Attract Pollinators with Container Planters

No yard? No problem!

Container planters can help you play a part in attracting pollinators even if you don’t have a yard! In the United States one-third of all agricultural output depends on pollinators, we need pollinators and pollinators need us! Help the pollinators do their job by planting pollinator-attracting plants in your containers.

Create your own combinations, or choose one of the proven combinations below. These selections were created by breeders and have been tested to ensure a combination of plants that work and grow well together.

Below are just a few of the different containers that can be designed for pollinators. To see more example, please see our Combination Ideas page.

Annuals for container planters

Putting together a bright, colorful container of annuals is a sure fire way to attract pollinators! Annuals are easy to grow and often bloom from spring to frost making them the perfect flowers to use in containers.

To create a splash of color and bring elegance to your garden design, fill your planters with different color plants of the same variety, like calibrachoas or petunias. Add containers filled with bright colored calibrachoas like these below and you can attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees as well as other beneficial insects.

Mixed Varieties

These designs bring together a mixture of different plant varieties that give pollinators a choice. Mixing more than one type of plant in a container planter creates a mini-landscape with a variety of colors and textures giving the design more depth. These designs created by our members are designed so when the plants are fully-grown, not one variety will block or overcrowd the others.

Perennials can work in Container Planters

Yes, you can enjoy the beauty and pollinator power of perennials in a container on your deck, patio or balcony. Container planters are the perfect solution when you want to enjoy the perennial’s beauty up close or you want to expand the palette of growable perennials in your area, enjoying those perennials that might not enjoy your climate or soil conditions. Added bonus, you can overwinter perennials and enjoy them again next year!

Easy Tips for Container Planters

1. Choose a container with drainage holes at the bottom. This helps avoid the root rot, fungi, and insects that too much water attracts.
2. Fill your containers with a quality commercial potting soil. Never use soil directly from your garden. Your garden soil, when dry, will harden into a solid mass.
3. Select plants that require similar soil, light and watering conditions. Base your selection on where you plan to put your container, how often you plan to water it and if the plant needs special soil.
4. Water frequently. Remember that plants in containers need more water than those grown in the ground. In the heat of summer, check your containers once or twice a day. Container plants dry out quickly. It’s best to water in the early morning to cut down on disease.
5.  To keep plants their healthiest through the season, be sure to add supplemental fertilizer every three to four weeks throughout the growing season.
6. To overwinter your perennials for next year, you will need to protect the perennial plants from the extremes of the winter weather. After the first few frosts, place your containers in an unheated garage or if not available, keep pots outside covered with protection. Remind yourself to water these container planters about once a month to keep them from drying out throughout the winter.

Container gardening is a great way to help pollinators and have beautiful flowers on your patio, deck or balcony. You really don’t need a yard to help pollinators!