A pollinator garden is a great way to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your yard! It’s also great to add color and beauty to your outdoor space. To get started, choose plants that are native to your area and that flower throughout the growing season – this will ensure your garden is attractive to pollinators year-round.
Here are some beautiful blooms that are native to Tennessee that butterflies and bees will love.
Phlox is a perennial flower that is pretty versatile. You can get creeping phlox, which works great as a ground cover plant. This variety grows in early spring, so once the threat of frost has passed, it’s time to plant! Tall and medium varieties also add excellent pops of color and are LOW maintenance (even better!) So many types are native to North America that there is a phlox for every garden!
The Tennessee Coneflower might as well be renamed the butterfly magnet! These fuchsia flowers spent 32 years on the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species list, until conservation efforts knocked it off in 2011. It loves full sun, can handle drier soil and blooms in early summer.
Any UT fans out there? Any Vol would be happy to grow this bright orange flower that is synonymous with the monarch butterfly. The monarchs depend on milkweed varieties to complete their lifecycle and are their sole food source. It’s easy to grow and doesn’t need to be fertilized! If you want to order seeds to grow your own, go to save our monarchs and learn why milkweed is so important!
Hello, hummingbirds! Meet the Monarda, a showy and bright bloom that loves full sun and moist soil. It got the nickname ‘bee balm’ because it used to be used to treat bee stings! It’s a member of the mint family and the flowers are edible! Bates Nursery and Garden Center in Nashville is the perfect place to take home one of these beauties to use in your new pollinator garden.
Make sure to avoid using any pesticides or herbicides in your pollinator garden, as they can potentially harm your new flying friends.
HAPPY PLANTING!