Pollinator Garden Ideas
Welcome a diversity of butterflies, bees and other pollinators to your yard with these simple flower garden ideas. Choose plants that produce a continuous source of nectar, including perennials such as bee balm and catmint; and annuals like rudbeckia and calendula.
Include flowers of different shapes and sizes, as some pollinating insects can only exploit particular types of flowers with their mouthparts. Avoid the use of pesticides, which can harm pollinators.
1. Mix It Up
Buzzing bees, fluttering butterflies and zipping hummingbirds are not only fun to watch, but they’re essential to our ecosystem. Without them, the cucumbers in your garden, the berries on your breakfast plate and the apples in your pie would never exist.
To attract the most pollinators, plant a wide variety of flower shapes and colors. Different pollinator species use specialized mouthparts to harvest nectar and pollen, so including plants with a range of shapes and sizes will make your pollinator garden more appealing.
Consider adding native flowers, as they are best adapted to your region’s conditions and may be less prone to pests. Also include some shrubs and trees to provide a continuous supply of pollen and nectar. Plants like liatris, catmint, rudbeckia and swamp milkweed offer a buffet of flowers for bees and butterflies.
2. Make It Easy to Find
Pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of flowering plants—which are the source of everything we enjoy from cotton for our clothes to strawberries in the supermarket. Unfortunately, these important insects are experiencing dramatic declines and need our help.
Pollinator gardens can be beautiful and easy to create. Start by removing all sod and non-desired plants and tilling the soil. Add in a layer of organic compost to enrich the site and crowd out weeds.
Then fill the garden with a mix of warm-season annuals and perennials that bloom all summer long. This helps sustain pollinators during lulls in the season when they aren’t seeing the flowers they need. Also include night-blooming flowers for moths and bats. Avoid using insecticides, which kill pollinators as well as pests.
3. Give Them Plenty of Sun
Pollinators are cold-blooded, so they need plenty of sunshine to help raise their body temperatures. Choose a location for your garden that gets at least 6 hours of sun each day. Also make sure the site gets protection from harsh winds; butterflies prefer resting and feeding spots shielded from gusts.
Plant flowers that attract pollinators. Hummingbirds love blue, purple, and yellow blossoms; honey bees favor single flowers with one ring of petals around a center disc. And don’t forget to include perennials with deep roots, such as yarrow, and annuals that bloom in spring, summer, and fall, like marigolds, cosmos, nasturtiums, and sunflowers.
Keeping the soil moist is another key aspect of a successful pollinator garden. Add a soaker hose to your toolkit so you can water often, especially when planting new perennials that take longer to establish.
4. Create a Dense Layout
A variety of flower shapes and sizes are important in pollinator gardens. Different species have specialized pollinators (for example, long, tubular flowers like asters are great for butterflies but not so good for small sweat bees). A mix of flower shapes allows more species to find the nectar and pollen they need.
Plants with scented petals, especially those in the daisy and sunflower families, are attractive to many pollinators. Also consider adding some fragrant grasses to the planting palette for a sensory experience.
If your garden space is limited, try a container-based pollinator garden. This way you can plant a lot of flowering plants in a small space! Be sure to choose pollinator-friendly soil.
5. Don’t Overcrowd
Pollinators have difficulty finding food in overcrowded gardens. Many perennials, such as lilacs and peonies, take a few seasons to come into their own, so be sure to leave space for them.
Consider planting a variety of species that bloom at different times, so there is always something in bloom. For example, a pollinator garden could include perennials like milkweed or butterfly bush, as well as flowers such as tulips, sunflowers and zinnias.
Once established, a pollinator garden requires minimal maintenance. Water as needed, and remove weeds by hand or with a tool like this landscape rake. Add compost or leaf mold every two years to reduce the need for fertilizer and improve the soil quality. You can also try using a mulch to reduce watering needs and prevent weeds.