How to Create a Pollinator Paradise

How exactly does one create a pollinator paradise? The answer may surprise you. When my wife and I moved into our 5 acre property 10 years ago, it was not my intention to create a pollinator paradise. I just wanted gardens, native plantings, and a place to raise my kids. At the time, we did not even talk about adding animals or farming.

Now we have more than half the acreage turned into pasture for our goats (and future milk cow), chickens, ducks, pigs, and peacocks. And I still have my gardens. The only thing lacking is space to add as many trees as I want. But what does all this have to do with a pollinator paradise? It is about intentional living.

The Number 1 Step on How to Create a Pollinator Paradise

The answer is simple. Stop using pesticides. That is it. I grew up among a farming family, which used limited pesticides on the 400 or so acres of ground we farmed. But my mom was definitely anti-pesticide after researching other things among the holistic and natural medicine ways of life. We ate mostly organic food at home, or raised a lot of it ourselves. And so, by the time I was 19 and heading into community college, I was decidedly anti-pesticide. I even wrote papers against big corporations who produced chemicals in college. Pretty tough for an agronomy/horticulture major.

But it was the best choice once we bought our own land. I wanted to have lawn where not only could bees find food, but where my kids could run barefoot all the time if they wanted too. And my son does. Just within the last 10 years I have become a passionate advocate for pollinators and insect diversity in American gardens. To achieve that, you must remove ALL pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Each year since quitting all of them, even glyphosate to kill grass, I have seen biodiversity increase yearly on our land.

How Else Can You Create A Pollinator Paradise?

Besides removing pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, what else can you do to create a pollinator paradise? Well, you can start with adding plant diversity. Then, add water if possible, and use creative spaces among the landscape. What kinds of creative spaces? Where do I put water if I am limited on space? And what plants benefit pollinators the most?

What Plants Benefit Pollinators?

When you start to create a pollinator paradise, the second most important step is plant diversity. Now for me, I added more and more diversity because I love all the insects, not just pollinators. In fact, I am really getting excited about spiders and predatory insects right now. But even spiders can be pollinators as they move across the surface of flowers waiting for prey.

Native plants are the best choices for attracting pollinators. Start by looking for plants which do well in your region, then choose groupings of plants based on flower color and time of bloom. You want to have blooming periods staggered over the year, from March to November if possible. Of course, if you are in California, Florida, or other Zone 8 to 11 areas, you can have pollinators coming through most of the year.

Top Native Plants for Pollinators

I have hammered on this topic before. But I will give you a list of the 5 best flowering plants for each month, from March to October, for the Central Great Plains. We have been moved into Zone 6, but I still mostly recommend plants for Zones 4 and 5.

March

March is tough. Not only are most plants still waking up, but most pollinators are barely moving.

1. Wild Plums, Prunus species. This is a groups of shrubby, thicket-forming plums of 4 species spread across the area. The flowers are white and the plants are difficult to tell apart. I have observed different early flying butterflies, flies, and bees on these plants in early spring, from March to April. Besides the flowers, the leaves and stems are utilized by various moth and butterfly caterpillars, wood boring beetles, and others.
2. Fragrant Sumac, Rhus aromatica. Despite not being popular in landscape installations, there are several useful cultivars of this native shrub. It is often confused with poison ivy with its leaves of three. But it has small golden yellow flowers which stay open for bees, flies, and other pollinators from March to April.
3. Wild Violet, Viola species. Just like the plums, there are several species of wild violets, blooming from March to June, mainly. They can be purple, white, or yellow flowered. Although it can be difficult to see them being pollinated, bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies all do the work. By just letting a few of these be wild in your woodland, meadow, or garden, you can benefit early flying pollinators.
4. Redbud, Cercis canadensis. The redbud has an added benefit of being one of the prettiest spring flowering trees in our region, after their pollination service. They provide nectar to early flying bees, flies, and wasps mainly. And their leaves provide food for several moth species.
5. Robin’s Plantain, Erigeron pulchellus. Although not native to the Central Great Plains region, we can grow Robin’s plantain our woodland and shade gardens. I have added it to several places as a groundcover plant. The flowers, which can be white or pinkish white, look like small daisies. They are perfect for early flying butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

