Build a pollinator-friendly garden

A useful pollinator garden provides more than flowers. It also offers continuity, shelter and safer habitat through the season.

Grow flowers across the season

Include plants that bloom at different times so there is not a long gap after one peak display. A mix of flower shapes can serve insects with different feeding strategies.

Leave some stems and leaf litter where appropriate

Many beneficial insects use stems, soil surfaces and sheltered litter during parts of their life cycle. A garden does not need to be messy everywhere, but a few less-disturbed areas can add habitat.

Reduce unnecessary pesticide use

Before treating a problem, identify the organism and decide whether damage is actually serious. Broad treatments can affect non-target insects. Physical removal, pruning, barriers or simply tolerating light damage may be enough.

Add water carefully

A shallow water source with safe landing surfaces can help wildlife in dry periods, but standing water should be refreshed frequently to avoid becoming a mosquito breeding site.

Prefer ecological fit over novelty

Native plants can be particularly useful where they support local insect relationships, but the same site-matching rules still apply: light, moisture and region matter.

Last reviewed: September 2026.