Become a Member
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Pinterest
  • New Plants
    • New Plants Search
    • Green Thumb Award Winners
  • Year Of Plants
    • Year of the Amaryllis
      • Amaryllis Pictures
    • Year of the Broccoli
      • Broccoli Pictures
    • Year of the Celosia
      • Celosia Pictures
    • Year of the Orchid
      • Orchid Pictures
    • Year of the Rudbeckia
      • Rudbeckia Pictures
    • Year of the Spirea
      • Spirea Pictures
    • 2022 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Gladiolus
        • Gladiolus Pictures
      • Year of the Lilac
        • Lilac Pictures
      • Year of the Peperomia
        • Peperomia Pictures
      • Year of the Phlox
        • Phlox Pictures
      • Year of the Salad Greens
        • Salad Greens Pictures
      • Year of the Verbena
        • Verbena Pictures
    • 2021 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Hardy Hibiscus
        • Hardy Hibiscus Pictures
      • Year of the Garden Bean
        • Garden Bean Pictures
      • Year of the Hyacinth
        • Hyacinth Pictures
      • Year of the Monarda
        • Monarda Pictures
      • Year of the Sunflower
        • Sunflower Pictures
        • #YearoftheSunflower Video Contest Winners
    • 2020 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Lavender
        • Lavender Pictures
      • Year of the Lantana
        • Lantana Pictures
      • Year of the Hydrangea
        • Hydrangea Pictures
      • Year of the Iris
        • Iris Pictures
      • Year of the Corn
        • Corn Pictures
    • 2019 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Snapdragon
        • Snapdragon Pictures
      • Year of the Dahlia
        • Dahlia pictures
      • Year of the Pumpkin
        • Pumpkin Pictures
      • Year of the Salvia nemorosa
        • Salvia nemorosa pictures
    • 2018 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Coreopsis
        • Coreopsis Pictures
      • Year of the Tulip
        • Tulip Pictures
      • Year of the Calibrachoa
        • Calibrachoa Pictures
      • Year of the Beet
        • Beet Pictures
    • 2017 Year Of Plants
      • Year of the Daffodil
        • Daffodil Pictures
      • Year of the Brassica
        • Brassica Pictures
      • Year of the Rose
        • Rose Pictures
      • Year of the Pansy
        • Pansy Pictures
  • Combo Ideas
  • Inspiration
    • NGB Blog
    • FAQs
    • Newsletter
    • Pinterest
    • Promote Gardening
    • #YearoftheSunflower Video Contest Winners
    • Snapdragon Video Winners
  • Education
    • Member Blogs
    • Books
    • Online Courses
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • Products
    • Garden Books
    • Garden Décor
    • Garden Tools
    • Green Thumb Award Winners
  • Shop Members
    • United States
    • Canada
  • Garden Grant
    • Therapeutic Grant Program
  • Contact
Pretty Portable pollinator gardens - National Garden Bureau

Pretty, portable pollinator gardens: Top 10 plants for pollinator-friendly containers

Container Gardening, Pollinator GardeningMay 4, 2022gail

Bees, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators play an important role in our global ecosystem.

In fact, they are essential. By transporting pollen from one plant to another, they make growing the food we eat and the beautiful garden spaces we enjoy possible. One of the easiest ways to support a healthy growing environment is to plant a diverse selection of plants, making sure to include the types of blooms that various pollinators love.

“Pollinator gardens provide food for bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, and other helpful species,” says Diane Blazek, Executive Director at National Garden Bureau (NGB). “In turn, they pollinate the vegetables that produce our food. They really are essential. That’s why it is important for everyone to do their part.”

