A pollinator garden is not a particular style of planting, and it certainly does not have to look wild. It is simply a garden designed so that something is in flower, and worth visiting, for as much of the year as possible — and so that the insects arriving find nectar they can actually reach. That second part is where most well-meaning planting falls down. A border stuffed with double-flowered bedding can be dazzling to us and effectively empty to a bee. The good news is that the plants which do the job are, almost without exception, cheap, easy and quick from seed. This guide covers what bees and butterflies actually need, which flowers deliver it, how to plan a continuous succession from March to November, and what you can sow this month to get the whole thing started.
- Aim for something in flower from March to November — continuity beats quantity
- Choose open, single flowers with visible centres; skip doubles and pompons
- Plant in blocks of 5–10 of one species, not singles dotted about
- Sow now August–September for hardy annuals and biennials that flower early next year
What pollinators actually need
"Pollinators" is a wide word. Honeybees, some 250 species of solitary bee and bumblebee, hoverflies, butterflies, moths and beetles all pollinate, and they do not want the same things. Short-tongued bees and hoverflies need shallow, open flowers — the daisy and umbel shapes. Long-tongued bumblebees can reach into tubes and can work foxgloves, salvias and honeysuckle that others cannot. Butterflies want a flat landing platform and deep nectar, which is why flat-topped clusters suit them so well. Moths, which do a great deal of unnoticed night work, want pale, scented flowers that open at dusk.
Three things matter more than the plant list itself. Continuity: an unbroken supply from the first solitary bees emerging in March to the last queens feeding up in October. Density: a block of ten cornflowers is worth far more than ten different plants dotted around, because insects forage efficiently and a good patch is worth returning to. And shelter: a sunny, wind-sheltered spot gets visited far more than an exposed one, and a corner of bare, undisturbed soil gives ground-nesting solitary bees — the majority of bee species — somewhere to live.
Choose single flowers, not doubles
This is the single most useful rule, and it costs nothing to follow. Double and pompon varieties have been bred so that the reproductive parts — the very nectaries and anthers pollinators come for — are replaced with extra petals. Some produce almost no nectar; others hold what they have behind a wall of petals no insect can push through. Look at the middle of the flower: if you can see the centre, so can a bee.
The same logic favours old, unimproved forms. Single cosmos beats a shaggy double; open-centred zinnia beats a cactus-flowered one; a plain field poppy is worked harder than any ruffled peony type. Where you want a shortcut, a good wildflower mix does the selecting for you — our range of wildflowers is built almost entirely from single, open-flowered species.
A season of nectar, month by month
The gaps matter more than the peaks. Almost every garden is full of flowers in June and July; far fewer have anything worth visiting in March or in late October, which is precisely when emerging and overwintering insects are most vulnerable. Fill the shoulders of the season first.
Early (March–May). Overwintered cornflower, calendula and sweet alyssum come into flower well before spring-sown plants, which is the whole argument for autumn sowing. Biennials sown last summer — sweet william, foxgloves, hollyhocks — carry the late-spring load.
Midsummer (June–August). The easy months. Borage refills its nectaries within minutes of being emptied and is arguably the single best bee plant you can sow. Add phacelia, nigella, ammi, scabiosa, sunflowers, echinacea, monarda, agastache, salvia and lavender. Herbs left to flower are quietly outstanding here: thyme, oregano, sage, chives, fennel, dill and catnip, which flowers for a solid three months.
Late (September–November). The critical stretch. Verbena bonariensis, asters, rudbeckia, achillea and late-sown marigolds keep going until the frosts, and teasel left standing feeds goldfinches after the insects have finished with it.
How to plant a pollinator garden, step by step
- Pick the sunniest, most sheltered spot Insects forage where it is warm and still. A south- or west-facing strip against a fence or hedge will outperform an exposed open bed every time.
- Do not over-improve the soil Many of the best nectar plants flower harder on lean ground. Clear the weeds and rake to a fine tilth following our soil preparation guide, but hold back on rich manure.
