6 Pollinator Garden Picks to Attract Bees and Butterflies

Pollinators are working hard behind much of the food we eat and the flowers we love. Bees, butterflies, moths, and hoverflies move pollen between blooms, and a garden designed with them in mind is livelier, more productive, and a joy to watch.

You do not need acres to help. These six picks work in a large yard or on a little balcony, and each one explains what to plant or provide and why it matters.

1. Plant in clusters

Pollinators find flowers more easily when the same plant is grouped together. Aim for patches of at least 3 feet across of a single species rather than one plant of everything. Repeating colors and shapes helps insects locate food quickly, and it also looks more cohesive to your eye.

2. Provide blooms from spring to fall

Insects need food all season, not just in July. Choose plants with staggered bloom times so something is always flowering.

• Spring: crocus, lungwort, and flowering herbs like chives.
• Summer: coneflower, bee balm, lavender, and zinnias.
• Fall: asters, goldenrod, and sedum, which feed pollinators preparing for winter.

Tip: Write down what blooms in each month and look for gaps to fill.

3. Choose native plants first

Plants native to your region evolved with local pollinators and are often best at feeding them. They are also usually tougher and need less water once established. Your local extension office or native plant society can give you a list suited to your area. Add non-native flowers as a supplement, but skip heavily double blossoms, whose extra petals often block access to nectar and pollen.

4. Add host plants for caterpillars

Butterflies need more than nectar. Their caterpillars feed on specific plants, and without these, the butterflies cannot reproduce. Monarchs, for example, rely on milkweed. Black swallowtails use parsley, dill, and fennel. Accept some chewed leaves as a sign of success, and plant enough that there is plenty to share.

• Plant host plants near the back of beds where damage is less visible.
• Do not spray pesticides on or near them.

5. Offer water and shelter

A shallow dish filled with pebbles and fresh water gives bees and butterflies a safe place to drink, because the stones give them a spot to perch. Refresh it every couple of days. For shelter, leave a patch of bare, undisturbed soil, since many native bees nest underground. Stack a few hollow stems or bundle untreated bamboo to provide nesting for tunnel-nesting bees. Leave some leaf litter and dead stems standing through winter, and cut them back in spring after temperatures stay snug.

6. Skip the pesticides

Insecticides can kill the very insects you want to attract, and even products labeled as natural can harm bees if sprayed on open flowers. If pests need control, use hand picking or a spray of water first. If you must spray, do so in the evening when bees are inactive, and never on plants in bloom. Read and follow label directions on any product you use.

Little-space tricks

A balcony can still help. Fill containers at least 12 inches wide with dwarf lavender, calendula, salvia, or herbs left to flower, such as thyme and oregano. Place them in the sunniest spot available, because most pollinators prefer snug, bright conditions and shelter from strong wind.

Plant combinations that work

For a sunny bed of about 4 by 6 feet, try coneflower and bee balm at the back, lavender and salvia in the middle, and low-growing thyme or alyssum at the front edge. This gives bees a range of flower shapes at different heights, and the herbs bloom when the larger perennials are resting. In a shadier spot, columbine, foxglove, and wild geranium offer blooms that suit woodland-edge pollinators. Mulch lightly and leave a few gaps of bare soil for ground-nesting bees.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Choosing flowers that look pretty but have little pollen or nectar.
• Planting a single large block of one bloom time.
• Tidying the garden so thoroughly that no shelter remains.
• Using chemical treatments on plants in flower.

Start with one corner and expand. Within a season or two, you will notice more buzzing and fluttering, and your fruits and vegetables will likely thank you for it.