Plants to attract pollinators: purple and yellow
Choosing plants for our gardens that attract pollinating insects through the seasons is good for biodiversity and fascinating to watch
Quick facts
- Having a variety of flower types can attract more pollinators
- Plants flowering at different times of the year provide more opportunity for pollinators
- Many insects are attracted to yellow and purple colours
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The planting plan
Choosing plants for pollinators
Pollinating insects are in decline, but there are plenty of flowering plants to help them. Increasing flowering plants in our gardens can also improve fruit and vegetables: with more pollinating insects around, harvests can be bigger and better.
The campanula provides some groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. Ground cover can also help to reduce soil surface moisture evaporation and suppress weed growth.
Until the plants have filled out, an organic mulch, preferably homemade compost, can help to improve soil moisture retention and weed suppression. Mulches should be spread when the soil is already moist to help trap some of that moisture before it dries out in summer.
2 - Stachyurus praecox is a deciduous shrub with stunning strings of pale yellow, bell-shaped flowers in winter and early spring.
3 - Salvia nemorosa ‘C²¹°ù²¹»å´Ç²Ô²Ô²¹â€™ is a herbaceous perennial with spikes of deep violet-purple flowers rising above narrow, rough grey-green foliage throughout the summer.
4 - Euphorbia x martini has evergreen grey-green leaves and open sprays of yellow-green flowers, sometimes with a purple eye, from mid-spring into summer.
5 - Campanula carpatica is a low-growing herbaceous plant, with green leaves and bright, sky-blue, bell-shaped flowers through the summer.
About plants for pollinators
Growing plants for pollinators
Choose plants with a variety of different flower types and structures in order to attract a wider range of pollinators across the seasons. A succession of overlapping flowering times ensures there is always something available.
Why choose a sustainable planting combination?
This combination will also attract more pollinating insects into the garden, creating better diversity by in turn encouraging birds and other wildlife into the garden.
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