Growing a pollinator-friendly garden
Attracting pollinators to your garden doesn't just bring beautiful insects into your yard, but it also helps your flowers to propagate, creates a healthy environment for your neighbourhood, and encourages sustainability. Check out our list of favourite pollinator plants to add to your garden, yard, and patio!
Sunflowers
(Helianthus annuus)
Bright, cheerful, and tall! Sunflowers are a favourite in the garden during the summer and into the fall. These annuals come in reds, yellows, and shades in-between, but the bees love them all! The giant blooming plants are heat-resistant, love full-sun (for at least six to eight hours a day), and like well-draining soil so their roots don't get soggy.
Cosmos
(Cosmos bipinnatus)
Cosmos attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and are super easy to grow! They like well-draining soil, but aren't too fussy about what kind of soil. They often grow where other plants will not. Once these annuals have matured, they can take drought and heat without complaint! Make sure to deadhead them to promote new flower growth.
Take a look at other drought-tolerant plants in our helpful blog post over here.
Columbine
(Aquilegia)
A gorgeous flowering perennial, columbines are a wildflower that you can also grow in your garden! Deer won't eat these plants and they are also quite drought-resistant for those hot summer months. Deadhead spent flowers for new blooms or let the spent flowers self-seed if you're looking for more plants next year!
Yarrow
(Achillea)
A bright and tall flower for your garden, Yarrow is famous for attracting pollinators! This perennial is pest-resistant and drought-resistant, making it an easy choice for your garden. Grow your Yarrow in well-draining soil in the hottest, sunniest, spot in the garden.
Coneflower
(Echinacea)
Strong blooms highlight this plant, with tough centres that bees love to land on. They will grow in sun or part-shade, and once mature, become drought-tolerant. These perennials are a garden favourite. In the fall you can cut the spent flower stalks or leave them to self-seed and grow more echinacea plants next year!
Lavender
(Lavandula)
There are many types of lavender but they all are beloved by the bees and pollinators! The scent from these shrub-like perennials makes them a gardener's favourite. (Take a look at the different kinds of lavender in our informative blog post here.) From the Mediterranean, these perennials love full sun and are drought-tolerant. If you have a cold winter, lavender plants may need a layer of mulch to protect them from the temperatures. Cut the flowering stalks in the fall and dry them for everlasting blooms indoors or for using in soaps, satchels, and more!
Verbena
Although Verbena has small blooms, they cluster together and attract multitudes of pollinators! These drought-tolerant plants grow in hanging baskets, as draping borders, and in rocky areas as well. Just make sure they have well-draining soil and eight hours of sun to really encourage them to grow plentiful blooms!
Marigolds
(Tagetes)
Another cheerful garden favourite, marigolds like lots of sun and well-draining soil. These annuals dislike being in the shade or having their roots wet, and are prone to root disease and other problems if planted in the wrong spot. Let their soil become dry between waterings to ensure they stay healthy!
You can encourage bees and other pollinators into your yard even if you don't have a large garden! Pot up some of these pollinator-friendly plants in pots on your balcony or front steps and you'll be surprised how many winged visitors stop by.