How to Start Your Own Pollinator Garden in Pots or Containers
Awakening bumblebee queens, emerging butterflies, migrating hummingbirds - these are all signs of spring signaling for us to create a potted pollinator garden in hospitality to the locals. Pollinators and beneficial insects enrich biodiversity, manage pests, and keep ornamentals and vegetables healthy and productive. Here, gardening expert Katherine Rowe outlines the essentials to create a buzzing pollinator container garden at any scale.
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Container gardens present the perfect opportunity to add beauty while supporting balance in the garden. Every colorful potted arrangement we make is a chance to benefit pollinators. From a small or soiless space like a patio or balcony to embellishing the front porch or adding interest to existing plantings, thoughtful containers are an excellent way to provide pollinator resources.
Nectar and pollen-rich plants that bloom throughout the season draw hummingbirds, honeybees, butterflies, moths, and other beneficial insects. They support songbirds, who poke around to manage insects or forage after flowers go to seed. The partnership between the plant selection and local birds and insects makes for a well-rounded garden ecosystem.
A multitasking pollinator container has all the looks, plus the merits that the insects rely on. Design the container pollinator garden to match your style and aesthetic, whether formal and tidy or informal and naturalistic. With the right combination, the pollinators appreciate the bounty no matter the look. Using color, varying floral forms, and a diverse selection, the container garden comes to life with buzzing energy.
Getting Started: Pot Sizing, Siting, and Soil Prep
The beauty of containers is that they allow us to control the growing conditions, from sun exposure to soil to moisture levels. The portable elements, arranged with nearby spacing for traveling insects, provide a floriferous refuge.
Siting
The first step in setting up a pollinator container garden is to observe how sunlight moves through the site. This informs plant selection and honing in on those most likely to bloom in the space. While many pollinator-attracting plants prefer full sun (six or more hours), there are lots that grow in partial shade (four or more hours) and even those for full shade.
Observe your space at different times of day to account for direct sun and shaded zones as the light shifts. Bonus if the area has good morning sun, when the sun’s rays are less intensive than in the afternoon for potted specimens.
Make sure you have easy access to water, too, as the pots will need it frequently during the summer. To check soil moisture, do a touch test. If it’s dry to a couple of inches below the surface, it’s time to water. At each session, water deeply until it flows out of the base. If you’re using a multitude of pots for your pollinator container garden, a simple drip system helps control water volume for plants with similar growing requirements.
Good air circulation is essential for containers, especially in humid environments, so allow airflow by giving pots space between walls and structures and granting a little more room between each other.
Pot Size and Material
When it comes to pot selection, size and drainage capacity are the key elements. Size is variable for each plant—allow plenty of room to accommodate mature roots and upper growth, and opt for larger containers for mixed combinations. Large pots (18” diameter or more) accommodate more growth, retain moisture longer, and overwinter better than small ones.
Containers dry out faster than in-ground plantings, and small pots dry out more quickly than larger ones (though their portability and budget-friendliness are advantages). Raised beds, too, are excellent options for pollinator plantings.
Opt for containers with good drainage holes, as most pollinator favorites benefit from well-draining situations for healthy roots. They don’t thrive in standing water, which depletes oxygen levels in the soil (necessary for roots to function).
Terra cotta and porous materials allow aeration and drain quickly, which promotes healthy roots. They also dry out faster, require more frequent watering, and may crack in freezing temperatures without protection.
Potting Soil
To give the pollinator container garden the best foundation, use a high-quality, well-draining potting mix. Formulated for contained growing, pre-packaged potting mixes are sterile, contain nutrients to foster growth, and have moisture-retaining properties in combination with good drainage.
Avoid “garden soil,” which is a mix tailored for in-ground plantings. The potting mix is airy and less compact, allowing roots to breathe in less-dense conditions.
Topdress with compost each spring to improve drainage and keep organic richness in mind – some perennials need rich organic matter, while others (especially some natives) prefer average or lean soils.
Choose a Variety of Flower Shapes and Forms
A variety of flower shapes and forms ensures that pollinators have access to nectar for energy and pollen for protein. From tubular blooms with nectar-rich centers to flat-petaled flowers with prominent stamens and open centers, a combination provides broad appeal. Pollinator favorites like asters and milkweeds bring a wide array of color and texture to pollinator container gardens.
A variety also provides places to land and take shelter for rest and from wind and rain. Perennials like yarrow become prime landing pads, and cupped or enclosed flowers like poppies, foxgloves, salvia, catmint, and squash blossoms offer a resting spot.
A few pollinator-favorite plants include:
- Agastache
- Aster
- Blazing Star Liatris
- Beebalm
- Catmint
- Echinacea
- Milkweed
- Nasturtium
- Rudbeckia
- Salvia
- Solidago
- Zinnias
Diversity the Selection
Grow as many selections as you can fit, either in a single pot or in a clustered density of containers. Include a variety of fragrant, colorful selections to promote a well-rounded, balanced approach to supporting beneficial insects and birds. Different heights and flower sizes offer a generalist approach for wide appeal.
A biodiverse garden also offers natural pest control. Different floral forms attract predatory insects like lacewings and ladybugs manage destructive pests like aphids and mites. We also know that pollinating creatures are responsible for flourishing ornamentals and food crops.
