A pollinator garden is a garden planted to feed and shelter pollinators — bees, butterflies, hoverflies, moths and other insects that carry pollen from flower to flower. Without them, many fruits, vegetables and wildflowers would not set seed or fruit. Yet pollinators are in decline in many places, because there are fewer wildflowers, fewer nesting places, and more chemicals in gardens and farms.
A pollinator garden is one of the most useful things a gardener can do, and it is also one of the most beautiful: a garden full of flowers, buzzing with bees and fluttering with butterflies, is a pleasure to sit in. It does not need to be large — a few pots on a balcony can help — and it does not need to be wild or untidy. The key is to grow a variety of open, nectar-rich flowers through the whole season, provide water and shelter, and avoid pesticides. If you are unsure which plants suit your area, check your local extension service for local pollinator plant lists.
Why pollinators need gardens
Pollinators need three things: food, water and shelter, and modern landscapes often provide too little of all three. Wildflower meadows have shrunk, hedgerows have been lost, and many gardens are paved or planted with double flowers that offer no nectar. Bees need nectar for energy and pollen for protein, and they need it from early spring to late autumn, not just in midsummer. Butterflies need nectar too, and their caterpillars need particular food plants. Hoverflies, which eat aphids as larvae and pollinate as adults, need flowers and undisturbed corners. A garden that provides flowers through the season, a shallow dish of water, and a few wild corners can support a surprising number of pollinators, and those pollinators will repay you by pollinating your fruit and vegetables. Our butterfly garden and bee friendly garden guides go deeper on those two groups.
Best flowers for pollinators
Choose single, open flowers, because bees and butterflies can reach the nectar in them, while double flowers — bred to have many petals — often hide it. Good choices include lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, borage, calendula, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, coneflowers, asters, dahlias with open centres, and single roses. See growing lavender, growing zinnias and growing sunflowers. Native wildflowers are especially valuable where they suit your garden: foxgloves, cornflowers, poppies, clover and knapweed all feed pollinators well. Herbs are excellent too — let some basil, mint, oregano and chives flower, because bees love their blossom. Plant in drifts of the same flower rather than single plants scattered about, because pollinators find a large patch more easily and visit it more often. Aim for at least three different flowers in bloom at any time from spring to autumn.
Planting for a long season
A pollinator garden needs flowers from early spring to late autumn, because a gap in food can starve a colony. In early spring, plant bulbs such as crocus, snowdrops and grape hyacinths, and early shrubs such as heather and flowering currant. In late spring, add blossom — fruit trees, hawthorn and lilac — and early flowers such as borage, calendula and wallflowers. In summer, the main season, grow lavender, rosemary, sage, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers and coneflowers. In autumn, grow asters, sedums, dahlias and ivy, which flowers late and is a vital food source for bees in autumn. Leave some flowers to set seed, and leave some stems standing over winter for shelter. Use the hardiness zone finder to check which plants suit your zone, and plan your planting so that something is always in flower — a simple calendar on the shed wall helps.
Water, shelter and nesting places
Pollinators need water and shelter as well as food. Put out a shallow dish of water with stones or pebbles in it, so bees and butterflies can drink without drowning, and top it up in dry weather. Leave a few wild corners: a pile of logs, a patch of long grass, a compost heap, or a hedge that is not cut too often all give shelter and nesting places. Solitary bees nest in hollow stems, in bare earth, and in bee hotels — a simple bundle of hollow canes in a sheltered spot, facing the sun. Do not tidy too much in autumn: hollow stems, leaf litter and long grass shelter overwintering insects. Mow less often, and leave a strip of lawn to grow long with clover and daisies, which bees love. A pond, even a small one, helps too, as long as it has shallow edges where insects can drink safely. Our bird friendly garden guide covers the wider wildlife garden, and the two work well together.
What to avoid: pesticides and double flowers
The most important thing to avoid in a pollinator garden is pesticides. Insecticides kill bees, butterflies and hoverflies as well as pests, and even products described as safe for bees can harm them if sprayed on open flowers. Avoid spraying altogether where you can: hand-pick pests, use netting, encourage birds and ladybirds, and accept a little damage. Our organic pest control guide explains the alternatives, and aphids control covers the most common pest. Avoid weedkillers too, because they kill the clover, daisies and dandelions that feed pollinators in spring. Avoid double flowers, which offer little or no nectar, and avoid bedding plants bred only for colour. Buy plants from suppliers who do not use systemic insecticides, and ask if you are unsure. A garden that is free of chemicals is safer for pollinators, for children, for pets, and for you.
Pollinator gardening in small spaces
You do not need a large garden to help pollinators. A balcony with pots of lavender, thyme, calendula and nasturtiums will feed bees all summer — see our balcony gardening guide. A windowsill with herbs that are allowed to flower helps too. A small yard can hold a pollinator border, a bee hotel and a water dish. A community garden can set aside a wildflower corner — see community gardening. Even a single large pot of lavender on a doorstep is visited by bees. The key is the same at any size: open, nectar-rich flowers, a long season, water, and no chemicals. Start with three or four reliable plants, watch which ones the bees visit most, and add more of those next year. You will learn your garden's pollinators quickly, and you will enjoy watching them.
Common mistakes to avoid
The biggest mistake is spraying insecticides on a garden meant for pollinators — even one spray can kill the bees you are trying to help. The second is planting only double flowers, which look showy but offer no nectar. The third is having flowers for only part of the season, so pollinators starve in spring or autumn. The fourth is tidying too much in autumn, removing the stems and leaf litter that shelter overwintering insects. The fifth is mowing the whole lawn short all summer, which removes clover, daisies and other lawn flowers that bees rely on. The sixth is putting out water in a deep container with no stones, so insects drown. Finally, do not buy plants treated with systemic insecticides — ask the supplier, and buy from growers who garden without them. If pollinators are scarce in your garden despite your efforts, check your local extension service for advice on local species and plants.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best plants for a pollinator garden?
Single, open flowers with plenty of nectar: lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, borage, calendula, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, coneflowers, asters and single roses. Native wildflowers such as foxgloves, cornflowers and poppies are also excellent. Plant in drifts, and aim for flowers from spring to autumn.
Do I need a large garden for pollinators?
No. A few pots on a balcony, a windowsill of flowering herbs, or a small border will all help. Bees and butterflies will find even a single pot of lavender. Start small, watch what visits, and add more of the plants that are most popular.
Should I use pesticides in a pollinator garden?
Avoid them. Insecticides kill pollinators as well as pests, and weedkillers remove the flowers they feed on. Use hand-picking, netting, companion planting and natural predators instead. Our organic pest control guide explains the alternatives.
How do I provide water for bees?
Put out a shallow dish with stones or pebbles in it, so insects can land and drink without drowning. Top it up in dry weather, and place it near flowers in a sunny, sheltered spot. A pond with shallow edges also works well.
What is a bee hotel, and do I need one?
A bee hotel is a shelter with hollow tubes or drilled holes where solitary bees can nest. You can buy one or make one from a bundle of hollow canes in a tin or a block of wood with holes drilled in it. Place it in a sunny, sheltered spot, facing south or south-east, and leave it undisturbed.