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Attract pollinators this month with these eight colourful flowers
- Tamsin Hope Thomson
Published: Thursday, 30 April 2026 at 12:47 pm
Add colour to your garden while attracting beneficial pollinators – we show you how.
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Spring is a great time to plant new perennials and shrubs, so they can become established before temperatures increase in summer. These plants will not only give your border a boost of colour but will also attract a variety of pollinators, from bees and butterflies to hoverflies and beetles. The more pollinators you can attract to feed and breed in your garden, the healthier your garden will be as a whole.
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Thrift
Thrift, Armeria maritima 'Splendens'. Paul Debois
Brighten rockeries or borders with thrift, a low-growing and low-maintenance native perennial that flowers between May and June. The small pink flowers are especially popular with honeybees and short tongued bumblebees. Plant in full sun in free draining soil. Typically found growing in coastal regions, thrift is drought tolerant once established.
Height x Spread: 50cm x 50cm
Scabious
Scabiosa columbaria 'Pink Mist'. Sarah Cuttle
Scabiouses are typically long flowering perennials attractive to a variety of pollinators. There are several types, including field scaboous (Knautia arvensis), small scabious (Scabiosa columbaria) and devil's bit scabious (Succisa pratensis). Their pretty pincushion flowers are a draw for bumblebees, honeybees, solitary bees, hoverflies and butterflies. All types thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, although do best in more alkaline soils.
H x S: up to 1.5m x 30cm
Honesty
Honesty, Lunaria annua. Jason Ingram
Sow seeds of this biennial in early summer for flowers the following spring. Its lilac or white flowers are a valuable source of nectar for bees and butterflies, appearing between May and June. These are followed by attractive round seedheads that add winter interest to borders. The orange-tip butterfly uses honesty as a caterpillar foodplant. Grow it in partial shade or sun and leave to self seed.
H x S: 1m x 50cm
Ceanothus
Ceanothus. Jason Ingram
Ceanothus has nectar rich flowers that are particularly attractive to bees. It's a beautiful shrub for brightening a border in early summer, with evergreen foliage that looks good year round. Plant it in a sunny spot and once established, it should be drought tolerant.
H x S: 4m x 4cm
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii 'Lambrook Gold'. Jason Ingram
Bearing zingy lime flowers, this euphorbia will brighten up a border in early summer, while providing nectar and pollen for bees. And it's easy to combine with a variety of plants from cranesbills and nepeta to alliums and lavender. The flowers are often a lime or acid yellow colour, which goes well with lilac and purple.
H x S: 1.5m x 1.5cm
Hardy geraniums
Hardy geranium 'Rozanne'. Torie Chugg
Choose a long-flowering geranium and you'll be providing nectar for pollinators such as hoverflies and bees throughout summer and into autumn. Varieties such as 'Rozanne' flower from June until October, while the pale pink 'Dreamland' blooms from May until September.
H x S: 1m x 1cm
Aquilegias
Aquilegia vulgaris (red and white variety). Jason Ingram
Aquilegias are visited by long-tongued bees such as Bombus hortorum, which can access the nectar at the end of the plant's long spurs. This easy to grow cottage garden plant will flourish in sun or partial shade, flowering between May and June. There's a huge colour range to choose from from pure white through to bright bi-coloured combinations.
H x S: up to 50cm x 50cm
Weigela
Weigela florida 'Variegata'. Jason Ingram
Add structure with an easy going shrub that looks good year round and has funnel-shaped flowers in early summer that are attractive to butterflies and bees. It's compact habit makes it a good choice for small gardens, reaching around two metres tall after 10 years.
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H x S: up to 1.5m x 1.5cm
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