Planting For Pollinators: Attracting Hummingbirds, Bees & Butterflies

6 Tips For A Pollinator-Friendly Gardens

1. The more flowers, the better! (Just in case you needed an excuse for more plants...) Whether you add clover to your lawn or you replace the whole space with perennial plants or wildflowers, more flowers means more sources of food and habitat for pollinators! 
2. Look for neonicotinoid-free plants, and avoid using pesticides or herbicides in your garden (as they're harmful to people, pets, and pollinators!)
3. Add a shallow water source that gives pollinators a place to land. For example, try filling a shallow tray or a bird bath with water, and adding sand, stones, and/or pebbles.
4. Include a mix of native plants for native pollinators, and non-native plants for honeybees. 
5. Plant a range of flowers for long-lasting blooms from early spring all the way through fall. When shopping with American Meadows, you can use the “Bloom Season” filter to find plants that fill in the flower gaps in your garden.
6. Don't forget habitat! Twigs, trees, shrubs, and ornamental grasses, as well as manmade pollinator houses, are helpful elements for for providing habitat and shelter for pollinators.

Bee Favorite Perennials

Hummingbird Favorite Perennials

• Red flowers are most attractive to hummingbirds, as well as bright orange and pink flowers
• Planting shrubs and trees will provide habitat and resting spaces for hummingbirds.
• Long, tubular flowers, like Lobelia, are ideal for hummingbirds - they can reach their long slender beaks into spaces where bees and other pollinators can't reach.
• Hummingbirds look for reliable nectar sources, so planting flowers in large groupings will help attract hummingbirds and keep them coming with a large, long-lasting nectar source.

Butterfly Favorite Perennials

When it comes to designing a butterfly garden, there are two types of plants to feature: host plants and nectar plants. Host plants are necessary to provide food and habitat for caterpillars. Nectar plants will attract and feed the adult butterflies!

• Host plants include native Ornamental Grasses, Baptisia, and Milkweed. Milkweed is the host plant for the Monarch caterpillar – and the nectar-rich flower clusters attract lots of pollinators, too!
• Nectar plants for butterflies include Aster, Black Eyed Susan, Echinacea, Goldenrod, Yarrow and many more.
• Learn More: Soar With Your Butterfly Garden, by Charlie Nardozzi