CORRECTION: In the video above, one plant is classified as asclepias tuberosa, but it should be classified as asclepias incarnata.
A summer garden buzzing with bees, butterflies flitting among the blooms—it’s a heavenly sight, and a hallmark of a healthy environment. As they travel from flower to flower, feeding on their nectar, these insects are doing another necessary task: transferring pollen from one blossom to another, allowing them to morph into fruits and seeds, safeguarding the cycle of life.
Unfortunately, populations of these and other pollinators have been declining for decades. As a result, there’s a movement to encourage homeowners to replenish pollinator-friendly food sources in their yards. While honeybees have gotten a lot of press—bees are the only species that actively collect pollen rather than transfer it passively—there are about 4,000 native bee species in North America, not to mention myriad species of butterflies, wasps, flies, beetles, and nectar-loving hummingbirds that are all pollination workhorses. Here’s what you can do to protect them.
What Are Pollinator Plants?
At a very basic level, any plant that flowers can be considered a pollinator plant. This could be a plant that flowers and then produces fruit, or simply ornamental plants that flower just to feed pollinators and birds once they seed (and look great in a garden bed).
These plants are important because they attract birds, butterflies, and bees, allowing them to feed on the nectar or pollen in the plant. They pick up pollen while feeding and once they move to the next flower, some of the pollen falls off and pollinates that flower. For ornamental plants, not much happens, but for fruit-bearing plants, this is how the plant produces fruit. Also, many plants will shed their leaves after pollination. At that point, the plant produces seeds that birds can eat.
How to Protect Pollinators
Create a natural, nurturing environment.
Gardening for pollinators can be as easy as taking four simple steps: planting a few easily found perennials to attract and nourish these species, adding a water source to keep them healthy, waiting until spring to cut back perennials so pollinators can nest and overwinter among them, and avoiding pesticides. These changes can attract an amazing diversity of pollinators in just one season.
When choosing plants, go native.
Plants native to your region have evolved in a symbiotic relationship with local fauna. “Native plants need less supplemental water and fertilizer, as they are adapted to local conditions,” says TOH landscape contractor Jenn Nawada. “They also support beneficial insects that can help control garden pests, reducing the need for pesticides.”
Stick to a plant’s straight species.
This is the version that evolved in the wild; cultivated varieties can also be useful, if they have not lost the properties of the parent plants that attract pollinators. For example, if a cultivar is an exceptionally double-petaled variety, it may not have the pollen or nectar levels of its parent, or its petals may be so dense that pollinators cannot penetrate them. When looking for pollinator-friendly plants, seek out the straight species; if you must choose a cultivar, make sure it doesn’t differ too widely in appearance and color. Your local extension office can suggest plants that will thrive in your area.
Last, keep variety in mind.
Choose nectar-and pollen-rich flowers with a range of shapes, sizes, and colors. Each pollinator has its own techniques for sourcing nectar and transferring pollen, so flowers should be as varied as the pollinators that visit them. The more diverse your garden becomes, the more species you’ll attract, and the healthier your garden, and the planet, will be.
Perennials That Attract Pollinators
Different times of the year are ideal for certain flowering plants. If gardeners time their garden design correctly, they can add plants that flower in each season, ensuring they always have a pollinator plant or two to offer birds, bees, and butterflies.
Blue false indigo (Baptisia australis and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; moths
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 5′ tall and wide in full sun and well-drained soil; zones 3–9. Blooms from late spring to early summer.
- PLANT PROFILE: This big, bold perennial is a wonderful border filler, its tall stems of blue-green leaves topped with spikes of blue pea-like flowers that are followed by dusky, dark-gray seedpods. Its deep taproot makes it exceptionally drought-tolerant. Bumblebees especially love this plant, but it attracts any number of pollinators. New cultivars have introduced lots of interesting flower colors, and most seem to be just as attractive to pollinators as the original species.
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Honeybees; native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; hummingbirds
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 3′ tall and 2′ wide in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil; zones 4–9. Blooms from midsummer to early fall.
