Converting barren lawns into natural habitats teeming with life is the most rewarding of homeowner projects. Your new pollinator garden will animate your property with attractive seasonal colors and wildlife activity.
Building a pollinator garden starts with three simple guidelines.
1. Choose your ideal location
At least 6 hours of sunlight
Easy access for watering
Visible from preferred window
2. Choose native and pollinator-friendly plants
Pollinator-friendly plants provide food and breeding opportunities for pollinators.
Most culinary herbs are not native, but some, such as parsley, cilantro, and dill, feed bees and butterflies while serving as the larval host plant for swallowtail caterpillars.
Pollinator gardens are caterpillar-safe zones. Only birds have hunting rights!
3. Stagger your plant selections by color, bloom time, and height
Separate bloom times between early, mid, and late-season colors to ensure a season-long productive pollinator garden.
Preplan your color groupings. My approach is to group by complementary colors: Purple with yellow, orange with blue, green with red.
Group your plants from the front (shortest) to the back (tallest) to optimize sunlight hours.
The fun part of building a pollinator garden is choosing your plants. There are thousands of native and pollinator-friendly options available; below are some of my favorites.
Pollinator garden on my property featuring many of the plants below.
Contents- enjoy the entire blog or click the hyperlink to find a section on a specific plant.
Sweet Alyssum
Habitat Value- Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Red, Yellow, White, Purple
Source: Alyssum is easy to start by seed and has a high tolerance for transplanting. Will re-seed itself over the seasons.
Type: Annual, self-sowing
Bloom Time- Blooms early to midseason through fall.
Notes- Sweet Alyssum is a bumblebee favorite that is the perfect border for the front of your pollinator garden. Be creative and mix your colors.
(stock photo)
Anise Hyssop
Habitat Value- Native. Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Purple
Source: Start anise hyssop by seed, high tolerance for transplanting.
Type: Perennial, self-sowing
Bloom Time- Early to midseason, blooms through fall.
Notes- Anise hyssop is a pollinator garden foundation plant. Bees and butterflies enjoy the nectar, while goldfinches feed on the seeds. Anise hyssop is also a valuable culinary plant. Harvest leaves and flowers for salads or to brew herb tea.
Top: A goldfinch enjoys anise hyssop seeds
Bottom: A tiger swallowtail feeding on anise hyssop
Asters
Habitat Value- Native and Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Red, Yellow, White, Purple
Source: Annual varieties start by seed. Collect seeds for future seasons. Perennial varieties are available at nurseries.
Type; Annual and Perennial
Bloom Time- Late summer/fall. Among the last flowers available before frost.
Notes- Asters are a pollinator favorite that is a critical late-season nectar source for migrating butterflies such as the monarch.
Pictured left: New England Aster (perennial) and Stokes Aster (perennial)
Bee Balm (Monarda)
Habitat Value- Native and Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Assorted
Source: Nurseries or start from seed
Type: Annual or Perennial
Bloom Time- Midseason, blooms through fall
Notes- Bee Balm is a pollinator garden staple. Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies are attracted to its colorful flowers. Bee balm is a member of the mint family; it may creep beyond its borders. Annual bee balm is self-sowing, and thrifty gardeners can collect the seeds for the following year.
Blanket Flower and Sneezeweed
Habitat Value- Native, Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Orange, brown, red
Source: Seeds Nurseries,
Type: Perennial
Bloom Time- Mid-summer to fall
Notes- Deer-resistant sneezeweed and blanket flowers are similar native perennials. They spread horizontally, and their flowers reach about a foot high. Both are excellent transition plants connecting your garden border and the taller plants in the back.
The unfortunately named sneezeweed does not refer to an allergic reaction. During the 1700s, colonists used sneezeweed to make snuff.
Blue Sage
Habitat Value- Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Purple
Source: Seed
Type: Annual
Bloom Time- Mid to late summer.
Notes- Deer-resistant blue sage features a more colorful, deeper blue flower than common sage. Blue sage grows to ~ 2 feet; plant between taller plants and the border plants.
Left: A fiery skipper on blue sage
Butterfly Weed/Milkweeds
Habitat Value- Native, Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Orange, Yellow
Source: Seeds
Type: Perennial, self-sowing
Bloom Time- Early summer to fall
Notes- Butterfly Weed or Milkweed is a pollinator garden keystone plant. Bees and butterflies will flock to its nectar-rich flowers, but most importantly, milkweeds are the larval host plants of monarch butterflies. Unfortunately, the monarch has suffered catastrophic population declines due to habitat loss.
Conservationists believe the monarch's return will depend on the homeowner's habitat restoration efforts.
Pictured: Pipevine Swallowtail and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on butterfly weed
Monarch caterpillars on milkweed and a butterfly weed
Cardinal Flower
Habitat Value- Native and Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Red, Blue
Source: Nurseries
Type: Perennial
Bloom Time- Midseason, blooms through fall
Notes- The deep red plumes of the cardinal flower are the showiest flower in my pollinator garden. Cardinal flowers are guaranteed to bring hummingbirds to your backyard. The spikes grow to 4 ft, so place them accordingly in your garden plan.
Cleome or Spiderplant
Habitat Value- Native and Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Assorted
Source: Start from seed
Type: Annual, self-sowing
Bloom Time- Midseason, blooms through fall
Notes- Attracting hummingbirds is cleome's pollinator garden value. Cleome is a tall plant, so place it accordingly in your design.
