How To Attract Backyard Pollinators To Your Garden

The last thing people consider when establishing their vegetable garden is backyard pollinators. Gardeners typically concentrate on things like healthy soil and sunlight together with water and nutrients and pest control and weed management, yet they many times neglect attracting pollinators. Plant reproduction, together with food production and biodiversity, depends heavily on pollinators.  This article explores garden pollinators along with their significance and provides guidance on attracting them to your garden.

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I think about pollinators…a lot!. I have maintained honeybee hives in my garden for the last few years, and I enjoy watching them fly while carrying pollen with their hind legs. The hard work of these bees brings benefits to my plants while I enjoy the process of harvesting their honey.

Our North Idaho microclimate creates harsh conditions for honeybees during winter. Each year, I worry about the survival of my bees. In the past, many times they have not. I found insulated polystyrene bee boxes, which saved my honeybees from the severe winter temperatures.

When early spring arrives, I begin thinking about my honeybees, but I also wonder what other pollinators could support my garden’s growth. Honeybees remain my top priority for pollination, but I understand other species share this responsibility.

This realization led me to plant a variety of flowers that would draw various pollinators to my garden.  My garden will welcome early bloomers like crocuses and summer favorites like echinacea and sunflowers to attract various native pollinators. More food supply for them will result in a greater harvest for my garden!

Here is a list of pollinators:

• Bees: The superstars of pollination include honey bees, bumblebees, and native solitary bees such as mason, digger, sweat, and leafcutter bees.
• Butterflies: These beauties do not do the bulk of pollinating like bees, but they are important. They travel longer distances than bees, therefore spreading pollen farther.
• Moths: These pollinators with long tongues and fuzzy bodies do most of their work at night.
• Hummingbirds: Tiny, energetic birds that hover and pollinate while feeding. I love seeing them all over my scarlet runner beans!
• Beetles, Flies, and Wasps: These little guys are not very glamorous but are effective in pollinating.
• Bats: These are important pollinators for tropical and desert plants like agaves and cacti.
• Yellowjackets and Hornets:  Please remember these little beasts are not the same as honeybees but are accidental pollinators while looking for prey. They are meat lovers with a sweet tooth. I mention them, but I have no love for them, other than their ability to pollinate! 

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Why Pollinators Are Important to Your Garden

If you have a garden and grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs, these insects are working hard without gardeners even realizing it.   Apples, tomatoes, zucchini, and strawberries need or benefit from pollinators, even if the plants are self-pollinating.  The food we eat relies on pollinators.

What causes the decline of pollinators?

The bad news is that, in general, they are declining, which is not good for gardens, food production crops, and worldwide ecosystems. Here is why:

• Habitat Loss – Urban development and deforestation play a big part in the decline of this animal.
• Pesticides & Herbicides – The use of these chemicals across the globe harms the nervous systems of bees and other pollinators.
• Climate Change – Unpredictable temperatures along with erratic weather patterns disrupt the plants that pollinators need to survive.
• Disease & Parasites – The Verroa mites are causing a large problem, destroying bee populations.
• Less Plant Diversity – The practice of commercial farming to cultivate single crop varieties leads to reduced pollinator food sources.

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Some of the Best Ways to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden

The good news is that developing a garden that supports pollinators requires minimal effort because the process is straightforward. It just needs a little bit of intention. Here are some tips:

1. Variety of Flowers
   Pollinators love variety. Select a mix of different flower types with multiple shapes and colors, as well as various bloom periods to bring in various pollinator species. Native flowers and plants are especially useful since local pollinators are accustomed to them.
2. Continuous Blooms  
   The best plan is to try and have a variety of nectar-rich flowers, flowering veggies, and herbs that bloom from early spring to late fall. 
3. Skip the Chemicals
   The use of pesticides, even some labeled as “safe,” can be harmful to pollinators. The best plan is companion planting for natural pest control, such as introducing insects like ladybugs. Read my post, 30 Flowers and Herbs that Repel Pests Naturally in Your Garden. Try to limit pesticide use as much as possible. Native wildflowers are especially good for local pollinators — here are 10 Native Wildflowers for Zone 4 Gardens worth planting.
4. Provide Water and Shelter
   A bird bath or shallow dish made from a terracotta planter saucer with pebbles and water should be installed as a water feature.  I always do this in my garden. The large water-filled saucer receives water from my garden’s drip line, which runs specifically for this purpose. A bee hotel should be installed to provide shelter for bees that live outside of hives, including Mason, leafcutter, masked, and carpenter bees. Native grasses attract bumblebees, which seek natural protection in underground burrows along with hollowed logs and ornamental grasses.
5. Native Landscape
   Although a perfectly manicured landscape may be visually attractive, a slightly messy lawn with dandelions, clover,  leaf piles, logs, and natural corners will attract pollinators.  The right native plants provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, creating a thriving ecosystem that supports biodiversity and requires less maintenance than a traditional lawn.

