Create a sanctuary for bees, butterflies and other pollinators with a few of our expert tips.
– Plant a diverse selection of pollinator-friendly plants and flowers, they’ll provide pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing season.
– Rethink your mowed lawn. Natural spaces support a greater diversity of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
– Provide uncultivated spaces with open mud and fresh water, which native mason bees need to build their nests.
– Use beneficial insects, which bees need, to deal with pests.
– Use selective insecticides to deal with insect pest problems.
– Avoid applying any pesticides to plants in flower and during the day when bees, butterflies and other pollinators are active.
– Call a local beekeeper to move a large beehive if it is built in a troublesome place on your property rather than using chemicals to kill the bees.

Here’s a list of pollinator-friendly plants from Proven Winners that will be available this season:

Opening Act Blush Phlox – Perennial
This naturally dwarf, early blooming Phlox will add a long season of color to your garden with its light lavender pink flowers. The dark green, glossy foliage is mildew and disease resistant.

Care: Grows best in consistently moist, well-drained soil and full sun. Thrives with regular fertilization. Provide good air circulation.

Magic Show White Wands Veronica – Perennial
Pure white flower wands are borne prolifically atop the short, dense clump of dark green foliage. Try planting in combination containers or near the front of the border.

Care: This plant grows best in average, humus enriched, well-drained soil and full sun. Though it will survive in partial shade, it flowers best in sun. Shear back after blooming.

Luscious Berry Blend Lantana – Annual
If you’re looking for a tough plant, it’s hard to beat lantana. It’s heat and drought tolerant. Beautifully bright bi-color blooms of yellows and pinks make a huge statement in the container or garden. This plant was voted Most Likely to Thrive!

Care: Lantana are heat tolerant, use little to no supplemental water in the landscape, will tolerate less than ideal soils and usually don’t need to be deadheaded. If you are looking for a plant that will thrive on neglect, lantana is the champ. Lantana can be trimmed back at any time to shape or to promote increased branching.

Pardon My Cerise Monarda – Perennial
Tuck this sweet and petite perennial into the front of your flower border where it will create a colorful edge of dark cherry pink flowers in high summer. Butterflies adore it!

Care: Prefers rich, moist soil and full sun but also grows well in ordinary garden soil and part shade. This hardy plant is mildew resistant.

Mojave Tangerine Moss Rose Portulaca – Annual
This plant is a continuous and re-blooming plant, giving your garden large, vibrant flowers all summer.

Care: The flowers of Portulaca will close at night and reopen the next day.  They will tolerate dry soils, although they will perform optimally with average moisture.  These are tough plants that will tolerate poor soils and do not need a lot of fertilizer to perform well.  Deadheading is not needed.

Color Spires Violet Riot Salvia – Perennial
This colorful perennial produces vivid violet blue flower spikes atop the mounded, aromatic foliage. Lovely when planted in drifts.

Care: Easy to grow in almost any climate in full sun. Drought tolerant but blooms better with average moisture. Cut back after flowering to promote re-blooming.

Supertunia Flamingo Petunia
Supertunia petunias are vigorous with slightly mounded habits that function as both fillers and spillers in containers.  They are also excellent landscape plants, best suited for the front of beds. They have medium to large sized flowers.

Care: Self-cleaning, no deadheading necessary, which is not necessarily true of all Petunias. Fertilize often for best summer performance.

Stratosphere White Butterfly Flower Gaura
The graceful flowers on this plant are in bloom from May to September, making it an exceptional choice for your pollinator friends. Lovely in landscapes or as thrillers in combination containers.

Care: Each flowering stem adds blooms, continuously to the end of the spike. As time goes on, the flowering stems can get rather long and tangled. Although deadheading isn’t necessary for continued blooming, you may trim back some of the flowering stems at some point in mid-summer. It’s heat and shade tolerant.