Plant flowers

Planting nectar and pollen-rich flowers is an easy way to provide resources for pollinators, including bees, hoverflies, butterflies and beetles. Here’s your guide to help you plant flowers for wildlife.

Adding pollen and nectar-rich plants to your space is a brilliant way to provide food that supports dwindling populations of pollinators.

Choose plants with different flower shapes, like flat, tubular and bell, so different types of pollinators can find their preferred type.

Aim for around three to six plants per m2 of ground. If you donʼt have space, pots work too!

Great options for spring include heather, primrose, red clover and cuckoo flower.

Getting Started

Here’s some tips for getting started with your goal to plant flowers. Different species grow best under different conditions, so you need to consider key factors like your soil type, where the plants will be and the amount of sunlight that they’ll get. You can also plant them in pots or window boxes if you are limited on space.

Some of our native plants that can be great for pollinators include dandelions, clover and daisies. Often many of these will already exist under your lawn as seeds. By limiting how much you mow your lawn, you can create a haven for bees and butterflies.

You can buy established plants from garden centres and nurseries. You can also order them from websites online such as Avon Wildlife Trust’s Grow Wilder Shop or you can get seeds from Plantlife’s Shop.

Planting your flowers

Choose a sheltered but sunny spot
Place each plant in groups or lines so that the colour and scent are easy to detect
Have flowers blooming all year round – select plants so that flowers are available from early spring to late autumn
Pick flowers with a simple (often flat) structure, like daisies, as they are the easiest for insects to feed from
Remember to provide plants for night time moths too. Plant some night scented flowers.
Add herbs to your pots and flowerbeds too as they are highly attractive to insects, or create a herb garden

Plants for Pollinators

There are lots of options to plant flowers for wildlife in your outdoor space. Here’s some of the best flowers for pollinators.

Plant flowers for wildlife species guide with yellow rattle, viper's bugloss, comfrey, meadow crane's bill, catmint and wild marjoram

Plant flowers for wildlife species guide with Wild Cherry Tree, Wild carrot, common knapweed, and English Bluebell.

Plant flowers for wildlife species guide with garden angelica, field scabious, dahlia, ivy, bird's foot trefoil, and dog rose.

Download our Plants for Pollinators Guide