There are two groups of plants: those that produce flowers insects can interact with, and those that don’t. Usually, it’s a rare case where a plant doesn’t produce a flower. Because guess what?
Plants produce flowers.
Observations From the Garden
As I write this, I’m standing in front of an interesting group of plants.
To my right is a Korean fir named Silberlocke. When you think of a fir tree or a conifer, you wouldn’t necessarily think it flowers—but in fact, it does. It creates pollen cones. And those pollen cones are visited by all kinds of small insects, such as:
•Syrphid flies (hoverflies)
•Minute parasitic wasps
•Tiny beetles
•Fungus gnats
•Small native solitary bees
That same fir tree will also produce female cones—you know, the classic “pine cone” we all picture—and those attract a different set of insects. And birds, by the way.
To the left of that is a hydrangea that is stunning right now: Ruby Slippers, an oakleaf-type hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Hydrangeas are interesting. Their flowers don’t attract too many of the classic pollinators we think of, like bees and butterflies. They just don’t have the flower shape those insects prefer.
But still, other insects are interacting with this hydrangea:
•Ants
•Earwigs
•Thrips
•Beetles
•Leafhoppers
•Small flower flies
And hydrangeas make a beautiful dense canopy. This particular Ruby Slippers oakleaf in front of me is vibrantly alive. I see little baby bunnies hiding under oakleaf hydrangeas all the time.
To the left of those is an incredible specimen of Hosta ‘Humpback Whale’. And as I’m standing here, it has the smallest, cutest bee of all time floating around its flowers—already carrying little pollen booties on its back legs. She’s just looking for more pollen, more nectar, to bring back to her hive.
To the right of that? A large bumblebee, hovering and floating along, doing the same thing. And just off in the distance, I can see another very small bee I don’t even recognize. I’m not sure of its name.
None of these plants—fir, hydrangea, or hosta—would be thought of as “pollinator friendly.” You won’t find them in that section at the garden center. You won’t see them if you filter your online shopping to “pollinator plants.”
But here they are.
All three are covered in life.
What Attracts Pollinators to a Garden?
The garden.
If you’ve read any of my writing, you know I believe in a simple message:
Gardening helps.
What does it help?
•Pollinators.
•You.
•The environment.
Upset about climate change? Garden.
Upset with your spouse that day? Garden.
Upset with the global economy?
Yep—garden.
So when I hear the phrase pollinator friendly, I raise an eyebrow. Because the truth is:
All plants are pollinator friendly—it just depends on your perspective.
Native or Non-Native? Doesn’t Matter.
As many of you know, I use native plants extensively in my design work. Natchez Glen is home to two of the largest herbaceous perennial long borders in America, and both of them are staring back at me today—designed with over 70% native plants.
But I don’t rank native plants higher than a non-native like Hosta ‘Humpback Whale’, which, as I write this, is covered in life.
Earlier today I passed by Betonica ‘Summer Romance’. It was absolutely covered in bees. Another non-native. But teeming with activity.
Gardens attract pollinators.
Good gardens attract more.
And good gardening takes Pollinator Week and turns it into Pollinator Year.
It’s Not Just About the Plants—It’s the Design
How your garden is managed is up to you. But if your garden flourishes across the seasons, if it’s filled with **varied blooms—native and non-native alike—**then you’ll attract pollinators. Period.
Let’s talk about one key element: scale and visibility.
If you want insects like monarch butterflies—migratory insects—to find your garden, they need to see it. If you’ve tucked two Echinacea purpurea into a shady corner of the backyard, that’s not going to catch the eye of a monarch flying overhead.
Think about what you see when you look out a plane window. Not much detail, right? It’s the same for these insects.
Also worth noting:
Most insects don’t see the full color spectrum. Many see yellows and ultraviolet best. So when you see vivid yellow or gold flowers in nature, those plants didn’t just pick that color randomly.
Yellow is a plant’s marketing strategy for insects.
And while I love soft blush tones in the garden as much as any designer, I’ll tell you this—
A garden without yellow is missing out on the favorite color of nearly every pollinator in the world.
So for your garden to be seen, it must be vivid—and it must be vivid all year long.
Not just for 30 days in May. Not just a burst of color that gets pulled out and replaced in fall.
Fireflies Don’t Travel
Let’s bring this back down to earth: local insects, like fireflies, spend their entire life in your garden. They don’t migrate. They don’t relocate. They live and die in the space you’ve created.
So what’s pollinator-friendly?
Having a garden. A real one.
Not a shelf tag.
Not a marketing phrase.
Not a checklist of “approved” plants.
Yes, I know I sound cynical about how plants are sold and labeled. But that’s not the point of this article.
The point is to encourage you to not get stuck in the semantics of it all. Gardening and horticulture are filled with terminology traps. Don’t be a victim of that.
Final Thought
Make a garden. You will have pollinators.
If you’re a gardener, you’ve probably seen this yourself.
And I’d love to hear from you—drop a comment below if your experience aligns with this.
Have you seen your garden come alive over time?
Have you watched as the insects came not because you planted “pollinator-friendly” plants, but because you built a living space?
