Plants for attracting pollinators
Browse our selection of the best flowering plants for attracting pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies and other beneficial insects into your garden. There is something quite magical and idyllic about having butterflies fluttering and bees buzzing around the garden with their beautiful colours and fabulously erratic flight paths. Our top tip is to grow a wide range of plants that offer nectar, food and shelter – variety and variation is key. A garden full of colourful, nectar-rich flowers will be a haven for wildlife. Bright flowers in shades of red, orange, purple, pink or yellow with short flower tubes or flat tops are best. Bees in particular love plants with striking colours and fragrances, elaborately shaped petals and ample nectar, preferably with different flowers close together. In smaller gardens, climbing plants and wall shrubs can be perfect for producing lots of flowers on a small footprint, while for larger plots, planting mixed native hedging around the perimeter can provide valuable nectar and food for a wider range of wildlife too. Consider allowing parts of your garden to naturalise, encouraging the development of weeds such as nettles, thistles and docks, which provide an essential source of food for caterpillars, which of course develop into beautiful butterflies. Developing a wildlife friendly garden is not only excellent ecologically but also gives you the opportunity to watch wildlife up close at your leisure, whilst keeping unwanted pests at bay.