- Sow in drifts, not dots Mark out blocks and sow one species per block, five to ten plants each. Our direct sowing guide covers spacing and thinning; for anything started under cover, see seed starting indoors.
- Stagger the sowings Sow a short row of annuals every three weeks rather than all at once — the succession sowing approach stretches flowering by a month or more at each end.
- Add water, shelter and bare ground A shallow dish with pebbles gives insects somewhere to drink without drowning. Leave one patch of undisturbed bare soil and a few hollow stems for solitary bees to nest in.
- Deadhead through summer, then stop Removing spent flowers keeps annuals producing into autumn, but leave the last flush to set seed — free plants for next year via seed saving, and food for birds.
Planting for bees or for butterflies?
There is a lot of overlap, but the two groups reward slightly different choices. A garden that deliberately covers both ends up far richer than one aimed at bees alone.
For bees
Open and tubular flowers, sown in generous single-species blocks.
For butterflies
Flat landing platforms, deep nectar, and food for the caterpillars too.
What to sow for pollinators right now
Mid-August to late September is one of the two best sowing windows of the year, and it is the one most gardeners miss. Hardy annuals sown now germinate in warm soil, make strong root systems over winter and flower four to six weeks earlier and far more heavily than a spring sowing — which puts nectar on the table in April and May, exactly when it is scarcest. Cornflower, calendula, nigella, ammi and poppies all take to it; the full method is in our guide to autumn sowing hardy annuals.
This is also the moment for biennials such as foxgloves, sweet william and hollyhocks, which need this season to build a rosette before flowering next summer — our guide to sowing foxgloves in September covers the timing question in detail, and the biennial flowers collection gathers the rest. If a bed is standing empty over winter, a green manure such as phacelia does double duty: it feeds the soil and, if you let a strip flower before digging it in, it is one of the finest bee plants there is. See what else is ready to go in at sow in August and sow in September.
Common pollinator garden mistakes
- Buying double-flowered varieties — beautiful, but often nectarless or inaccessible. If you cannot see the centre, neither can a bee.
- Planting one of everything — scattered singles are inefficient to forage. Blocks of five to ten of one species get visited properly.
- Only planting for summer — the shortage is in March and October, not July. Fill the shoulders first.
- Tidying up in autumn — hollow stems, seed heads and leaf litter are where insects overwinter. Leave the cutting back until March.
- Using insecticides "just once" — sprays do not distinguish between pests and pollinators. Use the non-chemical approaches in our guide to garden pests instead.
- Forgetting water — a pebble-filled saucer topped up through a dry spell is used constantly, as our watering guide notes for the garden generally.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best single flower for bees?
If you can only sow one thing, sow borage. It flowers for months from a spring or early summer sowing, and its nectaries refill within minutes of being drained, so a patch is worked continuously all day. Phacelia runs it close and doubles as a green manure.
Do I need a wildflower meadow to help pollinators?
No. A sunny two-metre strip of well-chosen annuals, or even a few large pots of single-flowered plants on a balcony, provides real forage. Continuity of flowering and density of planting matter far more than area.
When is the best time to sow a pollinator patch?
Two windows. Late August to September for hardy annuals and biennials, which gives you early flowers next spring; and March to May for the main run of summer annuals. Sowing in both gives the longest possible season.
Should I cut everything back in autumn?
Better not to. Hollow stems, seed heads and standing foliage shelter overwintering insects and feed birds. Leave the bulk of the tidying until early spring, and if you want the tidy look, cut back a front strip and leave the back of the bed standing.
A pollinator garden is one of the few pieces of gardening where doing less — less tidying, less feeding, less spraying — gets better results. Choose single flowers, sow them in blocks, keep something in bloom from March to November, and the insects will find you within days. Browse our flower seeds, the annual and perennial flowers that anchor a scheme, our edible flowers and wildflowers, browse all our seeds, or dig into the rest of our growing guides.