- PLANT PROFILE: A species of milkweed without the characteristic milky sap, this perennial is highly attractive to monarch butterflies, who flock to the nectar of its domed heads of starry orange flowers. Found in dry, open fields and prairies in most of the U.S., it thrives on difficult sites. Once planted, it does not like to be moved or divided; seeds can be gathered from its pods and sown in fall to sprout in spring.
Spotted geranium (Geranium maculatum and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Honeybees; native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; moths
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 2′ tall and 18″ wide in full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil; zones 3–8. Blooms from late spring to early summer, and sporadically through late summer.
- PLANT PROFILE: Of the native hardy geraniums, this species has the largest flowers. In hot, dry summers and full sun, its foliage will yellow; cutting it back by half and watering deeply will encourage fresh, new growth. This plant might be a little harder to find in the nursery, but it is worth the effort for its usefulness in open, shady gardens.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Native bees, beetles, butterflies
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 3′ tall and wide in full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil. Blooms early to late summer in zones 3–9.
- PLANT PROFILE: Blooming atop aromatic, fine-textured, feathery foliage, yarrow’s flat clusters of tiny, daisy-like flowers lure myriad pollinators. The original white-flowering plant spreads by rhizomes to form thick mats and is best suited to the outer reaches of a garden. Cultivated varieties are better-behaved and sturdier. Yarrow is also highly deer resistant, and no one flower color is more attractive to pollinators than another, so you can pick from white, cream, pale yellow, pink, peach, and rosy-red blooms.
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Honeybees; native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; wasps
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 5′ tall and 2′ wide in full sun to part shade and well-drained soil; zones 3–9. Blooms mid-to-late summer.
- PLANT PROFILE: This drought-tolerant native is tough and reliable. Coneflowers love full, baking sun but will tolerate a bit of shade, too. In autumn, when their petals fall, the central cones, which dry to brown, offer winter interest and provide seeds for foraging birds. You’ll be hard-pressed to find the original species in a nursery these days. Avoid double-flowering cultivars, which are not nearly as attractive to pollinators, who show no flower-color preference.
Bee balm (Monarda spp. and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; hummingbirds; moths; wasps
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 4′ tall and 3′ wide in full sun to part shade and consistently moist, well-drained soil; zones 4–9. Blooms mid-to-late summer.
- PLANT PROFILE: Hummingbirds and bees adore this easy-to-grow native, with its big, spreading clumps of aromatic foliage topped with tufted whorls of tubular flowers. The most common species, Monarda didyma, blooms red, but cultivars derived from a cross with Monarda fistulosa come in pink, lavender, and white as well, and are generally more resistant to powdery mildew.
Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Honeybees; native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; moths
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 5′ tall and 2′ wide in full sun to part shade and well-drained soil; zones 4–9. Blooms midsummer to early fall.
- PLANT PROFILE: This member of the mint family is a magnet for bees, with spikes of lavender blooms that are key for honey production. The foliage tastes and smells of sweet licorice and is used for herbal teas. Plants self-sow prolifically but are easy to pull up if unwanted. While it thrives in full sun, it can tolerate a bit of shade. Pollinators do not flock to gold-leaved cultivars, but they love the showy ‘Blue Fortune.’
Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum and cvs., E. maculatum and cvs., E. fistulosum and cvs., E. dubium and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Honeybees; native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 7′ tall and 4′ wide in full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil; zones 4–9. Blooms midsummer to early fall.
- PLANT PROFILE: These common native plants—often seen along roadways—are supersized, making them wonderful for the back of a naturalized border or along rustic waterways or woodland edges. They don’t seem to have pest or disease issues besides an occasional touch of powdery mildew during damp seasons; their rough leaves are deer resistant.
Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Honeybees; native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 7′ tall and 4′ wide, in full sun to light shade (in hotter climates) and moist soil; zones 3–8. Blooms from late spring to early summer.
