Want to attract more bees and butterflies to your garden? Skip the common picks and try something a little different—these lesser-known blooms are just as irresistible to pollinators. Plus, they add unexpected beauty and texture to your garden beds.
Whether you’re working with a small yard or a full flower field, these unique pollinator favorites will have your garden buzzing with life.
Joe Pye Weed
This tall, wispy wildflower is a butterfly magnet with clusters of dusty pink blooms. Native to North America, it thrives in moist soil and full sun. Monarchs especially love it during their late-summer migration.
Verbena bonariensis
With its airy structure and tiny purple blossoms, this tall verbena draws in bees and butterflies like a magnet. It blooms for months and sways gently in the breeze, adding movement to your garden. Bonus: it reseeds itself effortlessly.
Borage
Borage produces star-shaped blue flowers that bees absolutely adore. It blooms repeatedly through the season and is also edible, with a mild cucumber flavor. The more you harvest, the more it grows.
Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)
This charming bloom lives up to its name, with round, cushion-like centers that butterflies love to land on. It comes in soft pastel tones and deep purples and thrives in sunny borders. Deadheading keeps it blooming all summer.
Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower)
Tithonia offers vibrant orange blooms that stand tall and proud, luring in butterflies from afar. It's heat-tolerant, drought-resistant, and perfect for adding a bold tropical vibe. Hummingbirds love it too!
Agastache (Anise Hyssop)
These spiky, licorice-scented flowers are long bloomers and major pollinator favorites. Bees can’t resist them, and butterflies find their tall spikes perfect for feeding. They also deter deer and smell amazing in the garden.
Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
With its fiery red and yellow petals, gaillardia adds warmth and cheer to any garden. It’s drought-tolerant, long-blooming, and highly attractive to native bees. Even better, it's a tough plant that thrives in poor soil.
Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum)
Covered in tiny white or lavender blooms, mountain mint is constantly buzzing with pollinators. It’s especially favored by native bees and small butterflies. It also smells fantastic and makes a great companion plant.
Heliotrope
Heliotrope’s deep purple clusters have a sweet vanilla scent that draws in both bees and butterflies. These blooms love full sun and well-drained soil and add rich color to borders or containers. They’re a delight for the senses and the insects.
Silphium (Cup Plant)
Cup plant’s sunflower-like blooms stand tall on sturdy stems and hold water in their leafy “cups,” which bees and butterflies drink from. This native wildflower thrives in prairies and meadow-style gardens. It’s a striking, structural addition to pollinator spaces.
Spider Flower (Cleome)
Cleome’s whimsical, spidery blossoms make it a standout in the garden—and a favorite of hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies alike. It’s a fast grower, with towering stems and non-stop blooms. A perfect choice for a pollinator-rich border.
Coreopsis (Tickseed)
These cheery yellow (or pink) flowers bloom abundantly and attract pollinators with their open, daisy-like faces. They're heat-tolerant, thrive in poor soil, and bloom from early summer into fall. Butterflies especially love their long-lasting nectar supply.
By planting these unique pollinator-friendly flowers, you're giving bees and butterflies new favorites to enjoy while making your garden feel fresh and full of life. With a little variety, your outdoor space can become a thriving, colorful ecosystem all on its own.
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