Left Bottom: A spicebush swallowtail samples cleome nectar
Coneflower
Habitat Value- Native, Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Assorted
Source: Seed, nurseries
Type: Perennial
Bloom Time- Mid to late summer.
Notes- Coneflowers are another "must-have" in every well-stocked pollinator garden. The coneflower's sturdy stems support larger butterflies, such as monarchs and swallowtails,
Dill, Parsley, Cilantro, Lovage
Habitat Value- Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Predominately attractive feathery foliage
Source: Start from seed
Type: Dill, Parsley, and Cilantro- Annual, self-sowing. Lovage- perennial
Bloom Time- Mid to late summer. Foliage is more valuable to pollinators than flowers,
Notes- Share these culinary plants with Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Dill, Parsley, and Cilantro grow to about 18 inches high. Collect the seeds for next season.
Cilantro seed is also known as coriander.
Lovage grows up 6 feet. Place it near the back of your garden.
Top: A swallowtail caterpillar feeding on parsley
Middle: Different stages of swallowtail caterpillars feeding on dill
Bottom: Swallowtail caterpillars feeding on lovage
Goldenrod
Habitat Value- Native, Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Yellow
Source: Nursery
Type: Perennial
Bloom Time- late summer to fall
Notes- Goldenrod is among the most beneficial natives for pollinators. In addition, goldenrod is a vital late-season nectar source for butterflies, native bees, and beneficial wasps.
It is also the larval hostplant for 55 species of butterflies and moths.
Goldenrod is a tall, aggressive growing plant. Plant it in a container or pull up plants that grow beyond their border to control its spread.
Note: Contrary to popular belief, goldenrod is not an allergen to humans. Goldenrod's blooming period happens to coincide with known allergens such as ragweed.
Globe Thistle
Habitat Value- Native, Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Purple, White
Source: Nurseries, seeds, self-sowing
Type: Perennial
Bloom Time- Mid to late summer.
Notes- Globe thistle is a deer-resistant, large spiny plant with golf ball-sized flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and other native pollinators.
Left: A macro shot of a hoverfly feeding on a globe thistle.
Ironweed
Habitat Value- Native, Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Purple
Source: Nurseries
Type: Perennial Shrub
Bloom Time- Mid to late summer.
Notes- Ironweed is a native alternative to the invasive butterfly bush. Ironweed can grow up to 8 feet, so place it in the back of your design or plant as a stand-alone shrub near your pollinator garden.
Left: bottom: A silver Spotted Skipper visits ironweed in bloom
Passionflower vine
Habitat Value- Native, Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Purple. Pink, Red
Source: Seeds. self-sowing
Type: Perennial
Bloom Time- Mid-summer to fall
Notes- Passionflower is native throughout the Southeastern US and as far north as Pennsylvania. Passionflower fruit is enjoyed in candy or healthy snacks, while the leaves and fruit are brewed for tea. Passionflower is a bee/butterfly magnet and the larval host plant for fritillary butterflies (see picture below)
Tips: Passionflower will grow along a fence or a trellis. You can also create a topiary with an upside-down tomato cage.
Sage (Common)
Habitat Value- Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Purple
Source: Seed, cuttings, or nurseries
Type: Perennial herb
Bloom Time- Mid to late summer.
Notes- Deer-resistant sage is an excellent border plant for any garden. Sage's spiked purple flowers are a pollinator favorite, and the silvery leaves are useful in flower arrangements and as a culinary herb.
Select Herbs- Oregano, Mint, Catnip, Garlic Chive
Habitat Value- Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Assorted
Source: Nurseries, cuttings, self-sowing
Type: Perennial
Bloom Time- Spring to fall
Notes- These hardy deer-resistant perennials serve pollinators and people! Catnip, mint, and oregano are among the busiest blooms in the yard. Garlic Chive provides late-season color and nectar while providing delicious salad greens from spring to fall.
Be aware that catnip and mint will self-sow and appear in the most surprising places. I find both easy to control, dig them up and give them away!
Top: A cabbage white butterfly feeds on catnip in bloom
Left: Greek Oregano in bloom
Left: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail feeds on mint flowers.
Left: A Red-Purple butterfly feeds on garlic chive.
Zinnias
Habitat Value- Pollinator Friendly
Colors- Assorted
Source: Nursery
Type: Annual
Bloom Time- Early summer to fall
Notes: Zinnias will keep your pollinator garden busy with monarchs, swallowtails, buckeye, skippers, and native bees. Zinnias are available in various sizes and unlimited colors. Zinnias add seasonal color to your garden while providing late-season nectar to migrating butterflies, particularly monarchs.
Left: A spicebush swallowtail visits a zinnia flower.
Pollinator Garden in my yard. Note the cardinal flowers, cleome, zinnias, and anise hyssop.
Planning your pollinator garden is an excellent diversion from a long, cold winter. It is never too early to choose your location(s), design, and plants to convert a piece of your property into natural habitat!
I plan to add Comfrey and Borage to my yard next season. Below are two interesting articles about the value of these plants from the Harvesting History newsletter. I left the links intact if you would like to subscribe.
All photographs, unless otherwise noted, were taken on our one-acre property in eastern PA.
Photographs by SuperNaturalist.net
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