Best Flowers to Attract Pollinators: Create a Bee, Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden

Pollinators bring your garden to life. Bees buzz from flower to flower. Butterflies drift through colorful blooms. Hummingbirds hover as they sip nectar.

To attract these helpful visitors, your yard needs three simple things: flowers for food, safe places to rest and nest, and clean water. When you provide all three, you create a space where pollinators can thrive.¹ You can even support pollinators right in your lawn.

Pollinators are essential for plant growth. They move pollen between flowers so plants can produce seeds and fruit. In fact, about 75% of flowering plants depend on pollinators.²

How to Choose the Best Flowers for Pollinators
What Pollinators Need to Thrive
How to Plant Wildflowers for Pollinators
How to Choose the Right Wildflower Mix
How to Support Blooms with Plant Food
How to Keep Blooms Going All Season
How to Add Water Sources for Pollinators

Best Flowers to Attract Pollinators

Different pollinators prefer different flowers. Planting a variety helps attract more bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Read up on the best ways to start your own flower garden.

Pollinators are drawn to different flower shapes, colors, and nectar sources.

Pollinators are drawn to different flower shapes, colors, and nectar sources.

Best Flowers by Pollinator

Pollinator	Best Flowers	Key Traits
Bees	Sunflower, Lavender, Coneflower, Clover, Black-eyed Susan	Open blooms, easy access to pollen and nectar
Butterflies	Zinnia, Milkweed, Aster, Lantana, Verbena	Flat or clustered blooms for landing
Hummingbirds	Salvia, Bee Balm, Cardinal Flower, Columbine, Penstemon	Bright colors and tubular shapes for nectar feeding

Bees use nectar for energy and pollen for protein. Butterflies need nectar plus host plants for their young. Hummingbirds rely on nectar-rich flowers for fuel.³ ⁴

What Pollinators Need: Food, Shelter & Water

Flowers are just the start. Pollinators need a full habitat to survive and return year after year.

What Pollinators Need to Thrive

Pollinator	Food Source	Water Needs	Nesting Habitat
Bees	Nectar and pollen from flowers	Shallow water with stones	Bare soil, hollow stems, wood
Butterflies	Nectar from blooms + host plants	Mud puddles for minerals	Shrubs, tall grass, leaf piles
Hummingbirds	Nectar from tubular flowers	Birdbaths, mist, fountains	Trees, shrubs, protected branches

Food

Plant flowers that bloom from spring through fall to provide a steady food supply.¹

Shelter & Nesting

Many pollinators need safe places to live:

About 70% of bees nest in the ground²
Others use wood, stems, or dense plants
Butterflies rest in shrubs and tall grass
Hummingbirds nest in trees and bushes

Water

Pollinators need water to drink and stay healthy:

Use shallow dishes with stones
Add birdbaths or small fountains
Create damp soil areas

Butterflies often gather nutrients from wet soil in a behavior called puddling.⁶

Planting Wildflowers for Pollinators

Wildflowers are one of the easiest ways to attract pollinators. They grow quickly and provide many blooms.

To plant wildflowers:

Loosen soil 4–6 inches deep
Remove weeds
Spread seeds evenly
Water lightly and keep soil moist

Wildflowers grow best in sunny areas and can bloom within weeks.⁷

Preparing soil and spreading seed evenly helps wildflowers establish quickly and bloom throughout the season.

Preparing soil and spreading seed evenly helps wildflowers establish quickly and bloom throughout the season.

Choose the Right Wildflower Mix

Using the right mix makes planting easier and helps pollinators thrive.

Product	Best For	Includes Flowers Like
Pennington Hummingbird & Butterfly Wildflower Mix	Attracting hummingbirds & butterflies	Zinnias, cosmos, blanketflower, coreopsis, and other bright, nectar-rich blooms
Pennington Honey Bee Garden Wildflower Mix	Supporting bee populations	Coneflowers, black-eyed Susan, clover, and other pollen- and nectar-rich flowers

These mixes provide a range of flowers that bloom across the season, helping pollinators find food when they need it most.

Support Vibrant Blooms with Plant Food

Happy plants make more flowers—and more flowers mean more nectar for pollinators.

Fertilizer helps:

Build strong roots
Increase blooms

Using the right plant food makes it easier to get the results you want and can help your garden stay full of color and life.

Alaska Morbloom Fertilizer 0-10-10 – Helps plants grow strong roots and produce more flowers vs. unfed
Pennington Full Season All-Purpose Plant Food 10-10-10 – Provides balanced nutrition for steady growth and blooms

Seasonal Tips for Continuous Blooms

Planting for different seasons keeps pollinators visiting your garden.

Spring: Early wildflowers and bulbs
Summer: Bright, full blooms
Fall: Late flowers like asters and goldenrod

This keeps food available all season long.¹

Create a Simple Water & Puddling Station

A small water feature can attract more pollinators.

To make one:

Dig a shallow hole
Fill it with sand and small stones
Add water until damp
Place it in a sunny spot

This gives butterflies and bees water and nutrients.⁶

Creating a pollinator-friendly space doesn’t require a complete landscape overhaul—just a few thoughtful choices can make a meaningful difference. By planting a mix of nectar-rich flowers, supporting them with proper care, and adding simple habitat features like water and shelter, you can turn your yard into a welcoming environment for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Over time, these small changes add up, bringing more color, movement, and life to your outdoor space while helping support the health of your local ecosystem.