display.

Alyssum

Alyssum can grow in containers as small as 6 inches in diameter, but more space means more blooms and a bigger show. You can start indoors, 4-6 weeks before last frost. It is a low-growing, spreading/blanketing type of shrub. Varieties with a more compact spread are available. I prefer giving them their very own window box and pruning to control spread. They attract a variety of bees, hoverflies, ladybugs and other beetles, parasitic wasps. Alyssum is a perennial in climates without frost.

Pansies/Violas

Pansies are compact annual flowers. They are available in a variety of colors, and attract bees and butterflies. Another bonus, is that the blooms are edible and make beautiful garnish. Plant one plant per 4-10 inch pot, or several in 10-12 inch pots.

Warm Weather Flowers

Marigolds

Now, once this flowering shrub gets going, other than deadheading fading blooms, it is usually low maintenance. Choose French marigolds for shorter, more compact shrubs. As a bonus, you get a bit of built-in pest control! Marigolds attract bees, butterflies, hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and ladybugs, all of which are great for local ecosystems. Oh, did I mention, marigolds are edible and make lovely garnishes? Select at least a 9-10 inch diameter planter. The larger the pot, the larger the spread. While marigolds prefer full sun, they can tolerate partial sun, and are drought tolerant. Marigolds will grow right up until first frost.

Read our marigolds post to learn more about these powerhouse flowering shrubs.

Coneflower/Black-Eyed Susans

Coneflower, a native flowering herb/wildflower AKA Echinacea is a perennial and provides pollen and nectar for pollinators during the warm months, and then seed for the birds after first frost. Oh, and yes, this is the same Echinacea that you might purchase in medicine or supplements from your local health food stores, to boost your immunity. If you’re up for making tinctures or teas, do your research to ensure you use it safely. You may like to process portions of this plant for your very own herbal medicine supply. Black-Eyed Susan has yellow petals with dark centers, and is a member of the same genus (Rudbeckia).

While you can use a planter as small as 5-7 gallons, aim for a larger planter, 10 gallons and up for longevity. Each year, the blooms and branching increases, as they grow from a multiplying root system. Thin/divide plants by first separating the root clusters about every 3 years (in fall or spring), to ensure your plants do not outgrow their container. They prefer full sun, and are drought tolerant. Both are host plants for the Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly.

Blanketflower

Blanketflowers AKA Gaillardia, are flowering native perennial plants that attract all sorts of pollinators, including a variety of bees, butterflies, moths, and a variety of beneficial flies. Like coneflower, birds enjoy the seed heads during the colder months. They are drought tolerant, and bloom best during less intense heat, and when they receive at least 6 hours of continuous sunlight. Blanketflower will bloom right up until first frost. These may grow well in pots as small as 3-5 gallons, but for longevity and a bountiful display, aim for a larger container. Plants will need to be thinned/divided about every 3 years, by carefully separating root clumps.

Yarrow

This native perennial flowering (herbaceous) plant germinates best when seeds are sown on the soil surface, or when barely covered (needs light to germinate). It attracts a variety of bees, and other beneficial insects, including hoverflies, ladybugs, butterflies, moths, and parasitic wasps. Common yarrow is white, but yarrow has been cultivated so that there are now a variety of colors available. Yarrow has also been used in herbal and folk medicine for ages, to treat digestive issues, inflammation, and to slow bleeding. Its feathery, fern-like foliage adds an additional ornamental feature to a garden space. This plant requires full sun for healthy growth, and needs to be divided about every 3 years. I recommend selecting a container of at least 5 gallons.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are native plants that require full sun (at least 6-8 hours), and are best grown in a container of at least 5 gallons. There are varieties ranging anywhere from 18 inches tall to 8+ feet! For maximum impact, select varieties that branch, offering multiple flowerheads per plant. Plant sunflowers and you’ll have bees and butterflies in a frenzy. Read more here for help choosing varieties that are best for you. Sunflowers are host plants for the Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly.

Zinnia

Zinnia is an annual flowering shrub also native to North America. They do best with full sun (at least 6-8 hours) and when grown in containers that are at least 5 gallons. These are heat-loving plants. Zinnia attracts a variety of pollinators, but are particularly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Birds feast on the seeds in spent flowerheads in off-season.

Four O’Clocks

This herbaceous perennial (in warmer climates) flowering shrub can grow about two feet tall and wide, dependent upon the variety and container size. I recommend at least a one gallon container for 1-2 plants. Four O’Clocks do not like to dry out, and like regular fertilizing. Select a fertilizer variety specifically for flowers. They attract bees, moths and hummingbirds. In colder climates, you can secure tubers in warmer indoor areas for transplant after first frost.

Dill (and Similar Herbs)

Dill blooms attract bees, hoverflies, lacewings, and parasitic wasps. Sow directly outdoors after last frost or begin indoors in a biodegradable 4-inch pot as dill does not do well if its taproots are disturbed. Fennel, parsley and rue also attract beneficial insects, and like dill, are host plants for the Eastern Black Swallowtail and Anise Swallowtail Butterflies. Dill bolts/blooms once temperatures get warm/hot. You can pinch the buds to deter blooming for a period.

More on Planting for Pollinators

Allowing herbs and brassicas to bloom or “go to seed,” will attract a variety of bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Also, planting just about anything in the Aster family will bring the pollinators to the yard.

Looking for more beneficial wasps? A container of buckwheat is like a magnet. It grows and blooms fairly quickly. Just be sure to remove those seeds once they form! Buckwheat will reseed and spread. It’s one of the reasons why it makes great crop cover in farming.

Are you all about the butterflies and maybe looking to support the monarch population? Milkweed is the only host plant for monarch butterflies. Select a large container for optimal growth (12-18 inches in diameter, at least 16 inches deep). The plant spreads via rhizomes (roots). Plant milkweed and you will also find that its pollen and nectar attracts bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, as well as insect pests. You may have an entire ecosystem on this shrub, of prey and predators.

For more on the importance of planting for native bees, read this post about their roles and challenges.

Water Sources

Pollinators benefit from water sources near the plants from which they feed. Still, shallow water sources with safe perches are ideal. A plant saucer, pie plate, or other shallow container when paired with river rocks, pebbles, corks, twigs, and/or marbles, will do the trick for bees. Just be certain not to submerge your “perches” and to routinely replenish the water (more often on hot days). Click here for one idea for blending a pollinator water source into your garden space. If making butterfly puddlers, including sand and a bit of salt is recommended. Don’t be surprised if you see other beneficial insects stopping by for a drink.

Let’s Get Started!

If you are new to this and want to start from the top, view this guide. If you are not new to this, but would like more pointers for a thriving garden space, view this post to jump right in! Contact us to share the happenings in your pollinator haven, the many ways you enjoy the blooms from your container garden, and with any questions you may have. The garden should be your happy place. Above all else, remember to enjoy the journey!

See our Planting Guide for container options.