Plant These 10 Stunning Flowers Pollinators Love
Spring is coming or is already here for parts of the country. After you find the perfect flowers for that special someone on Valentine's Day, try giving some of these flowers to your local pollinators. Here are 10 Pollinator-Friendly flowers you could plant in your garden to not only help the honey bees but all kinds of other pollinators as well.
1. Crocus (crocus spp.)
Zones 3 to 8 - The crocus is the perfect early spring flower for pollinators. It's one of the first food sources and can often be seen starting to emerge in the snow/ice in late winter. Once established in your garden, they are very easy to care for.
2. Sunflower (helianthus annuus)
Zones 3 to 10 - Sunflowers provide an amazing pollen and nectar source for pollinators. They are also a beautiful statement plant in a garden. Want to get your kids involved in the garden? They will get a kick out of these giant flowers.
3. Chives (allium schoenoprasum)
Zones 3 to 10 - Chives have a beautiful purple flower and are an excellent herb to attract bees. If that's not enough, harvest a few of the leaves for yourself the next time you need some chives in your salad or on a baked potato.
4. Bee Balm (monarda)
Zones 4 to 9 - Bee balm is a great companion plant for fruits and vegetables. Besides being a great food source for our buzzy little friends, Bee balm can be harvested and used in teas and salads.
5. Butterfly Weed (asclepias tuberosa)
Zones 3 to 9 - Butterfly weed is a favorite place for Monarch Butterflies to lay their eggs, which as they become larvae, they feed on. This does not impede the brilliant orange blooms that many other pollinators adore.
6. Goldenrod (solidago rugosa)
Zones 5 to 10 - Goldenrod is a beautiful yellow flowering plant. It's a great late season food source for pollinators. Some people find Goldenrod honey a bit off-putting, but we should probably leave this late season honey for the bees.
7. Roses (rosa)
Zones 4 to 10 - Roses are the ultimate symbol of love when it comes to flowers, but did you know that pollinators love these blooms too? Instead of buying cut roses for your 'honey', maybe give them a small rose bush.
8. Lavender (lavandula angustifolia)
Zones 4 to 10 - Lavender is another bloom that we use in many things, from food to health and beauty products. It's another favorite of honey bees and pollinators alike. It's beautiful and differently-shaped than most flowers you may plant.
9. Salvia (salvia spp.)
Zones 5 to 10 - Salvia is a great hot-weather plant and a welcome sight to honey bees when other blooms have dried up. It's more drought-tolerant and is becoming a more regular plant to find in nurseries and big-box stores.
10. Blackeyed Susan (rudbeckia spp.)
Zones 4 to 9 - Blackeyed Susans can grow to more than 3 feet tall and are a native plant toNorth America. This makes them a perfect food source for native pollinators. Plus, they are such a classic flower to have in a garden.