10 Great Pollinator Plants You Can Grow from Seed
1. Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), perennial: Bumblebees are frequent visitors to coneflowers, and you'll see plenty of other pollinators, including honeybees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and flies. Plant coneflowers in full sun. Birds love the seeds.
2. Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), perennial and annual: Milkweed is both a nectar source for the monarch butterfly, and a food source for its larvae. It attracts other pollinators as well, including buckeyes, bumblebees, fritillaries, and swallowtails.
3. Zinnia (Zinnia sp.), annual: Plant zinnias and you will have bumblebees. You will also have swallowtails, monarchs, painted ladies, and many other butterflies. Among the easiest flowers to grow from seed, zinnias make colorful bouquets.
4. Beebalm (Monarda sp.), perennial: Beebalm's nectar-rich flowers are pollinated by bumblebees, honeybees, and butterflies. They also attract hummingbirds to the garden, plus you can use the leaves to make bergamot tea.
5. Oregano (Origanum sp.), perennial: Oregano is representative of mint family plants in that it is both edible and ecologically beneficial. Honeybees and bee-mimicking flies are attracted to its blooms, if you allow it to flower.
6. Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.), perennial and annual: Black Eyed Susans are beautiful in the meadow or in the garden. Give them full sun and well-drained soil, and they'll attract pollinators galore to your garden. They're beautiful in the vase as well.
7. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), annual: Honeybees, syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, and tachinid flies are frequent visitors to cilantro's lacy white umbels. In hot summer regions, plant a second crop in summer to provide late-season nectar for pollinators.
8. Sunflower (Helainthus sp.), annual and perennial: The sunflower head is the party place of the garden, often occupied by multiple species of bees, wasps, beetles, and flies. Plant annual sunflowers in a new spot every year to keep them healthy and full of life.
9. Cosmos (Cosmos sp.), annual: This pollinator friendly flower is one of the easiest to grow from seed, sprinkled directly in the garden. Plant it alongside vegetables, where it will attract beneficial insects such as lacewings and pirate bugs.
10. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), annual: Sweet alyssum is known for attracting syrphid flies, whose larvae consume aphids. Other tiny flies, wasps, and many types of bees are attracted to the low-growing, scented flowers as well.
Article courtesy of ezfromseed.org
2. Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), perennial and annual: Milkweed is both a nectar source for the monarch butterfly, and a food source for its larvae. It attracts other pollinators as well, including buckeyes, bumblebees, fritillaries, and swallowtails.
3. Zinnia (Zinnia sp.), annual: Plant zinnias and you will have bumblebees. You will also have swallowtails, monarchs, painted ladies, and many other butterflies. Among the easiest flowers to grow from seed, zinnias make colorful bouquets.
4. Beebalm (Monarda sp.), perennial: Beebalm's nectar-rich flowers are pollinated by bumblebees, honeybees, and butterflies. They also attract hummingbirds to the garden, plus you can use the leaves to make bergamot tea.
5. Oregano (Origanum sp.), perennial: Oregano is representative of mint family plants in that it is both edible and ecologically beneficial. Honeybees and bee-mimicking flies are attracted to its blooms, if you allow it to flower.
6. Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.), perennial and annual: Black Eyed Susans are beautiful in the meadow or in the garden. Give them full sun and well-drained soil, and they'll attract pollinators galore to your garden. They're beautiful in the vase as well.
7. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), annual: Honeybees, syrphid flies, parasitic wasps, and tachinid flies are frequent visitors to cilantro's lacy white umbels. In hot summer regions, plant a second crop in summer to provide late-season nectar for pollinators.
8. Sunflower (Helainthus sp.), annual and perennial: The sunflower head is the party place of the garden, often occupied by multiple species of bees, wasps, beetles, and flies. Plant annual sunflowers in a new spot every year to keep them healthy and full of life.
9. Cosmos (Cosmos sp.), annual: This pollinator friendly flower is one of the easiest to grow from seed, sprinkled directly in the garden. Plant it alongside vegetables, where it will attract beneficial insects such as lacewings and pirate bugs.
10. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), annual: Sweet alyssum is known for attracting syrphid flies, whose larvae consume aphids. Other tiny flies, wasps, and many types of bees are attracted to the low-growing, scented flowers as well.
Article courtesy of ezfromseed.org
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