Pollinator Garden Ontario

Best for: butterflies

Swamp Milkweed for wet spots

Common Milkweed for dry areas.

Colours: pink, orange, yellow, white, and purple

Best for: bees

The tubular flowers provide an easily accessible source of nectar and pollen, serving as a vital food source throughout the summer

Colours: jewel-toned red, pink, purple, lavender, and white

Best for: bees

Zigzag goldenrod is a good option

Colour: golden to lemon yellow

Best for: bees, butterflies

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Colours: purple, pink, white

Best for: bees, butterflies

​Queen bumblebees are attracted to and well-adapted to these pea-shaped flowers.

Vital host for different butterfly species

Colours: indigo, light blue

Best for: bees, butterflies (and birds)!

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Colours: magenta, white, orange, yellow

Best for: bees, butterflies

A beautiful tree and crucial early-spring food source supporting a wide variety of native bees, butterflies, and moths when nectar sources are few and far between.

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Colours: white, bright pink; purple foliage

Best for: bees

​A high-value plant that provides essential, early-season nectar and pollen for bees.

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Colours: white, yellow

Best for: bees

Willows are one of the most critical, high-quality food sources in early spring. They provide abundant, nutrient-rich pollen and nectar, supporting queen bumblebees and allowing honeybee colonies to grow quickly. Willow pollen has high protein content, crucial for feeding new larvae. An exceptional tree!

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Colours: green

Best for: bees (+birds!)

Blooming from late summer to fall, obedients offer a lot of nectar, attracting a variety of bumblebees, honeybees, and smaller native bees. Known as a pollinator magnet, it's also good for birds too.​

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Colours: purple, pink, white

Best for: bees

Similar to the New England Aster, 

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Colours: white, yellow

Best for: bees (+birds!)

Provides abundant nectar and pollen for honey bees, bumble bees, and native pollinators throughout the summer. In the winter, its seeds feed birds.

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Colours: purple and blue-purple