Relentless Gardener: Annuals that Make for Great Pollinator Plants

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Most of us consider perennials when we think of plants that are great pollinators. Several annuals make great pollinator plants. There is a wide selection in both color and variety to satisfy almost any gardener. Some reseed themselves.

Cosmos is a popular annual for the middle or back of your garden. The foliage is feathery. It comes in shades of pink, white, and orange. Cosmos attracts butterflies, moths, bees, syrphid flies, and beetles. The syrphid flies are also called Hover flies because they hover over a flower. They do not look like flies. They resemble tiny bees or yellow jackets, but they are smaller in size. These annuals grow in full sun and well-drained soils. Place the seed in the ground after all danger of frost or purchase small plants at your local greenhouse or nursery.

Zinnias are a popular annual that comes in almost every color of the rainbow. Most zinnias can be placed in the front of a garden because they grow to a foot tall. However, for State Fair, it grows two feet tall and can be planted in the middle of the garden. It is best to grow these in full sun and well-drained soils. Zinnias attract butterflies, moths, bees, syrphid flies, and beetles.

Petunias are great for groundcover plants as well as pollinators. Petunias come in many combinations of colors. The New Wave and other varieties need no deadheading. They can be placed in the front of a garden or grown in mass in a section of the garden. Petunias attract butterflies, bees, bee flies, and hummingbirds.

Annual Daisies, such as Melampodium divaricatum, are great as a showy annual with yellow flowers. These will bloom from May through October. They like well-drained, average soils and full sun. If you live in areas where there is humidity and heat, these annuals tolerate these conditions. Deadheading is not required. These do equally well in containers and garden beds. They make a great showy border of yellow.

Linda Langelo is a Colorado State University Extension Horticulture Specialist, a member of Garden Communicators International, and a regular contributor to MarthaStewart.com gardening articles. She also produces The Relentless Gardener Podcast and the Relentless Gardener Column, which won a Laurel Award from Garden Communicators International. She is a guest blogger for AARP Colorado and AARP Maryland.