The top easy to pollinate plants are zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, marigolds, and borage. These five blooms grow fast from seed. They feed bugs right away. Even kids can grow them with bare hands.
My first pollinator garden was nothing more than a row of zinnias along my fence. I planted seeds on a warm May day. Within three weeks my yard buzzed with bees, swallowtails, and tiny hoverflies. I had not done a thing to help them along.
What makes these blooms so easy? They have open flower forms that any bug can land on with ease. The center is wide open. The nectar sits right there in plain sight. Bees and butterflies do not have to dig past piles of petals to reach the food.
Compare that to a fancy rose with 40 tight petals packed in a ball. Bees may try to land on the rose but cannot reach the nectar inside. The same goes for double zinnias and pom-pom marigolds. They look pretty in a vase but feed almost no bugs at all.
I made this mistake on my own once. I bought a pack of double zinnia seeds since the photo looked grand. Bees flew past those plants and went straight to my single zinnias next door. Lesson learned the hard way that year.
Single Zinnias and Cosmos
- Why easy: Sprout from seed in 5 to 7 days and bloom in 60 days with no fuss at all.
- Pollinator pull: Open daisy-like blooms feed bees, butterflies, and hoverflies all summer long.
- Pro tip: Look for seed packs marked 'single' or 'open-pollinated' to skip the dud double types.
Sunflowers and Marigolds
- Why easy: Both bloom for months with little care and even thrive in dry hot spots in your yard.
- Pollinator pull: Sunflowers feed bees and birds. Marigolds bring in hoverflies that also eat aphids for you.
- Pro tip: Pick single-petal marigold types like Single Gold over packed pom-poms that block bugs out.
Borage and Vegetable Crops
- Why easy: Borage self-seeds year after year and self-pollinating plants like tomatoes, beans, and peas grow with little help.
- Pollinator pull: Borage blooms pull in honey bees with star-shape blue flowers loaded with nectar.
- Pro tip: Plant borage by your tomatoes. Bees that come for borage will also shake your tomato blooms.
Want to grow food too? Many veggies count as self-pollinating plants that need almost no help from bugs. Tomatoes, peppers, beans, and peas all set fruit on their own. Bees may pop by for a quick visit but you will still get a crop without them.
How do you pick the right seeds at the store? Read the back of each pack with care. Words like 'single' or 'open-pollinated' tell you the blooms will feed bugs. Words like 'fully double' or 'pom-pom' mean the flower is closed off to bees.
Skip cheap mass-market seeds if you can. Try Botanical Interests, Renee's Garden, or Eden Brothers for honest labels and good seed health. You can also check out your local seed swap in spring for free packs of proven local types.
Start small with three or four of these beginner pollinator plants your first year. Stick with single petal flowers since those feed the most bugs. Watch what works in your soil. Add more types each spring as you grow.
Your yard will feed more bugs each year with this slow plan. You will also save cash on seeds by saving your own each fall. Most of these blooms drop seeds you can scoop up and store for next year.
Read the full article: 25 Best Pollinator Plants for Your Garden
