How to Plan a Pollinator-Friendly Garden

Pollinators are in trouble. Bee populations are declining, monarch butterflies are endangered, and many native pollinator species are struggling. The good news? Your garden can be part of the solution. A well-planned pollinator garden provides food and habitat while adding beauty to your landscape.

Choose Native Plants

Native plants and native pollinators evolved together. Milkweed is essential for monarch butterflies. Goldenrod and asters feed bees preparing for winter. Native bee balm attracts hummingbirds. Visit your local native plant society's website for species suited to your region.

Plant for Continuous Bloom

Pollinators need food from early spring through late fall. Plan your garden so something is always flowering: crocuses and hellebores in spring, coneflowers and bee balm in summer, asters and goldenrod in fall. Include a mix of flower shapes — tubular flowers for hummingbirds, flat-topped clusters for butterflies, and open-faced blooms for bees.

Provide Habitat

Leave bare patches of soil for ground-nesting bees. Provide a shallow dish of water with pebbles for butterflies to rest on while drinking. Leave leaf litter and dead stems in fall — many beneficial insects overwinter in them. A small brush pile provides shelter for many species.

Skip the Chemicals

Pesticides — even organic ones — can harm pollinators. Neonicotinoids are especially deadly to bees and persist in soil and plant tissue. Accept some pest damage as part of a healthy ecosystem. If you must treat, use targeted methods and never spray when pollinators are active.