Bee-Friendly Gardening: Plants Pollinators Love in Summer

A summer garden is at its best when it is full of colour, fragrance and movement. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other pollinating insects bring outdoor spaces to life, and choosing suitable plants can help support them throughout the warmer months.

This week in our Monday Garden Guide, we are focusing on pollinator-friendly gardening and some of the summer plants these important insects visit.

Whether you have a large garden, a small patio, a balcony or just a few pots, you can create a space that provides valuable sources of nectar and pollen.

Why Pollinators Matter

Pollinators play an essential role in gardens and the wider environment.

As insects move between flowers while collecting nectar and pollen, they transfer pollen from one flower to another. This process allows many flowering plants to produce seeds and fruit.

Bees are among the best-known pollinators, but butterflies, moths, hoverflies, beetles and other insects can also contribute.

By growing a varied selection of nectar- and pollen-rich flowers, you can provide useful food while making your garden more colourful and interesting.

Even a window box or container planted with suitable flowers can help, particularly in built-up areas where other food sources and habitats may be limited. The RHS confirms that patios, balconies and window boxes can all provide useful planting for pollinating insects.

Best Summer Plants for Pollinators

Many beautiful garden plants can provide food for pollinators during summer. For the best results, choose varieties that suit your garden’s soil, light levels and available space.

Lavender

Lavender produces fragrant flower spikes that are frequently visited by bees and other insects.

It grows best in full sun and free-draining soil or compost. Compact varieties can be grown in containers, while larger plants work well along paths and towards the front of sunny borders.

Avoid planting lavender in heavy, waterlogged soil, as wet conditions around the roots can cause problems.

Salvia

Salvias produce flower spikes in a wide range of colours and are particularly popular with bees.

Different varieties vary in size and hardiness, so check the plant label before buying. Many prefer a sunny, sheltered position with well-drained soil.

Salvia is included in the RHS Plants for Pollinators programme, and the flowers of culinary sage are especially popular with bees.

Echinacea

Echinacea, commonly known as coneflower, produces large, daisy-like flowers during summer and early autumn.

It grows best in a sunny position with fertile, well-drained soil. Its prominent central cone provides a useful landing point for visiting insects.

Leave some faded flower heads in place at the end of the season, as they can provide seeds for birds and structure in the winter garden.

Buddleja

Buddleja is often known as the butterfly bush because its flower clusters can attract butterflies and other pollinating insects.

Most varieties prefer a sunny position and well-drained soil. Traditional buddlejas can become large shrubs, so check their eventual height and spread before planting. More compact varieties are available for smaller gardens and large containers.

Pruning requirements vary between species, so follow the instructions supplied with the plant.

Verbena

Verbena produces clusters of small flowers that are accessible to a wide range of insects.

Tall varieties, such as Verbena bonariensis, add height without creating dense shade and work well among ornamental grasses and perennials. Trailing and compact varieties are suitable for pots and containers.

Most prefer a sunny position and well-drained soil or compost.

Cosmos

Cosmos is a colourful annual with open, daisy-like flowers that are easy for many pollinators to access.

It prefers full sun and can be grown in borders or large containers. Regular deadheading encourages plants to continue flowering, although leaving a few seed heads later in the season can provide food for birds.

Choose pollen-producing varieties when planting primarily for wildlife, as pollen-free cultivars offer less value to bees.

Scabious

Scabious produces pincushion-shaped flowers that attract bees and butterflies.

Annual and perennial varieties are available, and most perform best in sunny, well-drained positions. Their long flowering period makes them a useful addition to wildlife-friendly borders.

Penstemon

Penstemons produce tubular flowers that are particularly attractive to long-tongued bees.

They generally prefer a sunny or lightly shaded, sheltered position with well-drained soil. Many flower from summer into autumn when regularly deadheaded.

Borage

Borage produces bright blue, star-shaped flowers that are highly attractive to pollinating insects.

It is an easy-to-grow annual that prefers a sunny position and can self-seed when conditions are suitable. The RHS notes that pollinating insects are particularly fond of its flowers.

Plant Flowers in Groups

Groups of the same flower can be easier for pollinators to find and allow them to collect food efficiently without travelling far between plants.

Rather than planting one of everything, try including several plants of the same variety together. A group of lavender, salvia, cosmos or scabious can create a strong visual display and a useful feeding area.

You do not have to plant large blocks. Even three plants grouped together can make more impact than isolated specimens scattered around the garden.

Offer Different Flower Shapes

Different pollinating insects are suited to different types of flower.

Open, daisy-like flowers such as cosmos and echinacea are accessible to many insects. Tubular flowers, including salvia, penstemon and foxgloves, may be particularly attractive to longer-tongued bees.

Small flowers grouped into flat or rounded clusters, such as verbena and scabious, can provide feeding places for hoverflies, butterflies and smaller bees.

Growing a mixture of flower shapes can support a wider range of insects and make the garden more visually interesting.

Make the Most of Pots and Containers

You do not need a large border to help pollinators. Pots, window boxes, troughs and hanging baskets can all provide useful flowers.