Some plants are explicitly bred to perform well in container culture, with many compact perennial varieties in cultivation. Often well-suited to container culture, dwarf plant varieties offer more compact, fuller forms and denser blooming in a pot. Container perennials don’t have to be dwarf cultivars, though, as long as the ot can accommodate them.
For butterfly container gardens, diversity also means supporting hungry larvae. Butterfly host plants support future populations by providing forage for the caterpillars and shelter for the developing chrysalis. So, sharing some like dill and milkweed means more butterflies in the future.
Arrange by Growing Preferences
An essential part of maintaining and sustaining a flourishing pollinator container garden is to meet the proper growing conditions of all the selections. Streamline care and promote the best health by grouping like selections in the same pot or site.
Many prefer evenly moist soils, while some prefer to dry slightly between waterings. Succulents and xeric types need less water. Keep like-types together, paying special attention to sun exposure and water needs.
Use Continual Color as a Beacon
Your favorite color palette is bound to attract buzzing visitors. Yellow and purple flowers are especially attractive to butterflies. Red and bright pinks are neon signs for hummingbirds (especially red Monarda). Purple-blue and yellows are in the bee’s cone of vision.
Call on a blend of pastel and bold shades as they fit your color scheme. Primary, vibrant colors energize the space, while soft shades add tranquility and recess, making a space appear larger. Insects will visit all with the appropriate food sources.
Plan for continual blooming. Many perennials, including natives, flower all summer and into fall. Include staggered bloom times and those that span the seasons. Early risers in spring (coreopsis, columbine) and those that show a flush in fall (rudbeckia, aster, salvia) provide early and late food reserves to correspond to emergence, migration, and before overwintering.
Go Native
Native plants are a hallmark of pollinator container gardens. Their specific set of attributes matches the needs of native pollinators. They also adapt to the growing environment with the need for a few extra resources. Many are perennials for years of recurrent color, even in a pot.
Native cultivars vary in their nectar and pollen attributes as they relate to pollinator support. Some are rich and perform just as well (or better) than the straight species, both in performance and pollinator resources. Others may not offer the same merits (sterile hybrids, for example, don’t offer seeds for birds to forage post-bloom).
The Xerces Society offers a comprehensive pollinator recommendation plant list by state. The USDA has an interactive plant search database that identifies site-specific natives and their associated insects.
Blend Perennials, Annuals, and Edibles
Pollinators and other beneficial insects flock to flowering ornamentals and herbs for nectar and pollen. They’ll also visit fruits and vegetables to pollinate the crops. Echinacea, rosemary, lavender, yarrow, catmint, bee balm, and many others are valuable food sources.
These bridge the perennial border and edible landscape, as do native plants, well-adapted to varying growing conditions. Grow them in single pots or interplant a mixed arrangement for a pollinator partnership.
Blend annuals, perennials, vegetables, and herbs in containers to encourage and host wildlife. Birds and insects benefit from the variety and multi-seasonal offerings. Heliotrope, lantana, marigolds, nasturtium, pentas, and verbena are examples of food-rich annuals. Butterflies like umbellifers like fennel, parsley, lovage, borage, and carrots, and Brassica vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, mustards, and kale.
Add a Puddling Zone
A small, shallow water source provides moisture and nutrients in rainwater that butterflies enjoy. Make a little mud puddle indentation or use a shallow dish. Place flat rocks in the dish or pooling area as a sunning and resting zone. A bubbler or small fountain offers circulation to avoid standing water. Fruit scraps (even rotting fruits) are also a draw.
Overwintering
If you’re working with perennials, overwinter them in their pots for reemergence in the spring. Tender tropicals and some annuals, too, overwinter in a sheltered spot. There are several ways to overwinter perennials in pots and containers.
Cluster pots together for insulation or use a thermal cloth cover during frigid conditions. To further protect both pot and plant, insulate the container with thermal material, fleece, bubble wrap, or burlap secured with plastic wrap. This helps prevent the container from cracking while providing one more layer against cold air temperatures.
An enclosed space offers the best protection against winter elements and the best chance of survival. Bring potted perennials into an unheated space like a garage, basement, shed, or cold frame when possible.
Consider Winter Habitat
To foster the pollinators that visit our pots in the warm season, foster a hospitable overwintering habitat in the cool months. Many species overwinter and lay eggs in fallen leaves. Fireflies and other beetles dwell in the leaf layer, as do bumblebee queens, who bury themselves in the leaves to overwinter. Butterfly and moth pupae overwinter beneath the fall foliage before they emerge in spring.
Since pollinators nest, lay eggs, and overwinter in fallen leaves and the hollow stems of dormant perennials, leave fall’s leaf drop in place if you have the capacity. Let them lie in place to decompose over the season. Or rake whole leaves into garden beds and around trees as mulch to provide insulation and soil enrichment as the leaves break down.
If you don’t have a yard that experiences deciduous trees, just plan for those early, mid, and late season blooms in your pollinator container garden to enrich the local ecosystem. Bring them out of winter protection as temperatures warm, or install new selections to revive the buffet.