In This Article

  • Moveable Pollinator Gardens
  • Customize Your Blend
  • 10 Plants with a Purpose
  • Container Tips
  • Verbena
  • Phlox
  • Coneflower or Echinacea
  • Sedum
  • Salvia
  • Bee Balm or Monarda
  • Lavender
  • Sunflower
  • Lantana
  • Coreopsis

Moveable Pollinator Gardens

You don’t have to devote a large space to pollinators to make a difference. Container gardens are a great way to provide the food sources that pollinators need to thrive. Having movable containers can also come in very handy if you want to move your pollinator gardens from space to space. Let’s say you really want to attract bees but have company coming and there is a concern about the nearness of your beloved bees. It is easy to move the containers to another area of your garden for the duration of that visit! Or you have hummingbird-attracting plants and want to move them so you can watch them at work from the comfort of your home. Simply move them to be visible from inside!

Attract Various Pollinators

A diverse selection of plants attracts a diverse range of pollinators. Different flower colors attract different pollinators but adding various flower shapes and forms is also important. Butterflies like flower clusters with flat, open blooms like yarrow, coneflower, and zinnia. Hummingbirds like the tubular flower types such as penstemon, cuphea, and salvia. Bees and wasps prefer different types of flowers depending on their tongue length.

10 Plants with a Purpose

There are so many beautiful pollinator-friendly plant choices, the container combinations are endless. Here are a few to get your pollinator containers growing.
“National Garden Bureau chose Verbena as our Annual of the Year and Phlox as our Perennial of the Year for 2022, due in part to their popularity with pollinators,” says Blazek. “Both Phlox and Verbena are beautiful, easy-to-grow flowers that are available in a wide variety of colors.” 

#1 Verbena

Heat-loving Verbena are available in mounding or trailing types that can be container centerpieces or softening accent plants.

Cadet Upright Purple from Selecta - Year of the Verbena - National Garden Bureau
Obsession Pastel Mix from Syngenta - Year of the Verbena - National Garden Bureau
Butterfly on verbena

#2 Phlox

Compact Garden Phlox look stunning in larger containers while groundcover types create a cascade of early spring flowers for pollinators to feed on.
Luminary Opalescence from Spring Meadow - Year of the Phlox - National Garden Bureau
Eye Shadow from Jung Seed - Year of the Phlox - National Garden Bureau
Phlox with Butterfly

#3 Coneflower or Echinacea

Coneflowers, or echinacea, provide a summer pollinator food source, then a fall/winter seed source, for the birds. Compact varieties can be a wonderful addition to smaller containers, while taller types serve as the focal point of the container. Since Coneflowers come in many color choices, you’re sure to find one to work with your color scheme.
Echinacea Sombrero Baja Burgundy -
Passion For Pompeii
Smaller species, like goldfinches, cling to plants to pluck seeds | National Garden Bureau

#4 Sedum

Sedum flowers in late summer and early fall, providing a food source at a time when fewer floral resources are available. Look for Back in Black Sedum, an NGB Green Thumb Award winner, as a great addition to your fall pollinator garden.
Sedum Back in Black - 2022 Green Thumb Award Winner - National Garden Bureau
Sedum Evolution™ Purple Crush
Sedum is a great pollinator in late summer/early fall

#5 Salvia

The tall, spikey blooms of both annual and perennial Salvia are naturals in any pollinator garden. Extremely easy to grow, and available in several different colors and species, they look beautiful in containers all on their own. One new salvia, also a winner of the NGB Green Thumb Award, is Hummingbird Falls, and guess what, it is a hummingbird magnet!
Salvia Bordeau Compact Sky Blue by Syngeta Flowers - Year of the Salvia - National Garden Bureau
Salvia New Diminension Blue from PanAmerican - Kieft Seed - Year of the Salvia - National Garden Bureau
Salvai Hummingbird Falls will bring hummingbirds to your garden when you add this to your hanging baskets - National Garden Bureau

#6 Bee Balm or Monarda

As its name suggests, Bee Balm, or monarda, is a proven feast for bees. Colorful, pom-pom-shaped blooms planted in containers capture the attention of both pollinators and humans.
Sugar Buzz Blue Moon Bloom from Ball Horticulture - Year of the Monarda - National Garden Bureau
Balmy Purple Container from Ball Horticulture - Year of the Monarda - National Garden Bureau
Monarda is a feast for bees and other pollinators

