Top 5 Perennials & Annuals for Pollinators

National Pollinator week is in full swing and the pollinators are all awake and out there buzzing around. Collecting nectar isn’t the only thing they do, they also carry the ever-essential pollen from flower to flower, helping them to pollinate and create more flowers! Which is why it’s important for us to support pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds because they are responsible for 90 percent of flowering plants. Without them we wouldn’t have some of the beautiful plants we carry at City Floral Garden Center.

So, for National Pollinator week let us get out there and create that pollinator friendly garden you’ve always wanted.  Here is the 5 best perennials and the 5 best annuals you can plant today to help!

5 Perennials that bees, butterflies and other pollinators will love.

Lupine

Lupines are an ideal flower for beginners. They do not require a whole lot of care and can generally be fine growing on their own (obviously you’ll have to water them).  They are tall, with a showy spire of flowers that can come in a multitude of color varieties with impressive green textured foliage.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Well-draining acidic soil
Water: Around 1” per week
Bloom Time: Spring, Summer

Cat Mint

This plant is tough as nails and will bloom for months with little care. They have many beautiful clusters of lavender-blue flowers that bees absolutely adore! In fact most of the time you can witness the bees loving the Cat Mint here at City Floral.

Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Clay, Well-draining
Water: Around 1” per week
Bloom Time: Typically, late spring to early summer into early fall

Lavender

This is an herb of many uses, culinary and decorative. It makes the perfect addition to perennial gardens and borders. It provides beautiful sweeping drifts of color and fragrance.

Light: Full sun
Soil: Well-draining
Water: Around 1” to 2” per week
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer

Blue Spirea

The Blue mist spirea is a wonderful small shrub for Colorado. It’s drought tolerant, deer-resistant, and produces beautiful deep blue flowers in late summer. Most importantly bees cannot get enough of this perennial when the flowers are in bloom.

Light: Full sun
Soil: Sandy, Well-draining
Water: Around 1” to 2” per week
Bloom Time: July through August

Russian Sage

Russian sage is easy to grow and does well in Colorado. It grows best in warm climates and tolerates clay or average soils, if the drainage is good.  Full sun is needed to produce lots of flowers which will bring all those pollinators to your garden.

Light: Full sun
Soil: Clay, Well-draining
Water: Around 1” to 2” per week for the first year
Bloom Time: Early summer to fall

5 Annuals that bees, butterflies and other pollinators will love

Geraniums

A favorite here at City Floral, we carry a bunch of different colors and species that are perfect for any pollinator garden. They are easy to grow, colorful, and emit a lovely scent.

Light: Full sun
Soil: Rich, medium-moisture, well-drained soil
Water: Let soil dry completely between watering
Bloom Time: Flowers freely throughout season

Zinnias

These gorgeous annuals are almost the perfect flower for every garden. They have three key qualities: low maintenance, heat and drought tolerant and they come in many beautiful colors! These are a must have for every garden.

Light: Full sun
Soil: Fertile, Well-drained soils
Water: Moist soil to grow their best
Bloom Time: Spring through Summer

Petunias

Petunias are one of the most popular garden flowers. Which is why here at City Floral Garden Center you will always find rows and rows of the most stunning colors. Most petunia varieties will bloom throughout the summer, except in extreme heat, so keep some shade handy on those hot days.

Light: Full sun
Soil: Light and fertile, Well-drained soils
Water: Weekly, deep watering is sufficient
Bloom Time: Spring and Summer

Salvia

Annual salvia is almost always in bloom; it will add tons of color to any garden. Butterflies and hummingbirds particularly love the sweet nectar that comes from these beautiful flowers. Pair them with other pollinator friendly plants like marigolds or geraniums for a good-looking pollinator friendly garden.

Light: Full sun to some shade
Soil: Rich, Well-drained soils
Water: Medium water requirements
Bloom Time: Summer

Marigolds

There is no annual more cheerful or easier to grow than the marigold. They will bring a wealth of color all summer long and even into autumn! ⁠Here at City Floral we carry the French Marigolds, which are somewhat smaller and more compact than their cousins, and the African Marigolds, which are tall and upright, reaching almost 3-4 feet in height. ⁠

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Any, Clay, Loamy, Sandy
Water: Water deeply, then let the soil dry before watering again.
Bloom Time: Spring through Fall

What types of flowers do you have that the bees, butterflies and other pollinators love? Share with us on Instagram or Facebook and tag @cityfloralgardencenter or in the comments below!