--- title: "Attract Pollinators: Best Plants for Your Garden & Local Wildlife" description: "Support local wildlife and boost your garden's health by planting pollinator-friendly species. Discover nectar, pollen, and host plants for bees, butterflies, and other vital insects." url: "https://getplanta.com/discover/trivia/pollinatorplants" published: "2025-11-20T08:44:38.355Z" modified: "2026-10-06T10:05:49.350Z" author: "Planta" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/public/content/xfZl23BaSHWoZWeyHrNiFg.webp?size=large" --- # Attract Pollinators: Best Plants for Your Garden \& Local Wildlife ## Plants for pollinators There's a simple joy in cultivating a garden that actively supports local wildlife. Planting flowers and plants that appeal to bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and other insects offers a multitude of benefits. Beyond the increased vibrancy and activity in your garden, some pollinators can improve the yield of certain fruits and vegetables, all while playing a vital role in fostering local biodiversity. Even a small act makes a difference. When selecting plants you might want to consider planting species native to your local area to not only help local insect species, but also the local flora. Avoid plants that are non-native and invasive where you live. Non-invasive, non-native plants will also offer a food source for your local insect population of course. And since they won’t pose a risk of spreading and outcompeting your local flora they’re also a good option. ![](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/public/content/xfZl23BaSHWoZWeyHrNiFg.webp?size=large) ### Nectar and pollen plants For pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and others, it’s beneficial to offer blooms throughout most of the season. Planting a variety of different plants that bloom from spring to fall is a good idea. It's often most challenging for these insects to find a food source early in the season, and nectar and pollen from spring and early summer blooming plants can often make a significant difference. Not all flowers are shaped to be pollinated by all insects. For example, if a flower has a very long tube, that’s a natural adaptation of the plant to primarily target a specific group of pollinators – usually butterflies, moths, or hummingbirds. Bees and bumblebees can sometimes have trouble reaching the pollen and nectar in such blooms due to their shorter mouthparts. **Some examples of good nectar and pollen plants native to parts of the US are:** Bee balm species,_Monarda sp._ Coneflowers,_Echinacea sp._and_Rudbeckia sp._ Goldenrods,_Solidago sp._ Blazing stars,_Liatris sp._ Sunflowers,_Helianthus sp._ Tickseed species,_Coreopsis sp._ Blue vervain,_Verbena hastata_ Bonesets and Joe-Pye weeds,_Eutrochium sp._and_Eupatorium sp._ Giant hyssops_, Agastache sp._ ![](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/public/content/DpBiON0lQkCYvfN4h4itcg.webp?size=large) ### Host plants Planting blooming plants for pollinators is great. You can also plant species that are host plants and food sources for the young stages of these insects. It can be fun to do some research and find out which butterfly species you have in your area and if they need any particular host plants. One example is the monarch butterfly (_Danaus plexippus)_which has different species of milkweeds (_Asclepias sp._) as its caterpillar host plant. Other examples include the spicebush swallowtail (_Papilio troilus_) that primarily feed on spicebush (_Lindera sp._) and the gulf fritillary (_Dione vanillae_) and its passionflower (_Passiflora sp._) host plants. These butterflies are mainly distributed in the southern and south eastern US. There are many different butterflies with very specific host plants around the world. Many of them are unfortunately threatened by habitat loss - so planting one or a couple of its host plants in your garden could really help a lot! ![](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/public/content/hZCa9odtT0qsqoztTDs9vQ.webp?size=large) ### Promote wildflowers If you have a lawn or some spare sunny or part sunny space in your garden, why not let a part of it turn into a meadow patch? That way you get a range of plant species that can act as both host and nectar plants for many insects. If you already have some wildflowers growing among the grass, simply letting it grow taller can be enough to help them take up more space and bloom. A wildflower meadow patch can take a couple of seasons to establish and reach its full potential. Best is to cut the grass and flowers once in late summer after most of the flowers have managed to set mature seeds, then removing the cut material to remove nutrients from the area. Contrary to a flower bed and gardening in general, a meadow will generally do better with limited amounts of nutrients in the soil. Repeatedly removing plant material from the area every year will gradually reduce the amount of nutrients in the soil - which is a good thing in this case. A lack of nutrients will reduce the competition from grasses and other dominant plant species and make room for a wider range of less dominant plants in the same area. Wildflower patches is an excellent option for areas where you already have some trouble growing grass and lawn to begin with, like dry and sandy soils. If you want to sow and transform a part of your lawn: - **Collect or buy wildflower seeds native to your area.