How to Choose Seeds Based on the Pollinators You Want to Attract

When we plant a garden, we’re not just growing food or flowers, we’re creating habitat.

One of the most powerful ways we can support the ecosystem around us is by choosing seeds with intention. Different plants attract different pollinators, and by understanding these relationships, we can design gardens that are not only beautiful, but alive with bees, butterflies, birds, and beneficial insects.

To make this simple, we’ve created a pollinator-friendly planting guide that helps you choose seeds based on who you want to welcome into your garden.

Who do you want to attract?

• Bees

• Butterflies

• Monarchs

• Hummingbirds

• Beneficial insects

• Or all of the above

Each group is drawn to different plant shapes, colors, and functions—and some plants support multiple pollinators at once.

Butterflies bring a special kind of magic to the garden—but to truly support them, we need to think beyond nectar.

They need:

1. Nectar plants (for adult butterflies)

2. Host plants (for their caterpillars)

We recommend:

• Milkweed (native to your region only)

• Dill

• Fennel

• Cosmos

• Zinnias

• Echinacea

• Mexican Sunflower

These plants offer both beauty and function, supporting butterflies through their entire lifecycle.

Bees are some of the most important pollinators in our gardens. They are drawn to open, nectar- and pollen-rich flowers where they can easily land and forage.

We love planting:

• Borage

• Calendula

• Anise Hyssop

• Echinacea

• Lemon Balm

• Thyme & Oregano (when allowed to flower)

• Zinnias and Cosmos

Planting in clusters helps bees find and return to your garden more easily, increasing pollination across your crops.

If we only plant nectar flowers, butterflies may visit, but they won’t stay.

Host plants are where butterflies lay their eggs and where caterpillars feed.

From our collection:

• Milkweed → essential for Monarchs

• Dill, Fennel, Cilantro → support Swallowtail butterflies

Including even a small patch of these plants can dramatically increase butterfly populations in your garden.  Knowing what these host plants look like when they are being used as a host plant is important too.  To the untrained eye it may look like a pest caterpillar devouring your plant.  Little do you know that its a hungry caterpillar feeding for its next transition as a butterfly! 

Host plants are one of the most important—and most overlooked—pieces of creating a truly alive garden.  Most people focus on flowers that attract butterflies, but that only supports the adult stage. If we want butterflies to actually live, reproduce, and return year after year, we need to support their entire lifecycle.

Hummingbirds are drawn to bright, tubular flowers rich in nectar.  These plants create movement, color, and energy turning the garden into a dynamic, living space.  Some of our favorites include:

• Bee Balm

• Anise Hyssop

• Nasturtium

• Morning Glory

• Zinnias

• Cosmos

Not all beneficial insects get the spotlight—but they play a vital role in keeping gardens healthy.  Plants like the on the following list attract predatory insects like ladybugs and lacewings, which help naturally manage pests.

• Dill

• Cilantro

• Fennel

• Calendula

• Yarrow

• Thyme & Oregano

One of the simplest things we can do is let our herbs flower—this creates habitat and food for these often-overlooked allies.

Some plants are true multi-pollinator allies. If you’re not sure where to start, begin here:

• Cosmos

• Zinnias

• Borage

• Echinacea

• Coreopsis

• Sunflowers

These varieties are easy to grow, long-blooming, and support a wide range of pollinators throughout the season.

Building a thriving pollinator garden is  possible whether you have a small patch to work with or a larger amount of land.

A few simple practices make all the difference:

• Plant in clusters rather than single plants

• Choose a diversity of blooms across seasons

• Include both nectar and host plants

• Avoid pesticides

• Allow some plants to flower and go to seed

When we garden this way, we’re not just growing plants—we’re participating in a living system.

To make this even easier, we’ve created a visual infographic you can reference as you plan your garden:

This guide helps you quickly choose seeds based on the pollinators you want to support, and highlights key plants that serve multiple roles.

Pollinator Infographic.