#7 Lavender

The beautiful blooms of lavender are a big draw for pollinators, while the scent provides a welcome and calming invitation for all visitors to linger in the garden.
Avignon Early Blue by Burpee - Year of the Lavender - National Garden Bureau
Blue Spear by Burpee - Year of the Lavender - National Garden Bureau
Javelin Forte™ Deep Purple Spanish Lavender

#8 Sunflower

Sunflowers now come in compact sizes that are perfect for containers. Choose from bushy, reblooming types, or dwarf types, both of which can be used in patio pots.
Sunflower Solsation Yellow
Sunflower Suncredible container
SunBelievable™ Sunflower from Monrovia - Year of the Sunflower - National Garden Bureau

#9 Lantana

If you’re looking for a drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly plant, Lantana is a good choice. Spreading varieties in a vast array of warm colors look great spilling over the edges of containers.
Lantana Bandolero Red by Syngenta Flowers - Year of the Lantana - National Garden Bureau
Lantana Little Lucky Hot Pink by Ball Flora - Year of the Lantana - National Garden Bureau
Pollinators love Lantana - Year of the Lantana - National Garden Bureau

#10 Coreopsis

With its airy texture, Coreopsis is another excellent choice for pollinator containers. Bright-colored blooms are especially attractive to butterflies.
Coreopsis Andiamo Yellow Red from Syngenta - Year of the Coreopsis - National Garden Bureau
Coreopsis Cosmic Eye from Darwin Perennial - Year of the Coreopsis - National Garden Bureau

Container Tips

Don’t forget to water!

Container gardens will dry out faster than landscape plantings, so water more frequently to keep the soil evenly moist. For almost carefree gardening, consider using self-watering containers. Simply keep the water-holding reservoirs at capacity and your plants will be watered as needed.

Rim Tru Drop One Self Watering Planter Crescent Garden - National Garden Bureau

Vary the Height

In addition to a large selection of flower colors and textures, pollinators are attracted to blooms at varying heights. Place your containers on decorative plant stands to elevate containers for a pleasing design.

Forge & Flower Piazza Plant Stands - National Garden Bureau

“This post is provided as an educational/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau and our members. Please credit and link to National Garden Bureau and author member when using all or parts of this article.”

Previous post 4 Flower Sources for Your Victorian Garden Next post Savor a Scent-sational Garden with Fragrant Plants

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Follow Blog via Email

Sign-Up to receive notifications of our new posts.

Search

Topics

  • DIY Crafts & Gifts
  • Flower Shows and Festivals
  • Garden Grant Recipients
  • Gardening as Therapy
  • Gardening Books
  • How-to
  • Indoor Gardening
  • Kid's Gardening
  • Planning and Design
    • Backyard Habitat
    • Container Gardening
    • Garden Planning & Design
    • Perennials
    • Plants for Shade
  • Plant Care
    • Pests and Diseases
    • Plant Care & Maintenance
    • Soil, Compost and Mulch
    • Winter Gardening
  • Planting
    • Flower Gardening
    • Foodscaping
    • Herbs
    • Planting Tips
    • Seeds and Seed Starting
    • Vegetables
  • Pollinator Gardening
  • Recipes

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017

Contact

National Garden Bureau
5201 Walnut Ave., Suite 3
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Phone: 630-963-0770
Email

Quick Links

New Plants
2022 Year Of Plants
Inspiration
Shop Our Members
National Promotions
Garden Grant
AAS Winners
Video Contest Winners

About NGB

Who We Are
Become a Member
Member Directory
Member Photo Libraries
NGB in the News

Newsletter Sign-Up

Sign-Up for our Newsletter Here

Copyright © 2023 National Garden Bureau. All rights reserved.

Sign-Up for our FREE Sunflower E-Book