April

1. Blackhaw Viburnum, Viburnum prunifolium. Many of our early tree and shrub bloomers are great for pollinators. The blackhaw viburnum produces loads of pure white flowers, which are great for bees, butterflies, wasps, and others. And it has great landscape attributes too.
2. Prickly-Ash, Zanthoxylum americanum. Although little known outside of Native Plant Societies, the shrubby plant grows in sun or shade, and benefits pollinators with early yellow flowers. It is also a host plant for the giant swallowtail butterfly.
3. Spider Milkweed, Asclepias viridis. Our first milkweed of the year to bloom, spider milkweed has unique green and purple flowers which are open for 4 to 8 weeks in spring, benefitting a variety of pollinators. Milkweeds of course, are hosts for the Monarch butterfly and several moths species.
4. Willows, Salix species. There are several willows blooming in April which are visited by bees, flies, and even butterflies. Besides the oak, the willow is the second most important tree species for insects and pollinators. Just make sure it is a native willow species.
5. Prairie Groundsel, Packera plattensis. Another little known native plant, groundsel packs a wallop of color in bright yellow-orange. It attracts many bees, butterflies and other insects to its bright blooms in spring.

May

1. Leadplant, Amorpha fruticosa. Another small shrub which is useful in the landscape, leadplant boasts silvery gray green leaves and fixes its own nitrogen! The flowers are magnificent and attractive to bees, wasps, beetles, and butterflies.
2. Purple Milkweed, Asclepias purpurea. This milkweed will grow in part shade or full sun and produces bright magenta flowers which are the size of tennis balls. They are visited much by bees and butterflies.
3. Butterfly Milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa. One of the best flowers for a variety of pollinators, butterfly milkweed will usually bloom from May to July, sometimes into August.
4. Black Cherry, Prunus serotina. What would May be like without the black cherry, a little used native tree with remarkable blooms be like? Boring I expect. I love this tree for the landscape, with its flowers and beautiful fall colors.
5. Wild Onion, Allium species. There are several native wild onions, which are great used in meadows gardens, or added among the other flowers of a cottage garden. Bees, butterflies, and wasps are frequent visitors.

June

1. Purple Prairie Clover, Dalea purpurea. For sheer flower power, its hard to beat purple prairie clover. When you see it in the garden, it is stunning. Bees especially love the bright magenta blossoms. And it is a nitrogen fixing plant!
2. Wavy-leaf Thistle, Cirsium undulatum. A lot of gardeners balk at the word thistle, because of the negativity surrounding the non-native species. But our 2 main natives pack a flower power punch for pollinators. Bees, wasps, beetles, and more flock to the flowers.
3. Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca. Common milkweed usually blooms from June to August, with baseball sized white or pinkish-purple blossoms. It attracts extra insects with extra-floral nectaries.
4. Greyhead Coneflower, Ratibida pinnata. The brown flower heads and yellow petals of this tall native plant make a statement each summer in my gardens by attracting many bees and wasps.
5. Black Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta. Although considered a short lived perennial or annual, black eyed Susan is a reliable self-sower and will grow in some very tough conditions. You can expect to see bees, beetles, and butterflies pollinating on it.

July

1. Prairie Blazingstar, Liatris pyncnostachya. The tallest of our blazingstars, it grows 3 to 5 feet tall and attracts a LOT of bees and butterflies.
2. Rattlesnake Master, Eryngium yuccafolium. Besides being one of my favorite plants, the spiky white blossoms attracts many bees and wasps, as well as the beneficial Clubbed Mydas Fly.
3. Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis. This native shrub has golf ball sized flowers which swallowtail butterflies love.
4. Prairie Coreopsis, Coreopsis palmata. A creeping, spreading coreopsis, it has bright yellow blooms when are visited be bees and flies.
5. False Sunflower, Heliopsis helianthoides. One of the longer blooming perennials which attracts a wide range of pollinators.

