It’s my second favourite time of the year to get some planting done! The soil is starting to get a bit warmer; great for encouraging root growth! Only autumn beats these conditions, but that’s a subject for another day!
Whilst we wait for the ground to get drier (planting in waterlogged soil is never a good idea), we can start to plan the bare patches in our gardens or window boxes. Not only do I like to plan for continuous seasonal interest, I also like to consider colour, texture, scent, and how plants compare and contrast with each other. Both these things make them a perfect target for pollinators!
Here’s my top ten pollinator friendly herbaceous plants (I had to stop somewhere 😂):
1. Perennial geraniums
Everyone loves a tender pelargonium, but I’m talking about hardy geraniums that come back every year. There are so many species and cultivars to choose from; before you even arrive at considering the colour of the flower, you will have lots of fun deciding that very thing for the leaves, not to mention leaf shape and form!
Perennial geraniums are tough little plants (sometimes even big plants!) that will thrive almost anywhere. You get a lot of bang for your buck, as cutting them back once they finish flowering often means they’ll perform again. There are a few types of British native geranium, including hedge geranium, Meadow crane’s-bill, and good old Herb Robert.
2. Heucheras and relatives
With the delicate flowers and vibrant leaves in a whole spectrum of colours, I’m a self-confessed heuchera-holic! They’re related to the British native Tellima and Tiarellas alongside numerous hybrids, meaning you will be spoilt for choice! Not to mention that apart from being pretty, they’re also relatively easy to look after, preferring a shady spot and watering in the mornings.
Unfortunately, heuchera roots along with primroses are the favourite snack of vine weevil larvae. If not caught early enough, the plant may die.
3. Primula
Some of my favourite flowers belong to the Primula family. Not only are they a good value for money as they self-seed and clump up well, but any single or semi-double flower varieties are a big hit with pollinators.
Just keep an eye out for vine weevil larvae who find primula (not the cheese) roots a delicacy. If wilting plants don’t perk up after a good soak, then it’s more than likely that you will need some nematodes to solve the problem…
4. Pulmonaria
I think this little plant is often overlooked, even though it has excellent ground cover, interesting foliage, and flowers profusely. There are many different cultivars, offering different leaf markings. They flower in spring with a colour palette of blues, pinks, and purples; the flowers even change colour on some cultivars.
It’s not a British native, but its introduction goes back to around the 16th century for medicinal use; you might know it as lungwort.
These are all pulmonaria from my garden – too cold & early for insects this morning!
5. Alliums
Alliums are part of the onion family and include the native British wild garlic, also known as ramsons. This particular plant can be found in ancient woodland, where it spreads and spreads and spreads.
Pollinators love this subtle little plant, but they are equally happy with showstopping varieties like Allium schubertii. They come in many colours, shapes, sizes, and heights, with pinks and purples the most common, but there’s at least one blue and one yellow cultivar that I’ve seen. That means that planting different varieties can increase the length of the flowering season. Chives are alliums too, so that is definitely a win-win plant for your garden.
6. Bistort/Persicaria/Polygonum
I only discovered these plants relatively recently in my gardening career. These plants are closely related and have been classified and re-classified; so the names can get complicated… Common bistort is the British native species and like its relatives, thrives on damp, including clay soils. They can be invasive (they are also known as knotweeds) but it can depend on the cultivar, so think carefully before deciding to grow it. It can make for excellent low maintenance ground cover in larger gardens. They’re tough plants, that if contained, can have a place in smaller gardens.
Generally speaking, cultivars with plainer leaves seem to have showier flowers, whereas those with more spectacular foliage tend to host more demure flowers.
7.Hellebores
The British native species has stunning, acid-green flowers and is also, perhaps unfairly, known as dungwort and stinking hellebore. The flowers itself don’t smell, and the foliage only smells when crushed. Apparently, it smells like wet dog or beef, though I don’t think those two smell anything like each other!
As mentioned in my last blog, hellebores look fantastic with snowdrops, crocus, and cyclamen. Again, there are many cultivars to choose from, both single flowered and double flowered. No judgement here, if you fancy a couple of double-flowered plants then go ahead. As long as you’ve got plenty of single and/or semi-double flowered plants, then the bees and their mates are happy!
8. Anemones
Anemones come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny, spring-flowering British woodland flower anemone nemorosa, to the big, blousy, late-flowering Japanese Anemone (eriocapitella hupehensis).
The former loves dappled shade and will gently expand; the latter will grow pretty much anywhere. In fact, if left unchecked it can turn into a bit of a thug – it makes for a good show but can take over.
9. Hylotelephium (previously ‘sedum’)
This is a family favourite; we’ve got a few descendants from my great-great-Granddad’s plants!
As succulents, they store water in their green or purple leaves and are drought tolerant and love poor soils. Their leaves are cold to the touch, even on the hottest days., which is why they’re often called ‘ice plants’. They are really easy to care for, flowering from late summer into autumn, and are very attractive to pollinators.
10. Pea Flowers
Did you know there is such a thing as a perennial sweet pea, not fragrant but equally as showy as its annual cousins? The perennial varieties (lathyrus latifolius), as well as several types of vetch are British natives. Pollinators love the showy, annual sweet peas as well, so you can’t go wrong! And, of course, peas and beans are in the legume family, which would not be making it to our plates without pollinators.
These are just a small selection of plants that will do the job. I found it really hard to choose only 10, but hopefully one or two will suit your garden! Whatever combination you fancy, do your best to extend the flowering season and make sure you plant them in big swathes so pollinators don’t burn excessive energy flying long distances between plants to get the nectar.
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Happy gardening and nature watching 🌱💕🐦⬛!