With the global bee population in decline, we can all play our part in helping these beautiful and vital creatures. Even if you only have a small outdoor space, you can grow plants that help all pollinators.
Butterflies and certain species of birds are similarly threatened. While you’re helping them to find a habitat, you can enjoy the beauty of welcoming these visitors to your garden.
Each of these plant ideas will help at least one of these creatures, and in many cases, they will attract birds, bees, and butterflies to your space.
1. Sunflowers
In some cases, the insects you want to attract will offer an essential meal for birds. It may be an unfortunate by-product of growing plants that welcome pollinators, but it’s all part of nature’s cycle.
With their large, bright yellow blooms, sunflowers offer an abundance of nectar. Bees and butterflies are drawn in, while certain bird species, including swallows and sparrows, will follow.
2. Holly
If you want a plant specifically for the birds, a holly tree is an excellent choice. The fruit appears on the female tree and it provides food for a variety of our feathered friends including redwings, blackbirds, and fieldfares.
A male tree will need to be nearby in order for the fruit to follow. It’s a useful source of food, especially as the holly bears fruit in the colder months from late autumn to early winter. When the birds have had their fill, you can use some of the leaves as Christmas decorations.
3. Foxglove
The bell-shaped leaves which give the foxglove its name offer some form of protection for visiting bees. The plants produce plenty of nectar, and the foxglove grows tall, so there are plenty of flowers for pollinators to feast on.
Another benefit of the foxglove is that it’s easy to grow. The plant is self-seeding, meaning that the seeds will scatter across your garden, and the result is that even more foxgloves appear over the years.
4. Lavender
While lavender may be seen as a Mediterranean plant, it can adapt to almost any climate. I have lavender in cold, damp, and gray England, and on the rare occasions when the sun shines, butterflies and bees flock to it.
The flowers have a strong scent that draws insects in, while the shape of the leaves suits pollinators with long tongues. Where the insects go, the birds will follow, so this is another plant that covers all three of our briefs.
5. Snowdrops
For many of us, this is the first outdoor flower we see in the calendar year. Depending on the conditions, snowdrops will appear in milder, late winters and they are a sign that spring is on the way.
Early bees and butterflies also react to the promise of warmer weather to come, and they will head to any snowdrops. For those waking early from hibernation, it’s often the case that these are the only available flowers.
6. Bluebells
Bees are especially industrious when it comes to accessing bluebell nectar. They bite a hole in the flower to get to their target, and that hole is tiny enough that it doesn’t spoil the spectacular beauty of this plant.
Bluebells are under threat in some parts of the world due to loss of habitat and it’s illegal to pick them in some parts of the world. As a result, it can be expensive to buy the bulbs, but your local bees, butterflies, and birds will thank you for your investment.
7. Salvia
Salvia flowers have many qualities that bees and butterflies crave. Firstly, they are rich in nectar which is a basic requirement for passing pollinators. The elongated flowers also provide a platform on which the insects can sit while feeding.
Birds will be attracted to those feeding insects, but you should remember that they are not the reason why bees and butterflies are scarce. Planting salvia and others on this list helps the natural cycle.
8. Rosemary
Whether you like the taste of rosemary or not, it is a useful plant for your herb garden. Its strong scent can help to deter unwanted bugs that might otherwise turn other herbs and vegetables into a tasty meal.
It’s easy to grow and once established, it will look after itself and you can essentially forget about the rosemary plant. In turn, that scent and the flowers are a popular choice for bees and butterflies.
9. Ivy
If you have time enough to keep ivy under control, it’s a plant that can benefit the butterfly and bird populations around your garden. Its leaves provide food for the holly blue butterfly at the caterpillar stage, while the cover provides shelter for nesting birds.
When the ivy produces its rich black berries, a host of different bird species fly in for a meal. Those berries offer tasty treats for jays, starlings, finches, blackbirds, and many more.
10. Apple Trees
Apple and pear trees are among the best shrubs for attracting all types of wildlife. In fact, if you want all of those juicy apples all to yourself, you’ll need to take steps to protect the fruit.
Blackbirds are frequent visitors to apple trees, but there are benefits to pollinators earlier in the growing season. Apple blossoms have a high sugar content, so the bees and butterflies will love your tree at this stage.
