The best flowers for bees and pollinators
Help bees, butterflies and hoverflies with these easy, long-flowering plants.
Pollinators need flowers from early spring to late autumn. Planting a good mix is one of the most helpful things any gardener can do.
What makes a flower bee-friendly
Simple, open flowers where insects can reach the pollen and nectar. Big double flowers (like many modern roses) often have little to offer. Bees also prefer plants grouped in clumps rather than single plants dotted around.
Spring
- Crocus and grape hyacinth (muscari)
- Pulmonaria (lungwort)
- Flowering fruit trees and hawthorn
Summer
- Lavender, catmint (nepeta) and salvias
- Borage and phacelia
- Foxgloves for bumblebees
- Sunflowers and cosmos
Late summer and autumn
- Sedum (hylotelephium)
- Asters and rudbeckia
- Ivy flowers are vital for late-season insects
Other ways to help
Avoid pesticides, especially on open flowers. Leave a small patch of lawn to grow long with clover and dandelions. Provide a shallow dish of water with stones for insects to land on.