- PLANT PROFILE: This underused North American perennial fits into mixed garden beds with ease, adding lovely verticality; intriguing foliage; and delicate, branched spikes of tiny white or blue flowers.
Adaptable and reliable, the plant blooms for almost a month, and cut flowers last atleast a week in a vase. It is at risk in a number of states, so planting it is doubly beneficial—to the many pollinators it attracts and its longevity as a species.
Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Honeybees; native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; birds; moths
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 8′ tall and 3′ wide in full sun to part shade and any deep, moist soil; zones 3–9. Blooms midsummer to early fall.
- PLANT PROFILE: This large perennial’s 3”-wide golden flowers wave in the breeze above vigorous, rough-textured foliage. Its leaves are positioned on opposite sides of the stem, forming a cup that holds rainwater, so it serves as a water source even when not in bloom. It self-sows with abandon, so place it at the very back of a border or at the outer reaches of a garden, where it can thrive.
Blazing star (Liatris spicata and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Honeybees; native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; hummingbirds; moths
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 5′ tall and 2′ wide in full sun and moist, well-drained, lean soil; zones 3–9. Blooms midsummer to early fall.
- PLANT PROFILE: This native’s tall batons of spidery pink-to-lavender flowers open from top to bottom. The plants are tough and drought-tolerant and look right at home in cultivated gardens, where their grassy foliage is a nice contrast to other perennials. While several species are attractive to pollinators, L. spicata, and its cultivars are most commonly found in nurseries and garden centers
Sneezeweed (Helenium spp. and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Native bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, wasp
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 5’ tall and 2’ wide in full sun and fertile, moist, well-drained soil; zones 3–8. Blooms late summer to fall.
- PLANT PROFILE: There are species of this plant native to every corner of the United States. With 1-to-2”-wide daisy-like flowers in every color of the sunset from golden yellow to deep red, they attract bees and butterflies in droves. The most common species, yellow-flowering H.autumnale, is most attractive to pollinators, but many perennial cultivars attract them as well, opening up a big range of colors and heights to work with. Sneezeweed will not make you sneeze unless you’re handling dried plants, but if eaten in large quantities, all parts of the plant can be poisonous, so take care if pets and children are in residence
New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae and cvs.)
- WHAT IT ATTRACTS: Native bees, including bumblebees; butterflies; moths
- HOW IT GROWS: Up to 6’ tall and 3’ wide in full sun to part shade and fertile, moist soil; zones 4–8. Blooms late summer to fall.
- PLANT PROFILE: These masses of small, daisy-like, deep-purple flowers with golden centers are a nice contrast to the ubiquitous fall colors of red, orange, and yellow. Left in place, they are a great source of late-season nourishment for a variety of pollinators. Despite its name, this perennial is native as far west as North Dakota and New Mexico and as far south as Alabama. It’s incredibly versatile and drought tolerant, and very much at home in meadow gardens. Studies suggest that cultivars in different colors do not attract as many pollinators.
Other Tips
Pollinator gardens near ponds or streams are helpful for pollinators looking for a drink. However, it’s possible to supplement those water sources with a small water container.
Also, choose plants with a variety of colors when planning a garden. Different colors attract multiple pollinators, so it’s a good idea to mix them up and create some visual interest.
Resources
Jenn and Kevin head to the garden center to discuss pollinator plants and how to create a pollinator garden at home.
Pollinator Plants are flowering perennials, annuals, or shrubs that provide nectar and pollen
essential for a flourishing pollinator population, which allows for crops and flowers to continue
producing seeds and fruits via insect pollination.
Pollinators include bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other insects beneficial to gardens.
Choose plants with a variety of colors, and create a visual buffet for bees to choose from. Also, be
sure to choose plants with a variety of bloom times, allowing plants to bloom in succession
throughout each season instead of all at once. This provides consistent food for pollinators and
encourages them to return to your garden all season long.
Jenn Nawada and Kevin O’Connor visited Mahoney’s Garden Center.