Attracting Pollinators with Flowering Garden Plants

Why Your Garden Matters More Than Ever

Our pollinators are having a hard time of it. Hedgerows have been lost, wildflower meadows have shrunk, and the tidy, weed-free fields of modern farming offer little in the way of food. Against that backdrop, gardens have quietly become one of the most important habitats we have. Even a modest plot, a balcony of pots, or a strip of front garden can act as a stepping stone for bees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths as they travel through the landscape.

The good news is that you do not need a meadow or a large budget. What pollinators need is simple and remarkably achievable: flowers that produce plenty of nectar and pollen, somewhere safe to shelter and nest, and a reliable supply of clean water. Get those three things right and your garden will start buzzing within a season.

Choose Flowers That Actually Feed Them

Not all flowers are equal. Plant breeders have spent decades chasing bigger, bolder blooms, and in the process many bedding plants lost the very thing pollinators need. Double flowers, with their ruffled layers of petals, often have their stamens replaced by extra petals, which means no pollen and very little nectar. A double begonia may look splendid, but a bee will get nothing from it. The reliable rule is simple: single, open flowers beat doubles every time.

Look for plants sold as pollinator-friendly, or follow these tried-and-tested choices:

• Spring: hellebores, pulmonaria, wallflowers, flowering currant, rosemary, and the blossom of apple, cherry and plum.
• Early summer: alliums, hardy geraniums, catmint, chives, foxgloves, thyme and marjoram.
• Midsummer: lavender, salvia, agastache, monarda, scabious, verbena, borage, comfrey, cosmos and single dahlias.
• Late season: asters, sedum, goldenrod, Japanese anemones, teasel and ivy — that last one is a lifeline for late-flying bees in October.

Mix in some herbs, too. Borage, chives, oregano and thyme earn their place in the kitchen and pull in bees by the dozen.

Plan for a Long Season of Bloom

The mistake most of us make is having a glorious June and then nothing much until the following spring. A queen bumblebee emerging in March needs food immediately, and newly mated queens in September need to build up reserves before hibernation. Aim for something in flower from February to November, and you will support far more insects than any single blaze of summer colour.

Early-flowering shrubs and bulbs matter most, because there is so little else about. Crocus, hellebores and flowering currant are worth their weight in gold in late winter. When you plant, resist the urge to dot one of everything about the border; pollinators find flowers more easily when they are grown in generous drifts or clumps of three, five or more of the same plant.

Match the Flowers to the Visitors

Different insects have different tastes and different tongues, and a varied planting will cater for all of them.

• Long-tongued bumblebees can reach into deep, tubular flowers such as foxgloves, comfrey, honeysuckle and penstemons.
• Short-tongued bees, hoverflies and beetles prefer shallow, open blooms they can land on — daisies, cosmos, fleabane and umbellifers such as fennel and dill.
• Butterflies need a flat landing pad, so choose tightly clustered flowers like verbena, scabious, marjoram and buddleja. Remember too that butterflies also need caterpillar food plants: a patch of stinging nettles, some garlic mustard, and ivy or holly in a hedge will do far more for them than nectar alone.
• Moths are drawn to pale, night-scented flowers — evening primrose, nicotiana, jasmine and honeysuckle again.

Build a Habitat, Not Just a Flowerbed

Flowers are only half the story. A pollinator-friendly garden is one that offers shelter, nesting sites and water all year round.

• Leave some bare ground. Most of our solitary bees nest in the soil, and they cannot dig through mulch or thick turf. A small patch of exposed, sunny earth is a genuine asset.
• Provide water. A shallow dish with a few pebbles for insects to stand on is enough. Top it up in dry spells and keep it clean.
• Create shelter. Log piles, a stack of dead wood, long grass and dense hedges give insects somewhere to rest and overwinter.
• Skip the pesticides. Weedkillers, bug sprays and slug pellets do not distinguish between pests and pollinators. Hand-weed instead, and welcome the predators that will deal with aphids for you.

Looking After It Through the Winter

Autumn tidiness is the enemy of wildlife. Seedheads left standing feed birds and shelter insects, and hollow plant stems are prime nesting sites for small solitary bees. Rather than cutting everything back in October, leave the garden standing until March, then cut stems to about 30cm and stack them somewhere out of the way.

Do not deadhead every last flower, either — let a few go to seed and self-sow. Ivy left to flower on a wall or fence offers a final autumn feast when little else is available, and its berries feed birds through the winter.

Above all, do not worry about the garden looking scruffy at the edges. A little roughness, a few undisturbed corners and a long season of simple, open flowers will give you the buzz, flutter and hum that make a garden feel properly alive.