Best plants for pollinators

Q: Which plants attract butterflies in autumn?

The ice plant (Hylotelephium spectabile), purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis) and Frikart's aster are the standouts. On warm September and October days, the ice plant in particular is covered in red admirals and small tortoiseshells.

A season-by-season guide to feeding bees, butterflies and hoverflies all year

The single most useful thing you can do for pollinators is to give them an unbroken season of flowers – something in bloom from late winter right through to the first hard frosts. Every plant below is a proven performer, chosen because it genuinely feeds insects rather than just looking good, and checked against the RHS Plants for Pollinators lists. Each links to its RHS plant profile.

Open, single flowers always outperform tightly doubled ones. Generous drifts outperform solitary specimens. And the edges of the year – late winter and early autumn – are where most gardens fall short and where a few good choices make the greatest difference.

Mixed perennial borders, clipped yew and a slate terrace under a timber pergola in a Clapham garden maintained by Flourish Landscaping — Borders we look after on Macaulay Road, Clapham, in early September: hardy geraniums, gaura and grasses still flowering beside clipped yew.

Spring: filling the critical early gap

Queen bumblebees emerging on mild days in late winter need nectar immediately. These plants provide it when almost nothing else does.

Plant	Best for	Notes
Crocus tommasinianus – Early crocus	Bees Hoverflies	One of the very first sources of pollen in the year. Naturalises freely in grass; choose single-flowered species types only.
Pulmonaria officinalis – Common lungwort	Bees	Flowers from late winter into spring. Thrives in part shade – invaluable under trees or on north-facing borders.
Ribes sanguineum – Flowering currant	Bees	Reliable shrub, flowers mid-spring, hums with bees. Good as an informal hedge.
Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ – Wallflower	Bees Butterflies Moths	Can flower for most of the year in a sunny, well-drained spot. A rare year-round performer.
Salvia rosmarinus – Rosemary	Bees	Often flowers in late winter – feeding bees before most plants have stirred. Evergreen, drought-tolerant once established.

Summer: the backbone of the pollinator border

Summer is the easier season, but plant choice still matters. These are the most consistently reliable performers for a sunny Surrey border.

Plant	Best for	Notes
Lavandula angustifolia – English lavender	Bees Butterflies Moths Hoverflies	Arguably the best single bee plant for a sunny border. Needs sharp drainage – raise the bed on London Clay.
Nepeta × faassenii – Catmint	Bees Butterflies	Long-flowering, almost indestructible. Cut back after the first flush for a second wave in late summer.
Salvia nemorosa – Balkan clary	Bees Butterflies	Deep violet spikes, magnet for bumblebees. Drought-tolerant once established. Deadhead for a second flush.
Digitalis purpurea – Common foxglove	Bees	Long tubular flowers – bumblebees disappear inside them. Biennial or short-lived perennial; self-seeds freely. Toxic if eaten.
Achillea millefolium – Common yarrow	Bees Butterflies Hoverflies	Flat-headed flowers – ideal for short-tongued bees and hoverflies. Native, drought-tolerant, thrives in poor soil.
Origanum vulgare – Common oregano	Bees Butterflies Moths Hoverflies	One of the best bee plants per square metre. Leave to flower rather than trimming. UK native of chalk downland.
Eryngium planum – Blue eryngo	Bees Butterflies Hoverflies	Metallic blue cones, bees work tirelessly. Thrives on poor, dry soil – perfect for a gravel garden.
Geranium Rozanne – Hardy geranium	Bees Hoverflies	Flowers from early summer to first frost. Tolerates drier conditions better than most geraniums. Outstanding season length.
Echinacea purpurea – Purple coneflower	Bees Butterflies Hoverflies	Flowers July to September, seed heads for finches through winter. Leave standing – don’t cut back in autumn.

Autumn: when most gardens fall silent

Late flowers are disproportionately valuable, providing the fuel insects need before winter. These three are the most reliable autumn performers in Surrey gardens.

Plant	Best for	Notes
Verbena bonariensis – Purpletop vervain	Bees Butterflies Moths	Tall, transparent, outstanding for butterflies. Flowers into autumn and self-seeds gently into gravel and open soil.
Hylotelephium spectabile – Ice plant	Bees Butterflies Hoverflies	Classic autumn butterfly plant. Drought-tolerant. Leave stems through winter – they shelter overwintering insects.
Aster × frikartii ‘Mönch’ – Frikart’s aster	Bees Butterflies Hoverflies	Flowers for months. Resists mildew that troubles other Michaelmas daisies. Feeds insects right to the end of the season.

Winter: the lean months

On mild days in winter, bees are often out. These plants provide nectar when almost nothing else does.

Plant	Best for	Notes
Mahonia × media ‘Charity’ – Oregon grape	Bees	Architectural evergreen, scented yellow spikes through late autumn and winter. Tolerates shade. One of the most valuable winter shrubs.
Lonicera fragrantissima – Winter honeysuckle	Bees	Intensely fragrant cream flowers December to March. A lifeline for any bumblebee out on a mild day.
Clematis cirrhosa – Winter clematis	Bees	Evergreen climber with pale freckled bells from late autumn through early spring. Rare winter nectar source. Needs a sheltered wall.
Hedera helix – Common ivy	Bees Butterflies Moths Hoverflies	Flowers in autumn – one of the last major nectar sources of the year. Winter berries feed birds. Holly blue butterfly depends on it. Invaluable; do not remove.

A plant for every month

Build your garden around this calendar and it will never leave pollinators without a meal.

