Planning path

Pollinator Garden Planner

Plan high-value pollinator plantings with bloom continuity, native plant emphasis, grouped plantings, pesticide caution, and habitat beyond flowers.

Pollinator habitat checks

Continuous bloom

Choose plants with overlapping bloom windows so nectar and pollen are available from spring into fall.

Native plant emphasis

Start with regionally appropriate native plants and use local plant lists before treating ornamental flowers as habitat substitutes.

Plant in groups

Plant multiple individuals of useful species together so pollinators can forage efficiently.

Pesticide caution

Avoid routine pesticide use in pollinator plantings and check any pest-control plan against pollinator risk.

Habitat beyond flowers

Leave room for host plants, seed heads, stems, and nearby cover instead of planning only for bloom color.

Regional pollinator checks

Pair high-pollinator catalog entries with regional native status, bloom-period coverage, beneficial-insect habitat structure, exact species matches, and non-exact species exclusions

• Xerces Midwest Native Pollinator Plant List Xerces checks Midwest pollinator plant-list scope, bloom-period coverage, beneficial-insect habitat structure, exact catalog species matches, and non-exact species exclusions

High-pollinator seed candidates

• Berseem Clover Cover Crop Cover Crop · Cool · 60 days
• Hairy Vetch Cover Crop Cover Crop · Cool · 180 days
• Crimson Clover Cover Crop Cover Crop · Shoulder · 90 days
• Buckwheat Cover Crop Cover Crop · Warm · 35 days
• Blue Boy Bachelor's Button Flower · Cool · 65 days
• Pacific Beauty Calendula Flower · Cool · 60 days
• Jewel Mix Nasturtium Flower · Shoulder · 55 days
• Sweet Alyssum Flower · Shoulder · 50 days
• California Giant Zinnia Flower · Warm · 75 days
• Indian Summer Rudbeckia Flower · Warm · 90 days
• Mammoth Sunflower Flower · Warm · 90 days
• Sensation Mix Cosmos Flower · Warm · 75 days
• Tall Verbena Flower · Warm · 90 days
• Common Chives Herb · Cool · 80 days
• Santo Cilantro Herb · Cool · 50 days
• Bouquet Dill Herb · Shoulder · 55 days
• Common Thyme Herb · Shoulder · 90 days
• Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Herb · Shoulder · 75 days
• Arp Rosemary Herb · Warm · 120 days
• Broadleaf Sage Herb · Warm · 75 days
• Common Anise Herb · Warm · 120 days
• Common Borage Herb · Warm · 60 days
• Common Lemon Balm Herb · Warm · 70 days
• Florence Fennel Herb · Warm · 80 days
• Genovese Basil Herb · Warm · 68 days
• German Chamomile Herb · Warm · 60 days
• Greek Oregano Herb · Warm · 90 days
• Munstead Lavender Herb · Warm · 90 days
• Black-Eyed Susan Native · Warm · 90 days
• Blanketflower Native · Warm · 365 days
• Canada Goldenrod Native · Warm · 365 days
• Clustered Mountain Mint Native · Warm · 365 days
• Common Milkweed Native · Warm · 365 days
• Dense Blazing Star Native · Warm · 365 days
• Eastern Bee Balm Native · Warm · 365 days
• Foxglove Beardtongue Native · Warm · 365 days
• Joe Pye Weed Native · Warm · 365 days
• Lanceleaf Coreopsis Native · Warm · 365 days
• Little Bluestem Native · Warm · 365 days
• New England Aster Native · Warm · 365 days
• Purple Coneflower Native · Warm · 365 days
• Swamp Milkweed Native · Warm · 365 days
• Astro Arugula Vegetable · Cool · 35 days
• Lacinato Kale Vegetable · Cool · 60 days
• Green Globe Artichoke Vegetable · Warm · 120 days
• Marketmore 76 Cucumber Vegetable · Warm · 58 days
• Small Sugar Pumpkin Vegetable · Warm · 100 days
• Sugar Baby Watermelon Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
• Waltham Butternut Squash Vegetable · Warm · 95 days

Supporting planning paths

• High Pollinator Value Seeds 49 catalog entries with high pollinator value
• Native Catalog 14 native pollinator entries
• Flower Catalog 9 pollinator-supporting flower entries
• Succession Sowing Planner 16 repeat-sowing pollinator candidates
• Crop Rotation and Companion Planner Keep insectary plantings visible beside crop-family planning

Source basis

• CSU vegetable planting guide 7 entries cite this source
• Penn State Extension planting pollinator-friendly gardens Continuous bloom, plant diversity, and pollinator habitat planning
• Penn State plant factsheets 4 entries cite this source
• Penn State planting for pollinators 2 entries cite this source
• Penn State pollinator recommendations 1 entry cites this source
• Seed Savers seed saving guide 14 entries cite this source
• UMN companion planting guide 2 entries cite this source
• UMN planting the vegetable garden 1 entry cites this source
• UMN starting seeds indoors 7 entries cite this source
• Wisconsin Extension cover crops and green manures 4 entries cite this source
• Xerces grow pollinator-friendly flowers Native plant lists, spring-to-fall bloom guidance, and pollinator flower planning
• Xerces Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects: Midwest Xerces Midwest Native Pollinator Plant List regional pollinator source
• Xerces pollinator-friendly native plant lists 7 entries cite this source