If you’re dealing with pests and want to protect your pollinators at the same time, 7 Common Garden Pests and How to Get Rid of Them Naturally covers natural solutions that won’t harm your bees.

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Here is a list of plants that benefit from backyard pollinators for optimal production in the vegetable garden. Some are self-pollinating, but they thrive so much better with a bit of help:

1. Cucumbers

2. Squash (Zucchini, Summer Squash, Winter Squash)

3. Pumpkins

4. Melons (Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew)

5. Tomatoes (Self-pollinators but benefit from insect movement) Poor pollination is one of the most common reasons tomatoes flower but never set fruit — Tomato Plants Growing Leaves But No Fruit? covers that and five other causes worth checking.

6. Peppers (Bell Peppers, Hot Peppers)

7. Eggplant

8. Beans (Pole Beans, Bush Beans)

9. Cabbage Family (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts)

10. Okra

11. Artichokes

12. Carrots, Celery, and Parsnips (Not for pollination but for Seed Production)

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Beyond food crops, here are a few of the best backyard pollinators for attracting plants:

Early Bloomers – Spring when pollinizers are coming out.

Crocus – One of the first flowers to bloom that are deer resistant, making them a favorite for me living in the country, and are one of the earliest nectar sources.
Pussy Willow – One of the most well-known willows for bee nectar.
Dandelion – Embrace dandelions on the lawn!! They are an important early food source for bees.
Grape Hyacinth – These small purple grape cluster-like flowers are an early favorite. 

Mid-Season Bloomers – Summer is the peak pollination time.

Sunflowers – A favorite of bees and butterflies, providing nectar, pollen, and seeds for birds. My grandkids love the size of the mammoth sunflowers.
Bee Balm (Monarda) – Bee balm attracts not only bees but hummingbirds and butterflies.
Lavender – I love lavender for its smell and culinary uses as much as bees love it. Lavender also repels pests in the garden.
Coneflower (Echinacea) – A long-blooming plant that attracts bees and butterflies. A great flower to grow for herbal teas!
Borage – Self-seeds easily and provides nectar for bees all summer long.
Milkweed – Milkweed is critical to the survival of the monarch butterfly, and bees love their nectar.

Late Bloomers – Fall, important for winter preparation.

Goldenrod – Goldenrod flowers grow in clusters, with beautiful yellow flowers that attract bees and butterflies.
Asters – These colorful, daisy-like flowers are a food source for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and moths.
Sedum (Stonecrop) – With hundreds of varieties of sedum, there are so many to choose from. Sedum thrives in hot, dry climates and poor soil conditions and attracts bumblebees and butterflies.

Night Blooms – For Moths & Nocturnal Pollinators.

Evening Primrose – With their large, fragrant flowers, evening primroses are excellent plants for attracting nighttime pollinators, especially moths. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds also visit the flowers in the daytime.
Moonflower – A large vine with a strong, sweet fragrance that is very noticeable after dark. The fragrant white flowers draw in moths. Use with caution since they can be toxic if consumed by animals or humans in large amounts.

Herbs That Pollinators Love

Thyme, Basil, and Oregano – The flowers on these herbs are loved by bees!
Rosemary – Pollinators enjoy blooming rosemary.
Cilantro & Dill – These herbs are not only in garden pest control but are also great for pollinators. 

Get Started Today Bring Backyard Pollinators to your garden.

You don’t need acreage to attract pollinators.  Your own garden, whether it is large or small, will benefit from attracting pollinators. An apartment balcony can be filled with a container garden with tomatoes and herbs will attract bees. You’ll be amazed by the bees, butterflies and other pollinators that will be attracted by planting a window box with flowers and herbs, plant and

With some small changes such as the right flowers and a water source, they will thrive.

For more garden growing guides and natural solutions, browse the Garden Problems & Fixes hub.

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