Suitable container plants may include:

• Compact lavender

• Salvia

• Thyme

• Marjoram

• Scabious

• Cosmos

• Verbena

• Borage

• Catmint

• Single-flowered dahlias

Choose a container large enough for the plant’s eventual size and make sure it has adequate drainage holes.

Use a good-quality peat-free compost and place the container in a position suited to the plants you have chosen. Many pollinator-friendly flowers prefer sunshine, but there are also useful choices for partial shade.

Containers dry out faster than garden soil, so check the compost regularly during warm, dry or windy weather. Water thoroughly when needed and allow excess water to drain freely.

Add Flowering Herbs

Many herbs are useful to both people and pollinators.

Thyme, rosemary, chives, mint, sage and marjoram can all produce flowers that attract bees and other insects. Letting some of your herbs flower provides an additional food source while still leaving other plants available for kitchen use.

Thyme and marjoram

Thyme and marjoram prefer sunny, well-drained positions. Their clusters of small flowers can attract many bees and hoverflies.

Chives

Chives produce rounded purple flower heads in late spring and summer. The flowers are edible, but leaving some on the plant provides food for insects.

Mint

Mint flowers are attractive to pollinators, but the plant spreads vigorously. Grow it in a separate pot to stop it taking over a border or mixed herb container.

Mint prefers more moisture than Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary and thyme, so it is generally better planted separately.

Rosemary and sage

Rosemary and sage provide flowers as well as useful leaves. Place them in full sun and free-draining soil or compost.

Avoid overwatering established Mediterranean herbs, particularly when they are grown in containers.

Provide Flowers for as Long as Possible

One of the most effective ways to support pollinators is to provide flowers across as much of the year as possible, rather than concentrating everything into a few weeks.

Combine plants that flower at different times, from early spring bulbs and flowering shrubs through to late-summer perennials, autumn asters and flowering ivy.

The RHS recommends choosing plants that provide nectar and pollen over a long season, including valuable late-flowering plants for autumn and early winter.

During summer, you can extend flowering by:

• Choosing plants with different flowering periods

• Deadheading suitable plants regularly

• Watering containers during dry weather

• Feeding container plants when required

• Replacing plants that have finished flowering

• Allowing some herbs to bloom

Not every flower should be deadheaded. Leaving some seed heads provides food for birds and shelter for insects later in the year.

Provide Water for Pollinators

Like other wildlife, pollinating insects need access to water.

A shallow dish or plant saucer filled with clean water can help. Add stones, pebbles or marbles that rise above the surface so insects have somewhere safe to land and drink without falling into deep water.

Place it in a sheltered position and refresh the water regularly. During hot weather, check that it has not dried out.

Avoid using a deep, steep-sided container that insects may struggle to escape from.

Create Shelter and Nesting Places

Flowers provide food, but pollinators also need places to shelter, nest and spend the winter.

You can help by:

• Leaving some hollow plant stems standing over winter

• Keeping a small patch of bare, well-drained soil for ground-nesting bees

• Allowing a section of grass to grow longer

• Growing dense shrubs and climbers

• Leaving small undisturbed areas among plants

• Providing a properly designed bee nesting box

Many solitary bees nest in soil, hollow stems, walls and other small spaces rather than living in hives.

Avoid making the garden too tidy at the end of summer. Leaving stems, seed heads and leaf litter in selected areas can provide useful shelter for insects and other wildlife.

The RHS advises gardeners to provide nesting sites and habitats as well as food and water.

Avoid Unnecessary Pesticide Use

Avoid using pesticides wherever possible, as insecticides can harm beneficial insects as well as the pests they are intended to control. This applies to some products described as natural or organic as well as conventional pesticides.

The RHS recommends using non-chemical controls where action is necessary and taking a more tolerant approach to low levels of pest damage.

Regularly inspect plants and deal with problems early. Depending on the pest, suitable methods may include:

• Removing affected leaves

• Hand-picking larger pests

• Washing aphids from sturdy plants with water

• Encouraging natural predators

• Improving plant health and growing conditions

• Using physical barriers where appropriate

Never spray an insecticide onto open flowers, as pollinating insects may be actively feeding on them. The RHS specifically advises avoiding pesticides and never spraying open flowers.

Visit Carpenders Park Garden Centre for Pollinator-Friendly Plants

Would you like to bring more colour and wildlife into your garden?

Visit Carpenders Park Garden Centre for lavender, salvia, buddleja, echinacea, herbs, perennials, seasonal plants, pots, peat-free compost and garden care essentials.

Look for pollinator-friendly plants suited to the conditions in your garden, and always check plant labels for flowering time, position, eventual height and spread.

Whether you are planting a wildlife border, refreshing patio pots or adding a few flowers to a balcony, there are plenty of easy ways to support pollinating insects this summer.

Coming Next Week

Next week in our Monday Garden Guide, we will be sharing advice on keeping your garden looking its best during hot weather, including watering, mulching, feeding and general plant care.