The idea to having a pollinator friendly garden is becoming increasingly popular over recent years, and for very good reason.

Pollinators contribute to the majority of food crops succeeding, along with preventing soil degradation and plant extinction.

As a backyard gardener or small homesteader, we know that attracting pollinators to our area helps fruit and vegetable production tenfold.

Here I go into 9 flowers that you can grow to help create a healthy pollinator garden, that has a cottage garden style to it.

Let’s Dive in…

Pollinator Friendly Flowers | Cottage Gardens

Butterflies, bees, beneficial wasps (important predator for vegetable foes), a wide range of birds, ladybugs and even hummingbirds will been seen zipping around the garden with these flowers in line.

Pollinators are more likely to visit your flowers first then reach your vegetables.

Very important especially if you have had to rely on hand pollination in the past.

If you plant an array of flowers, chances are you will attract the pollinators and let the insects to the work for you making gardening much more enjoyable.

Here are my top 9 flowers I have grown that have made pollinators flock to my garden:

1. Sunflowers
2. Zinna
3. Bee Balm
4. Coneflowers
5. Black Eyed Susans
6. Yarrow
7. Nasturtiums
8. Cosmos
9. Hollyhocks

Sunflowers

Easy to grow and come in an impressive amount of variety.

There are dwarf and giant ones, single head blooms and ones that bloom 10-15 heads a stalk.

Although their bloom season is short, leading to the need for succession planting, sunflowers bring in the most bees when blooming.

After they bloom, birds will come in and feed on the seeds.

If you plant sunflowers close to your house you can easily birdwatch the rest of the summer.

Sunflowers help keep the birds around to pick up grubs plaguing your gardens.

They also do well in a cut flower vase making a must have in the garden.

Zinnia

Another, extremely easy to grow plant that come in a large variety of colors and sizes.

Giant and dwarf varieties, along with frilly leaf varieties are available. Cactus zinnias are a personal favorite.

Most do better when blooms are continually cut throughout the growing season.

They do extremely well attracting bees and butterflies.

Can easily be planted next to vegetables or anywhere that needs a splash of color.

Bee balm

Bee balm lives up to its name and a great plant to attract bees.

I have often seen hummingbirds visit the plant too.

Best part about Bee Balm is that is perennial and low maintenance.

They smell sweet and can be used in tea.

They come in a few colors with pink, purples, and reds being most common. Their blooms are frilly and unique added that soft edge to create a cottage look.

Coneflowers

Also known as echinacea, coneflowers are a go to flower for most gardeners and are easy to find in local nurseries.

Extremely hardy, perennial, and come in a variety of colors.

Both bees and birds enjoy coneflowers.

They are slow growing, so they don’t overtake a garden and have a long bloom period making them an ideal in a low maintenance flower bed.

Black Eyed Susan’s

Similar to coneflowers, black eyed Susan’s are very hardy and perennials.

Black Eyed Susans will bloom well after frost making them an ideal flower for late summer and fall foliage.

They can tolerate shade and bees love them.

The bright yellow variety is most commonly recognized but these do come in beautiful fall shades of orange, red, and gold.

Yarrow

Although there are only a couple colors to choose, Yarrow adds interest with its fern like leaves and umbrella shaped flowers.

It spreads politely making this a great cottage garden addition.

Flowers are a favorite to ladybugs and other beneficial insects because of their dense bases.

So easy to grow you can plant and ignore them making them an ideal low maintenance plant.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums (nas-stur-shums) are an incredible companion plant to vegetables.

Coming in a great amount of variety, nasturtiums are one of the easiest ways to add color, along with zinnias and sunflowers.

Their cup like blooms and lily pad leaves add great contrast to the commonly ‘daisy like’ bloom structure.

You can grow them in a pot to hang down, but I find they do best in the ground.

They bring in plenty of pollinators to grow every year.

Cosmos

Another opportunity to add a great variety of color and shape to your garden.

These flowy flowers can offer that classic cottage look to any garden while bringing in the bees and butterflies by the handful.

Cosmo is easy enough to start from seed and do well in a cut flower vase as well.

Hollyhocks

Nothing says ‘enjoy this humble garden’ quite like a hollyhock.

Their tall stature and lily pad shaped leaves add instant charm and color to a garden.

Happy Lights variety is known to be more rust resistant and add a pack of charming colors to your garden.

Bees and hummingbirds both love hollyhocks.

They can grow near the house or in the vegetable garden but always a must have each year.

That’s It!

You can dedicate a bed to these flowers or simply place them in existing beds.

Either way, attracting pollinators is easy with this list of flowers.

Enjoy!

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12-IN 1 Metal Raised bed in Barn Red, featured in my own personal garden