Month	Two reliable choices
	Oregon grape (Mahonia × media ‘Charity’) · Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima)
	Early crocus (Crocus tommasinianus) · Winter clematis (Clematis cirrhosa)
	Flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) · Common lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis)
	Wallflower (Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’) · Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
	Common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) · Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii)
	English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) · Balkan clary (Salvia nemorosa)
	Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) · Hardy geranium (Geranium Rozanne)
	Oregano (Origanum vulgare) · Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
	Purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis) · Ice plant (Hylotelephium spectabile)
	Frikart’s aster (Aster × frikartii ‘Mönch’) · Blue eryngo (Eryngium planum)
	Common ivy (Hedera helix) · Oregon grape (Mahonia × media ‘Charity’)
	Winter clematis (Clematis cirrhosa) · Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima)

Food plants for caterpillars

Nectar feeds adult butterflies, but the next generation depends on a much narrower set of caterpillar food plants. Leave room for a few of these and the butterflies you feed in summer can breed in your garden rather than somewhere else.

Plant	Caterpillars it feeds	Notes
Urtica dioica – Common nettle	Peacock, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, comma	A clump in a sunny corner is far more useful than one in shade. Cut half back in midsummer for fresh growth.
Cirsium vulgare – Spear thistle	Painted lady	Painted lady caterpillars feed on thistles, not nettles. Best in a wild corner or meadow edge.
Humulus lupulus – Common hop	Comma	Vigorous climber for a fence or pergola. Cut to the ground in late winter.
Rhamnus cathartica and Frangula alnus – Buckthorns	Brimstone	The brimstone’s only food plants. Purging buckthorn suits chalk and drier soils; alder buckthorn suits damp, heavier ground.
Ilex aquifolium and Hedera helix – Holly and ivy	Holly blue	The spring brood lays on holly flowers, the late-summer brood on ivy buds. A hedge with both is ideal.
Lotus corniculatus – Bird’s foot trefoil	Common blue	Low and sprawling; ideal in a flowering lawn or meadow area that is not mown short.
Holcus lanatus – Yorkshire fog and other fine grasses	Meadow brown, gatekeeper, speckled wood, small skipper	A strip of longer grass left uncut until late summer is enough. Mow it once, in autumn.

Plants that look good but feed nothing

Understanding why some plants fail insects is as useful as knowing what to grow. Most failures come down to four causes.

Double flowers – pom-pom dahlias, hybrid tea roses, double camellias, Kerria japonica ‘Pleniflora’ – have had their nectar buried or bred away. The single form of the same plant is almost always excellent. It is the doubling, not the plant, that is the problem.

Wind-pollinated plants produce no nectar because they don’t need to attract insects – grasses, birch, oak, ash, hazel and conifers all fall here. Wind-pollinated does not mean useless for wildlife (an oak supports over 2,300 species), but its flowers are not the point.

Plants built for other pollinators – fuchsia, Phormium, Callistemon, Crocosmia – evolved for birds or insects from warmer climates. Their flowers are largely inaccessible to British insects. Note: Rhododendron ponticum nectar is toxic to honeybees.

Over-bred bedding – most petunias, pelargoniums, busy Lizzies and scarlet salvias – have been selected for shelf life and uniformity at the expense of pollen and nectar. Swap for the plants in this guide and pollinators will notice within days.

Common mistakes

No flowers before May

Most gardens are empty when pollinators need them most. Crocus, lungwort and rosemary fill the late-winter and early-spring gap that most borders miss entirely.

Cutting back in autumn

Standing seedheads and stems shelter overwintering insects and feed birds. Cut back in late winter, not autumn – it costs nothing and delivers real wildlife value.

Planting for adults, not caterpillars

Nectar feeds adult butterflies; their caterpillars depend on specific plants. Without nettles, buckthorn, holly and ivy, the next generation breeds elsewhere.

Using insecticides

Insecticides do not distinguish between pests and pollinators. A diverse, well-planted garden generally regulates itself – ladybirds, hoverflies and birds keep pests in check.

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Frequently asked questions

Lavender, catmint, Balkan clary, oregano, rosemary and the ice plant are the most consistently reliable for bees across Surrey and South West London soils. For winter and early spring, Oregon grape, winter honeysuckle and lungwort are invaluable when almost nothing else is in flower.

The ice plant (Hylotelephium spectabile), purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis) and Frikart’s aster are the standouts. On warm September and October days, the ice plant in particular is covered in red admirals and small tortoiseshells.

A sunny clump of nettles feeds peacock, small tortoiseshell, red admiral and comma caterpillars. Thistles feed the painted lady, buckthorn feeds the brimstone, holly and ivy feed the holly blue, and a strip of longer grass feeds the meadow brown and gatekeeper.

Usually not. Many heavily doubled flowers have had their nectar-bearing parts bred out or made inaccessible. The single-flowered form of the same plant is almost always the better choice for pollinators. It is the doubling, not the plant species, that is the problem.

Yes. Lavender, catmint, the ice plant and flowering herbs grow well in containers. Even a single pot of oregano or rosemary left to flower on a balcony will feed bees. For the biggest return in the smallest space, choose plants that flower for several months rather than a few weeks.

Hardy geranium, yarrow, echinacea, asters and verbena all perform well on clay. Mediterranean plants like lavender and rosemary need improved drainage – a raised bed or incorporated grit – but are worth the preparation. Our improving clay soil guide covers the practical steps.

It is best to avoid them – insecticides harm pollinators as well as pests. A diverse, well-planted garden tends to regulate itself naturally, with ladybirds, hoverflies and birds keeping problems in check. Tolerating a little imbalance in spring usually results in natural control by summer.

Written by Craig Davis BSc (Hons) Horticulture MCIHort. This page was created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy by Craig Davis, BSc (Hons) Horticulture.

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