Here's Why Every Garden Needs Pollinators—Plus 8 Beautiful Ways to Get Them There (2024)

The circ*mstances and events of 2020 have triggered a seismic shift in the way that we use our homes, including and perhaps most notably our outdoor spaces. From porches and patios to gazebos and garden follies, these "rooms" have been the only places in which we have felt safe gathering with neighbors and family this past year. Furthermore, our gardens—whether planted with vegetables or flowering shrubs and vines—have never received so much attention. When we needed it most, we turned to our gardens for sustenance and spiritual salvation—and nature delivered.

But having been reminded of nature's power to restore us, what capabilities do we have to restore nature, even in our own backyards? It's a question best answered by landscape architects well-versed in the design of pollinator gardens, planted with native plants that attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds (particularly hummingbirds).

"Pollinators play an essential role in our gardens," says landscape architect Melissa Reavis of New York-based Hollander Design. "Without them, we would no longer have flowers, which would mean no fruit. They play a huge role in our food supply, of which 75 percent is pollinated by insects."

Pollinators are also responsible for ensuring gardens will have more prolific blooming seasons. "When we bring them into our gardens, we get much more biodiversity in our residential spaces, and we benefit from that biodiversity," says Reavis. "The more insects you have, the more blooms you will have."

More importantly, notes Reavis, many insects are facing extinction due to threats to their habitats. (A 2019 study published in the journal Biological Conservation found that more than 40 percent of insect species are threatened with extinction.)

"The vast majority—something like 86 percent—of the land east of the Mississippi River is held in private ownership, which means we don't have those large tracts of untouched land in which these pollinators can live," says Reavis.

Therefore, much of the responsibility for conserving pollinators, particularly on the eastern coast of the United States, rests on the shoulders of landscape architects, residential gardeners, and garden enthusiasts cultivating healthy habitats for pollinators at home. "We can’t think of nature as being elsewhere. It has to be in our own backyards, or it will just disappear," says Reavis. "We have to garden with nature so we don’t lose nature."

Here, Reavis shares eight pollinator-garden design ideas that are just as beautiful as they are doable. Consider this a road map to conserving nature in your very own backyard.

Gardens with native plants have a stronger sense of place.

In order to attract pollinators, your garden must be planted with native plants. "Native pollinators have coevolved with native plants[...], which are perfectly paired with our insects and their mouthparts and their bodies to feed," says Reavis.

But there's an aesthetic benefit as well: Planting a well-designed garden with native plants is actually the best way to achieve a unique and truly personal garden. "If you use your natives, it gives your garden a strong sense of place," says Reavis. "With good design, you can create a unique garden that can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world."

Reavis notes there are several great digital databases that allow you to search for plants native to your area by zip code. The National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Database shares information on native plants by region, along with which pollinators are attracted to each plant; the Audubon Native Plant Database shares information native plants by region that attract birds.

You can still have a formal garden using native plants.

Reavis notes that more and more clients are asking for "natural-style gardens." "They don't even know that what they're really asking for is pollinator gardens," says Reavis. "We haven't done the best job of selling these types of gardens to our clients and that we can create really beautiful details more typically seen in formal gardens using these plants."

Reavis adds that the job of the landscape architect is to take the native plant palette and ideate creative solutions while introducing clients to the importance of conservation in their own backyards. "I design with nature in mind, but I can do that in any style of garden, from a soft, romantic meadow to more formal parterre," she says. "The plant selection is what really matters."

You can also keep your favorite ornamental flowers (looking at you, peonies).

Bringing pollinators to your garden starts with simply mixing a few native plant species into your existing flower beds. "I love to tell people that you don't have to start over. Just introduce a few new native species into your beds," says Reavis.

The landscape architect also points out that introducing native species doesn't require getting rid of all ornamental or nonnative plants. "Just plant some natives in with those roses and peonies that you love, and the insects will come," she says. "Your flowers will do better with the biodiversity, and the insects will thrive. It's a win-win."

You don't have to get rid of your lawn—at least not all of it.

Reavis notes that while limiting the size of your lawn is important for protecting pollinators (since lawns offer no benefits like food or shelter to pollinators), that doesn't mean you have to eradicate your lawn altogether.

"I never advocate the wholesale removal of lawns. I am a mother of a toddler, and I know how important these spaces can be for families," says Reavis. "Instead, I try to think about carving a limited lawn space out of the garden rather than the other way around. For me, the garden and more biodiverse spaces always come first."

Native plants can actually keep your trees healthier.

One of Reavis's favorite ways to plant for pollinators is to underplant trees with native plants. "Planting beds of native plants under trees, even if just longer grasses, will actually help keep trees happier because this will mean less mowing over their roots," she says. "You can do this in more natural-style gardens or under formal allées of trees."

She notes that creating this type of native habitat under a tree supports the entire life cycle of a butterfly because caterpillars drop from trees and need the plants underneath for food and shelter.

Water is essential and won't attract mosquitos (so long as you do this one thing).

"Birds and insects are attracted to the sound of water, which also creates a feeling of privacy and seclusion, so we add water features to every garden that we design," says Reavis. "The key is to make sure your water feature has a bubbler or spout to keep the water moving, which prevents mosquitos from being able to lay eggs."

One other design element to consider for an outdoor fountain? Rocks or ledges on which bees can land. "They are attracted to the sound of running water, but they can't swim, so we make sure to place rocks for them to have a place to land," adds Reavis.

Native plants will actually decrease pests in your garden, not increase them.

One common question Reavis gets about pollinator gardens is how to keep pests at bay. "We don't advocate using pesticides, in part because they're not specifically formulated to battle whatever pest you're struggling with," says Reavis. Instead, she looks to biodiversity basics for pest eradication.

"If you can increase the biodiversity in your garden, bringing in pollinators but also more birds and mammals, you can decrease the tick population, for example, because they really prefer to be on animals and birds," says Reavis. "If we instead continue to create these sterile environments, ticks will be forced to come to people."

A more natural approach to pest control means playing the long game in your garden, which requires patience. "Most pests have a natural predator of some sort. The more your ecosystem is in balance, the more the pests are eradicated naturally," she says. "It takes a long time, but it does work, and it's much safer for kids and pets."

Pollinator gardens make for more beautiful winter gardens.

Creating shelter for pollinators to roost or nest over the winter is essential for maintaining biodiversity in your garden, but this requires reimagining your garden maintenance, which can take a little getting used to, says Reavis.

"I'm talking about things like doing very little deadheading and mulching beds with leaves," says Reavis. "You're doing a lot for insects by leaving those seed heads on flowers over winter. Plus, winter gardens can be breathtaking with those sculptural elements."

Reavis notes that adjusting garden maintenance in this manner does not limit a garden's bloom cycle the following season. "When you see bees and insects start flying around, that’s when they are no longer roosting or nesting, so that's when you can cut plants back. This is actually the perfect time to cut, just when you start to see new growth."