I'd love to hear about the unexpected plants in your garden that have turned out to be hits with pollinators. For me, I let my blue African basil bolt, and it ended up attracting bees, hover flies, wasps, hummingbirds, and butterflies—definitely made me feel like a gardening pro! What about you? What plants have surprised you with their pollinator pull?
3 Answers
I’ve got a big bottlebrush tree that was already here when I moved in, and wow, it pulls in hummingbirds and bumblebees almost all year round. It's a surprise superstar in my yard!
My surprise win was catnip! It grows like a weed and reseeds everywhere, which is funny because it attracts all sorts of pollinators. Also, I grew a tomatillo plant and didn’t realize I needed two for it to produce, but the bumblebees went crazy for the flowers anyway!
I grew Albion strawberries, and while they’re self-pollinating, they attracted a ton of wasps, hoverflies, and bumblebees. Plus, I always let my coleus flower around this time of year, and the bumblebees absolutely love it. Those tall flower spikes are a sight to see, just like basil's!
That's similar to my experience! I had no idea how much the bumblebees would love my luffa gourd plants. Those huge yellow flowers were a surprise magnet for multiple bumbles at once, especially as everything else started dying off! It's a beautiful scene.