Welcome Bees, Butterflies & More to Your Garden 🐝🦋
Pollinators are the unsung heroes of the garden. Without bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators, most of our favorite fruits, vegetables, and flowers simply wouldn't exist. Creating a pollinator-friendly garden is not only great for your plants — it's one of the most important things you can do for the environment. Here's how to make your garden a haven for pollinators.
Why Pollinators Matter
About 75% of flowering plants and nearly 35% of the world's food supply depend on animal pollinators. Bees alone are responsible for pollinating crops worth billions of dollars annually. Yet pollinator populations are declining worldwide due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. Your garden can make a real difference!
Plant a Variety of Pollinator-Friendly Flowers
The single best thing you can do is plant a diverse mix of flowers that bloom from early spring through late fall, providing a continuous food source. Great choices include:
- Lavender — irresistible to bees and butterflies
- Echinacea (Coneflower) — attracts bees, butterflies, and goldfinches
- Sunflowers — a favorite of bees and birds
- Salvia — hummingbirds love the tubular flowers
- Marigolds — attract bees and beneficial insects
- Milkweed — essential for monarch butterfly caterpillars
- Borage — one of the best bee plants you can grow
Find pollinator-friendly seeds and plants in our seed and plant collection.
Choose Native Plants
Native plants have co-evolved with local pollinators over thousands of years, making them the most valuable food source for native bees and butterflies. Research which plants are native to your region and incorporate as many as possible into your garden design. Native plants are also typically more drought-tolerant and low-maintenance once established.
Provide Nesting Habitat
Most people think of honeybees when they think of pollinators, but there are thousands of native bee species — and most of them are solitary ground-nesters or cavity-nesters. Help them out by:
- Leaving some bare patches of soil for ground-nesting bees
- Installing a bee hotel for cavity-nesting species like mason bees and leafcutter bees
- Leaving hollow stems and dead wood in a corner of your garden
- Avoiding excessive mulching in areas where ground-nesting bees are active
Offer a Water Source
Pollinators need water too! A shallow dish filled with clean water and a few pebbles for landing spots makes a perfect pollinator watering station. Change the water every few days to prevent mosquito breeding. Place it near your pollinator plants for maximum effect.
Go Easy on Pesticides
Pesticides — even organic ones — can harm pollinators. If you must spray, choose targeted, pollinator-safe products and apply them in the evening when bees are less active. Better yet, embrace natural pest control through companion planting and encouraging beneficial predatory insects like ladybugs and lacewings.
Create a Pollinator Garden Design
Plant flowers in clusters rather than single plants — pollinators are more attracted to large patches of color. Mix heights and bloom times for a layered, season-long display. Include plants with different flower shapes to attract a wide variety of pollinator species.
Build Your Pollinator Garden with The Gardener's Cache 🛒
We carry a wonderful selection of pollinator-friendly seeds, native plants, bee hotels, and garden accessories to help you create a thriving habitat. Visit The Gardener's Cache and start making a difference for pollinators today!
Happy gardening — for you and the bees! 🌻