**You might have a friend who can share, or get permission from a land owner to collect seeds from different wildflowers growing on an already established meadow nearby. Just make sure it's not prohibited due to it being a nature reserve or by other regulations. Try to find a location with a similar habitat as the area you want to turn into a wildflower patch - for example if you have a mostly dry and very sunny location in mind, don't collect seeds from plants growing on very moist soils or in shade. These species might not establish well. - **Prepare the area**by raking or in some way disturbing the grass in late fall or early spring before it gets too warm. By exposing patches of soil and making gaps in the grass you help the wildflower seeds and seedlings get some space to germinate and establish. - **Scatter the seeds over the prepared area.**This can be done either in late fall, winter (if the ground isn't frozen) or early spring. - **Be ready to water the area**if it gets very dry during some periods the first summer. This will help perennial seedlings establish better so that they can support themselves better years to come. - Cut the grass and plants near ground level at least once a year after blooming and the plants making seeds. Remove the plant material and compost it. Since many seeds might follow the composted material you might want to keep it as a separate compost and only use the finished compost in areas of your garden where you're okay with grasses and wildflowers germinating. For example under trees and shrubs. In general, perennial wildflower meadows are very low maintenance compared to lawn. Just make sure to avoid feeding the area. ### More to Explore Learning more about insects, plant species, their natural range, habitat requirements and their ecological relations can be really rewarding. It's a n extra dimension to gardening. Below are some recommendations of tools and sites worth visiting to learn more about your local species. - The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has a page called "Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists" with lists of recommended plants native to specific areas in the US. - If you're located in the US and you want to learn more about native plant species in your area you can use their PLANTS database and the tool "State search" offered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. - If you're not in the US, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens has a database called "Plants of the World Online", where you can search for your country, or sometimes even a region in your country to find your native and non-native plants. - iNaturalist is a community where you as a user can record observations of flora, fungi and fauna. You can browse species recorded where you live, or why not help and start reporting the butterfly and bee species you see visiting your plants? ### Fun facts Apart from the classic pollinators bees and butterflies, some plants around the world have adapted to be pollinated by other types of animals. For example ants, beetles, birds, geckos, bats and other mammals. ## Ofte stillede spørgsmål ### Why should I plant pollinator-friendly plants in my garden? Planting flowers for pollinators like bees, bumblebees, and butterflies helps support local wildlife and increases the vibrancy of your garden. These plants also play a vital role in fostering local biodiversity and can even improve the yield of certain fruits and vegetables. ### What types of plants are best for attracting pollinators? To attract pollinators, it's beneficial to offer a variety of blooming plants throughout the season, from spring to fall. This includes nectar and pollen plants, as well as specific host plants that provide food for the young stages of insects. ### Should I choose native or non-native plants for pollinators? Consider planting species native to your local area to specifically support local insect species and flora. Non-invasive, non-native plants are also a good option, as they can still provide a food source without posing a risk to the local ecosystem. ### What is a host plant for insects? A host plant is a specific plant species that serves as a food source for the young stages of certain insects, such as caterpillars. For instance, different species of milkweeds (Asclepias sp.) are host plants for the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) caterpillar. ### How can I create a wildflower meadow in my garden? To create a wildflower meadow, you can let a sunny or partly sunny area of your garden grow. For a new meadow, prepare the area by disturbing the grass, scatter native wildflower seeds, and water during very dry periods in the first summer to help establishment. ### How often should I cut a wildflower meadow patch? A wildflower meadow should be cut at least once a year in late summer, after most of the flowers have set mature seeds. It is important to remove the cut plant material to reduce nutrients in the soil, which helps a wider range of less dominant plants thrive. ## How to Sow a Wildflower Meadow 1. Collect or buy wildflower seeds native to your area, choosing species suited to your location's habitat. 2. Prepare the area by raking or disturbing the grass in late fall or early spring to create gaps and expose soil. 3. Scatter the seeds evenly over the prepared area, either in late fall, winter (if the ground is not frozen), or early spring. 4. Water the area if it becomes very dry during the first summer to help the perennial seedlings establish. 5. Cut the grass and plants near ground level at least once a year after blooming and seed production. 6. Remove the cut plant material and compost it, ideally in a separate compost pile to manage seed dispersal. --- _Planta (https://getplanta.com), plantepleje-appen til iOS og Android. Download appen: https://getplanta.com/download_