August

1. Blue Vervain, Verbena hastata. August is a time for taller plants. Blue vervain grows 4 to 5 feet tall but blooms profusely for several weeks. The flowers atttract bees, butterflies, and moths.
2. Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata. The last of the milkweeds to bloom, it produces fragrant pink blossoms. It can take marshy ground or nearly dry soils, but not sand. A lot of pollinators visit the flowers.
3. Western Ironweed, Vernonia baldwinii. Somewhat weedy in landscapes, it has beautiful blooms which attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
4. Wild Quinine, Parthenium integrifolium. A beautiful plant with stature, and white blooms attractive to bees and butterflies.
5. Curlycup Gumweed, Grindelia squarrosa. Unheard of in landscaping, this perennial blooms from August to October in my garden. The bright orange-yellow flowers attract a ton of bees, wasps, and butterflies.

September

1. Dotted Blazingstar, Liatris punctata. One of the most drought-tolerant of the blazingstars, this plants is a powerhouse perennial. It attracts bees and butterflies.
2. New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae. The tallest of our asters, it grows 3 to 6 feet. However, flower color can be shades of pink, mauve, or purple. It attracts lots of bees and butterflies.
3. Common Boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum. One of the most attractive white flowering natives, boneset attracts wasps, bees, butterflies, and flower flies.
4. Stiff Goldenrod, Solidago rigida. When planted in well watered areas, like eastern Kansas, stiff goldenrod grows 3 to 5 feet tall. In dry areas, 1 to 3 feet tall. The flat-topped yellow flowers are visited by bees, beetles, and butterflies.
5. Showy Goldenrod, Solidago speciosa. A groundcover like goldenrod, spreading by runners, this plant has showy yellow flowers which are visited by bees, wasps, and beetles.

October

1. Aromatic Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium. My favorite of the asters, it produces late, from October to December. Bees, butterflies, and flower flies frequent the bright purple flowers.
2. Late Boneset, Eupatorium serotinum. Like the other bonesets, the bright white flowers are pollinated by bees, wasps, and butterflies.
3. Tuberous Sunflower, Helianthus tuberosum. Also known as Jerusalem Artichoke or sunchoke, this perennial produces edible tubers as well as sunny flowers on 6 to 8 foot stems. It attracts bees and beetles.
4. Heath Aster, Symphyotrichum ericoides. Looking similar to the heath plant in stature and texture, this white blooming aster is a great addition to the garden. It attracts bees, wasps, and butterflies.
5. Blue Lobelia, Lobelia silphilitica. If there is a blue flower worthy of the garden, this is it. It prefers boggy soil, but is fairly drought tolerant in a mixed garden bed. It attracts bumblebees and hummingbirds.

What Kind of Creative Spaces Make a Pollinator Paradise?

What exactly do I mean by “creative spaces”. Well, just use your imagination. Creative spaces mean beds and borders and bee hotels, and more. For me, brush piles benefit pollinators in more ways that than any other, except the flower beds. My brush piles contain cut back stems of natives and brushy tree trimmings. Many of these cuttings are hollow, perfect for bees, beetles, and other overwintering insects.

I put bee hotels on the sides of my goat shed, where the mason bees want to live. I leave some compost areas alone, like the brush piles, for a year to allow insects to live in the cuttings. And I leave the leaves in the fall, and the fallen logs in the woods. There are a lot of creative ways to boost pollinators to create a pollinator paradise.

Conclusion

Creating a pollinator paradise for some gardeners can be tough. But if you are willing to eliminate chemicals from your landscape, and plant as many natives as possible, there is no reason why you cannot bring in and attract more and more pollinators each season. They are out there, they just need a home to come to. Your home can be a pollinator paradise.

Happy Planting!