Container-Friendly Pollinator Gardens: Top 5 Plants for Small Spaces and Tiny Yards for Attracting Pollinators
Creating a Thriving Small-Space Pollinator Garden
A small space doesn't have to limit your ability to create a pollinator-friendly garden. With the right choices, you can attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to your balcony, windowsill, or container garden.
Choosing the Right Plants
When selecting plants for your potted pollinator garden, prioritize resilient, native, nectar-rich plants that thrive in containers and suit your local conditions. Opt for compact perennials and herbs with long bloom times. Examples of native plants that do well in containers include Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), and Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium).
Other small perennial favourites include Catmint (Nepeta spp.), which blooms repeatedly through summer and attracts a variety of pollinators, and Coral Bells (Heuchera species), which have nectar-rich flowers and come in many compact cultivars suited for containers.
Herbs such as lavender, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, and chives are excellent for very small gardens. Lavender, in particular, comes in several dwarf varieties like 'Dwarf Munstead', 'Compacta', 'Nana Alba', 'Little Lady', 'Wee One', and 'Thumbelina Leigh'.
Caring for Your Potted Pollinator Garden
Key practical tips include using large containers with drainage holes and clustering pots together to facilitate pollinator movement. Ensure your containers have good drainage and quality potting soil.
Compact containers with support and drainage are important for a potted pollinator garden. For example, dwarf bee balms can be grown in containers at least five gallons in size and placed in the sunniest spot. Dwarf coneflower varieties like 'Lilliput Dwarf', 'Prima Ginger', 'Pixie Meadowbrite' and 'Guatemala Gold' can grow up to 15in (40cm) tall and can flourish in compact spots.
Diversifying Your Garden
To create diversity in any size of garden, consider planting a variety of pollinator-friendly plants. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) miniature breeds like 'New Vintage Violet' are only 8-10 inches (20-25cm) tall, making them perfect for a potted pollinator garden in full sun or partial shade.
Milkweed, beloved of Monarch butterflies, can be grown in containers with sandy potting soil and a container with a diameter of ideally 16 inches (40cm) or more and a good drainage hole.
Attracting Pollinators
To attract pollinators to a small space garden, consider planting a variety of pollinator-friendly plants and providing pollinator-friendly items such as bee houses, butterfly feeders, and water features. Creating a potted or balcony pollinator garden can add color and appeal to small spaces and attract bees and butterflies.
In summary, choose native or well-adapted perennials and herbs that bloom prolifically, fit your container size, and meet your light and water availability to create a thriving small-space pollinator garden. Munstead lavender from Park Seed is a good choice for an easygoing lavender that thrives in a large pot. Dwarf bee balms can be grown for smaller potted pollinator gardens, with examples including 'Petite Delight' and 'Pardon My Purple'.
By following these tips, you can enjoy the beauty and benefits of a pollinator garden, even in the smallest of spaces.
Your small-space pollinator garden will flourish with a selection of home-and-garden plants like the compact Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), and Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium. Furthermore, expanding your garden's diversity can attract more pollinators; consider incorporating Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) miniature breeds such as 'New Vintage Violet' or milkweed, which is beloved by Monarch butterflies.
